Young midfielder heading to Nebraska to play for college

Jamie Le Comte (left) in action for Roslyn-Wakari last season. PHOTO: PAUL LE COMTE
Jamie Le Comte (left) in action for Roslyn-Wakari last season. PHOTO: PAUL LE COMTE
Football has been part of Jamie Le Comte’s identity since birth.

Quite literally.

He was given the middle name of Everton — after his father’s favourite club.

No prizes for guessing which team he follows in the English Premier League.

That football identity very quickly went beyond his name, though.

It was not long before Le Comte had his first pair of boots and his first ball, and was spending hours playing in the backyard with his brother.

Now, all these years later, it is football that has enabled him to take his next step in life.

The 18-year-old midfielder is heading to Nebraska in the US later this year to play for Northeast Community College.

"I’m super excited," he said.

"I’ve been ticking off the days every night off the calendar, with the big check on August 1, when I’m heading over."

The college is a junior college, meaning it offers two years of tertiary courses with the ability to later transfer to a four-year college,

which is what Le Comte intends to do.

The former Otago Boys’ High School pupil said the junior college pathway would be a good way to get seen and potentially transfer to a bigger school.

The team was made up of other similar-minded players.

Included were a few from the Wolves academy in England, the Bundesliga youth league and various other countries — notably, there were no Americans.

The idea to try for a junior college team occurred to him when he reached the end of year 11 and did not know what he wanted to do in the future.

Travel had always interested him too, and the opportunity to combine that with football was attractive.

"Me and my family have always loved travelling the world.

"We did heaps of travel when I was a kid. That will be really awesome to experience a new culture.

"The attractiveness of the amount of leagues and teams and development processes a player like myself can go through in the States is irrefuseable, to be honest."

It was something he has always had the pedigree for as well.

Having grown up playing for both Hereweka and Northern, he has most recently played for Roslyn-Wakari, turning out for the men’s premier team last season.

He also spent time with the Southern United academy, and towards the end of the club’s time in the men’s national league, trained with the first team.

It all helped him put together an impressive CV, and after linking with a college recruitment agency, offers began arriving.

Since accepting the offer to move to Nebraska, Le Comte has headed north.

He has linked with Ferrymead Bays in Christchurch, to play in this year’s Southern League, before his departure.

Le Comte said the move had been a good one so far, both in footballing terms and in getting a taste of living away from home.

There would be a lot to get used to — not least having to call his sport a different name.

"The last year, while I’ve been involved in this whole process, I’ve been able to switch between soccer and football, depending on who I’m taking to.

"It won’t be the biggest switch. But I’m sure I’ll try keep football in and I will try to get the team to say football as much as I can over there."

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