Rising Whangārei football player Xavier Corsbie has scored a chance to train with English Premier League giants West Ham United, after excelling at an Australian training camp last year.
Rising Whangārei football player Xavier Corsbie has scored a chance to train with English Premier League giants West Ham United, after excelling at an Australian training camp last year.
Only six Kiwis have had careers in the English Premier League, arguably the top professional football league in the world, which is watched by hundreds of millions every week.
The six are among New Zealand’s footballing legends – Chris Wood; Ryan Nelsen; Winston Reid; Danny Hay, Simon Elliot and LeeNorfolk – names that appear on the roll of honour of Kiwi footballing greats.
Now two Whangārei teenagers hope to add their names to the list, after scoring spots at an elite training camp with Premier League heavyweights West Ham United, in London – Xavier Corsbie, aged 16, who plays for Onerahi, and Ryder Leslie-Ellis, 14, who plays for Kamo.
Corsbie, a student at Whangārei Boys’ High School, hopes to join that illustrious list after earning a spot at an elite training camp with Premier League heavyweights West Ham United, who Reid once played for, and if he shines there, he could become a target for the Hammers or another top team – and earn the wealth that comes with the life of a pro footballer.
But for Corsbie, first there’s the little matter of raising the roughly $17,000 to get to London for his stab at footballing stardom.
Proud dad Andy Corsbie said his son has been playing football for over a decade, after giving up rugby, as he preferred the round-ball game.
Xavier Corsbie, who was born in England before coming here as a young child, has played for Marist and now Onerahi, and started playing in the men’s grade at 15, with the tougher competition – and rougher players – giving him a taste of what to expect as he moved up the grades.
Xavier Corsbie and Leslie-Ellis earned the opportunity to train with West Ham and George Cowie Football after progressing through Cowie elite development camps in both New Zealand and Australia.
“He went along [to the Whangārei camp] and they were impressed with his football skills and his attitude and then they took him for a week-long camp in Australia,” Andy Corsbie said.
And he impressed so much there that he won the right to go to West Ham and train with the team, under the eyes of talent scouts from some of the biggest teams in Europe in the George Cowie Football 2026 UK Development Tour.
Whangārei footballer Xavier Corsbie, pictured here playing for his Onerahi team, is off to the UK and a chance to train with some of the best young players from around the world with Premier League team West Ham United.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Xavier to test himself in a professional academy environment,” Andy Corsbie said. “We’re extremely proud of his dedication and commitment.”
The total cost of the tour is $17,000, covering flights, accommodation and training expenses and the family are now seeking sponsorship support from the local community and businesses to help make the opportunity possible. The family have set up a fundraising plan to help Corsbie get there.
Corsbie, a right-footer who plays on the left wing, said the trip was an opportunity of a lifetime. It is his dream to play professional football and the Premier League was the pinnacle.
Being born in England, before coming to New Zealand as a young child, Corsbie doesn’t have a particular team he supports but has footballers he admires and follows – mainly England greats Sir David Beckham and Harry Kane.
He said it was surprising that only six Kiwis have had a Premier League career, and he has high praise for Wood – “he’s just an amazing player” – and he hoped to one day join them.
“Playing in the Premier League would be a dream come true, but I know there are plenty of people wanting to get there so I have to show what I can do [at the camps] and that I am worthy of playing there. I’m just going to go there and play and train the best I can.’’
He has been doing extra training at Onerahi most nights, with the club working him hard to make sure he is prepared for the rigours of such intense pressure.
Anyone keen to help can email Info@northernprojects.co.nz or ring Andy Corsbie on 021 021 74444.
■ Chris Wood is the highest-profile current Kiwi Premier League player and has a three-year contract with Nottingham Forest, including an estimated $10.5 million.
