Two weeks ago, Luke Brooke-Smith dreamed of becoming a professional football player.
Now, he is one.
New Zealand’s Luke Brooke-Smith celebrates a goal with New Zealand’s Luka Vicelich at the OFC Men’s U-16 Championship, Final, New Zealand v Fiji, Stade Pater, Papeete, Saturday 10 August 2024. Photo: DJ Mills / www.phototek.nz
“It just doesn’t feel real,” the 16-year-old Cambridge student said.
“When people say congratulations on a professional contract that sounds crazy, but when I say the words that I’m a professional footballer that’s the thing that really gets to me.
“Everything’s almost fallen into place like dominoes – it was just one big thing after the next and I’m just so grateful.”
The winger, who trained at Cambridge’s RH3 Football Academy – run by elite coach and former All White and Ricki Herbert – made his senior debut for Cambridge Football Club 18 days after his 15th birthday and played for Hamilton Wanderers in the Northern League this year.
His three-year contract with Wellington Phoenix Football Club was announced on last week.
The club described him as one of the stars of New Zealand’s FIFA U17 World Cup qualifying campaign.
“Luke has attributes that are already commonplace for a lot of our established players,” Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano said.
Luke Brooke-Smith in 2022
Brooke-Smith moved to Cambridge from Whangarei in late 2019 with his mother Clare, father Phil, a former British BMX champion, and sister Casey, now 11.
He attended St Peter’s School, Cambridge in year 7 and 8 and studied at Cambridge High School from year 9 until last week, when he left to enrol in a distance learning programme with Te Kura.
The year 11 student is due to move to Wellington this week.
He had been contemplating a career in Europe after spending a month training with professional Spanish club CF Rayo Majadahonda earlier this year.
Luke Brooke-Smith in April after his selection in the NZ under 17 team.
“I had an opportunity to go to Spain, but I had too many complications where going by myself, not guaranteed a contract, it was just quite hard, quite expensive,” he said.
“Then I got this call from the Wellington Phoenix… and obviously it’s just gone super well, they’ve been super supportive.”
His goal now is to make his debut in the A-League, the highest-level professional football league in New Zealand and Australia.
“I think I’ve always had that belief in my head that I was going to go pro – I never really had a back-up plan,” he said.
“That’s almost like the pressure that I put on myself, but I perform well under pressure, so I think that’s what’s helped me.”
He attributed his rapid rise in football to the community around him.
“My parents, family and coaches have been super supportive, and not only with helping me out when things are going well, but when I’m down, too, like if I’ve suffered an injury in a game,” he said.
“The support around me has been top-notch in Cambridge.”
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Luke Brooke-Smith training.
