Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle talks to Neil Reid about not giving in, leadership, juggling friendships with captaincy, and why it’s good to be playing with his brother again.
When a teenaged James Hoyle broke both his tibia and fibula, he feared his football playing days were over.
Aged 18, the Barnsley-born future Napier City Rovers captain was signed to Rotherham United FC’s youth team with a dream of becoming a fulltime pro.
That desire was shattered by a double leg break; an injury that required surgery and eventually saw him being released by the English club.
“I’d kind of given up on football,” Hoyle said. “That was sort of it for me.”
His second chance at the sport he loves came via older brother Stephen, who after three seasons at Napier City Rovers recommended him to coach Bill Robertson on a trial basis.
“And Bill said, ‘Bring him out. Let’s see what happens. And if he can’t stay with us, then we’ll try and find opportunities for him around New Zealand’.
“And I was lucky enough that they took me on that year.”
Napier has been home for Hoyle since.
Next year will mark a decade since Hoyle first wore the Napier City Rovers shirt, a team for which last year he racked up his 150th league appearance.
Hoyle will again captain his side against Wellington club Island Bay in round 14 Central League action in Wellington on Saturday.
Last weekend they beat the Wellington Phoenix Reserves 2-0, retaining third spot on the Central League points table and ever closer to a National League spot.
Hoyle said he “can’t imagine” what his life would be like had he not taken the plunge and travelled 18,500km to try to reboot his football.
“This is home, my football club now,” he proudly said.
Almost a decade on and Hoyle is a mainstay of the Napier City Rovers first team.
He has tasted Chatham Cup and Central League success with the club; for those respective triumphs, he was also the team captain.
It was a role he inherited after a long-term knee injury to fellow modern-day club legend Fergus Neil.
On the day Hoyle clocked up his 150th cap last season, Neil played his 200th.
“I loved having the opportunity, but at the start, I was definitely nervous and probably not ready,” he said.
“It’s a great honour to be captain of this team, it’s a privilege. It’s just something that I love doing. I love the responsibility, I love the way the lads look to me for help and advice and things in certain situations.”
Hoyle was aged around 21 when he started captaining the team.
Over the years he has grown into the role, and it is shown both on and off the football pitch.
For several seasons he has been one of Napier City Rovers’ most consistent performers.
A defender, he is constantly the man who cleans things up when his side is under the pump near their own penalty area. That includes exerting a strong – but controlled – physical presence when required.
Off the pitch, Hoyle is well-liked and respected by his teammates.
“I sort of see myself as sort of like a team dad,” he said.
“My main goal as captain has always been that everyone that comes to this club enjoys playing for this club and loves their time here. If it’s a week, if it’s two years, if it’s three years, if it’s the rest of their career, I just want people to come to this club and love playing for Napier City Rovers.”
He is firmly in the captaincy mould of someone who leads by his actions, rather than a stream of words.
“I’m always trying to give it everything,” he said. “And, hopefully, the other lads follow suit.”
But he’s also acutely aware of when it’s time to get vocal and “dig someone out”.
Among his close friends in the squad is midfielder Liam Schofield, who like Hoyle hails from the English town of Barnsley.
Not only do they form a close bond in the Napier City Rovers set-up, but their working week also sees them working side-by-side as a crew at Geary Painting, a company owned by former Rovers National League player David Geary.
Schofield was Hoyle’s foreman while the football captain completed his painting apprenticeship.
“Monday’s always a debrief from the weekend, definitely,” Hoyle said of workplace banter.
“We try and stay away from it [talking football] as much as we can, but we’re so passionate about it. Yeah, we have a class time at work.”
The 2024 season has seen Hoyle reunite with his older brother at Napier City Rovers.
While Jim is captain, he has been joined in the defensive line with Stephen who is also the team’s assistant coach.
He said it was “amazing” having his brother in the environment both on and off the pitch.
“There’s no one really who’s as harsh a critic as he is to me,” Hoyle said.
“But also no one’s as big a fan as Steve to me. He tells me exactly what he thinks of my performance each week.”
He said one of his brother’s non-playing strengths was analysing both their team and the opposition.
That trait had led to “endless phone calls . . . talking about football and what we can do better at Napier City Rovers to make us better as a team”.
Hoyle, half-jokingly, said there was another reason he now loved being back on the same side as Stephen.
“He had a knack of scoring against Napier City Rovers,” he said.
“He was a great goal scorer a couple of years ago ... that was his focus, scoring goals.
“We always had decent battles. But he’ll tell you, he always seemed to find a way to score against me for some reason.”
Watch the Inside the Rovers video series:
Episode One: Back to Work
Episode Two: The Darkest Days
Episode Three: Skin Deep
Episode Four: Good as Gould
Episode Five: The Hard Yards
Episode Six: Leaving a Legacy
Episode Seven: Fun and Games
Episode Eight: Game Day
Episode Nine: The Great Dane
Episode 10: Back to Back
Episode 11: Long Road Back
Episode 12: Total Commitment
Episode 13: The Bravest Boy
Episode 14: Love of the Game
Episode 15: A Rapid Rise
Episode 16: Mixed Emotions
Episode 17: Cup Fever
Episode 18: 50-Year Love Affair
Episode 19: The Music Man
Episode 20: Sammy’s On Fire
Episode 21: A Burning Desire
Episode 22: Cup Heroics
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
