Rotorua's Zac Newdick is off to Australia to represent the country in football.
Rotorua's Zac Newdick is off to Australia to represent the country in football.
Local footballer Zac Newdick is looking forward to getting a taste of international football when he runs out for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in Australia.
Newdick, 17, is part of an 18-man team heading to Sydney in July to represent the country at under-19 level.
"It is ahuge honour to represent your country. I'm looking forward to it," he said. "We are going to Sydney in July and I think we play some A-League youth teams and the Australian secondary schools team."
Newdick grew up playing football in Rotorua before moving to St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton on a football scholarship last year.
He said it was the first time he had been named in a national team and he would love to make a career out of the sport in the future.
"That is the goal. I'm looking at going to the US next year on a scholarship because we have [former All White] Mike Groom at the school and he has good contacts over there."
Newdick currently plays as a holding midfielder and has played in the middle of the park since he was a young boy representing Otonga Primary School.
"Ever since I was 8 I was a midfielder," he said. "I guess you get the ball a lot and control the game a bit more in the midfield which I like."
When asked if he considered himself a tough tackler like famous holding midfielders Javier Mascherano or Nemanja Matic, he said not quite. "I'm more of a Xavi, I'm more of a passer."
Newdick said it would be exciting playing against A-League youth teams in July, and he would love to get a crack in the A-League in the future if the opportunity was there.
"The A-League is a good league now, it is definitely a competitive league whereas it was probably not as good in the past."
Newdick is training with the Hamilton Wanderers first team, during their pre-season this year. Wanderers play in the Northern Premier League competition.
