THE sacrifices a Williamstown High School student has made to pursue his passion for soccer paid off last week when he won a Victorian School Sports Award.
Year 12 student James Sherman was one of just 37 primary and secondary students from around Victoria who received an Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award, presented by Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat.
James moved to Hobsons Bay from Hobart about 13 months ago, leaving family and friends behind to follow his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
It was a move filled with uncertainty and risk, but he said more than just his soccer had already benefited from taking the big plunge.
“It’s been the best move of my life,” he said. “Just becoming more independent and enjoying the larger soccer community and the extra challenge has been great. I have had to grow up a bit faster.”
James, who turned 18 last week, said the award had come as a complete surprise, and it had steeled his resolve to pursue his passion for the beautiful game.
“It was great to receive some acknowledgment for some hard work. It makes me want to focus harder,” he said.
“I know I want to play and make a career out of it.”
James, who usually holds down the important centre- midfield position, lived in a bungalow in an assistant coach’s backyard when he first arrived in Melbourne.
After playing with Brunswick City last year, he moved to Victorian Premier League club Whittlesea Zebras, and is juggling soccer commitments with VCE study this year.
He toured New Zealand and Samoa in January as part of the Victorian Schoolboys soccer team, returning with four wins, a loss and a draw from the six-match series.
And like any good pro sportsman, James said he was taking things “one year at a time” and was conscientiously avoiding the cardinal sin of “getting too far ahead of myself”, despite quietly harbouring ambitions to one day play in bigger leagues, including the national A-League competition.
