Now advises André Sødlund Norwegian football talents to think carefully before they try their luck abroad.
ÅGOTNES (bt.no): Nest-Sotras new signing André Sødlund sits in sixth benkerad which Ågotnes Stadium also is the chief, and gaze at the somewhat uneven turf. Children from neighboring schools have utegym, and wasting both hula hoops and skipping on the track.
That it was here, in a half professional and volunteer-run club, he would play at 18 years old, seemed unthinkable just three years ago .
That summer he sat on the plane towards Manchester. He had signed a contract with the English club Bolton. He had taken a major step closer to his dream of becoming overseas pro.
Thought he said.
– Chaos
The stay in Bolton was in fact never quite so Sødlund had seen for themselves. When he, at age 15, and her parents went down to visit the club ahead of the transition, they were promised that Sødlund should be monitored closely outside the court and that the host family he was awarded had a lot of experience.
– So it was not. It’s hard to explain what happened, but chaos is the most adequate word, says Sødlund.
Alone in Bolton he ended with a host family, who had never been there before. He got a room in the basement, where there was neither window or ventilation. The worst was yet he never quite got the feeling that they cared about him.
He asked to swap but the poor follow-up was similar to all areas.
– My experience was that the host families saw it as easy money, he said.
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Lonely
He explains that he did not take with him some of his teammates home, and that the days mostly consisted of lying in bed playing Xbox. The highlights were when the family came to visit once in a while, but neither they did stay at a guest with host families.
Sødlund taking never recovered. He switched host families four times in just over a year, and pro dream had become a kind of lonely nightmare.
– In the smaller clubs in England they usually have no culture for foreign players in the academies her, so they are won with the players already feel at home. Nobody helped me by training, he explains.
A short drive away lived the peer buddy Martin Samuelsen who was part of Manchester City’s academy. The differences were like night and day.
– He stayed at the Hilton hotel on the 37th floor with his family, so I went home to Harry Potter my room in the basement, says Sødlund.
Would add up
Having been in Bolton in a little over a year he would home. Football, which he once loved, was not fun anymore.
– You can not perform on the pitch when nothing works out. I did not want to play football more. I had to get home, he said.
Bolton finally went reluctantly agreed to cancel the contract. Talent Sødlund went home to Sandefjord with neither approved schooling, confidence or football enjoyment.
– I had a few rounds with myself where I asked myself if I really bear more. I would provide me with football, he says, and continues:
– luckily gave Sandefjord Fotball me a second chance. They took me even though I was far from my best form. It saved my career.
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– Imagine if
Insert subsequently admits Sødlund that there is much he would have done differently. To go to England at age 15 without family, he was simply not ready for. It was, however, difficult to realize the time.
– Mom and Dad fussed really on me and said I had to think about while I walked around and snorted it and thought it was going to be okay. I floated on a cloud and thought that football was the most important thing in life, he says, and continues:– In retrospect, I should heard more of them, but I realize also that they let me go. If I had not gone, I would be happy thought that I would play in the Championship now – and it would be their fault that I did not.
– What would you say to the Norwegian 15 olds receiving similar offer today?
– You should be very secure, and you should not miss at least one parent one can live with. I’d also looked at housing and such before you leave, so that you avoid getting shock when you come here. Sporty can be absolutely perfect to go out, but you need to have people around when adversity comes.
– Early
Senior Lecturer for player development in the Norwegian Football Association (NFF), Håkon Grøttland believes that in most cases is too early to go abroad without parents at age 15, but he understands that it is easy to be lured.
– To go alone and living with a homestay is a transition not everyone understands. One must not underestimate the importance of safety also outside the court whether to be good, says Grøttland.
He believes parents would be wise to seek advice from independent experts before eventually taking the decision.
– I would recommend the family to consult with the experts we have in NFF. We have many people disposable, whether they are national team coaches or work in circles. They have much experience and no agenda, he says and adds:
– It is not certain foreign clubs has more to offer than the Norwegian. There are many individual differences, which generally also should be considered by people with experience in the field.
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