All White Monty Patterson has set up a football academy – and a scholarship for less well-off youngsters – in a bid to help them chase their dreams. He talks to Neil Reid about the power of giving back.
Monty Patterson is no stranger to football’s
All White Monty Patterson’s journey from FA Cup scorer to helping young Kiwi footballers
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Monty Patterson, in action for the All Whites in 2017, is on a mission to give back to young Kiwi footballers, including those needing a hand financially. Photo / Oceania Football
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The spark for creating Coach Monty had been looking back at some of the struggles he faced, heading to the other side of the world as a teenager.
“I really would have benefited from someone doing what I am trying to do for these players now,” Patterson told the Herald.
“[The lack of support] made it a little bit more difficult than it needed to be. There wasn’t someone there to bounce ideas off, to help deal with what I was going through, good or bad ... just someone giving me perspective or guidance.”
Patterson arrived in Ipswich shortly after his 17th birthday.
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As well as leaving home, his parents were going through a divorce at the time, which made things “emotionally difficult”.
“I had younger siblings ... I didn’t want it to feel like I was abandoning them.”
His new home was an Ipswich Town “digs”, which provided rooms for some of the club’s youngsters.
As a boy, he had one dream: to become a professional. He quickly found that not only was it a difficult goal to reach, but also to retain once there.
“It can be quite lonely in the pursuit of being a professional athlete, not just a footballer,” he said.
“When I went into that professional space, it was hard mentally to comprehend that my friends were my teammates, but also my competition in a sense. Once you go over that white line, even at training, you are competing against each other, either to get a contract or even a starting spot.”
These were among the lessons he was teaching Coach Monty attendees, who made it clear that their life goal was to be a pro player.
He also taught them how to have a “healthy balance and perspective on life”. While it was good to dream big, it could be unhealthy if one thing consumed a person, Patterson said.
“There are actually other things in life that are important: friends, family and having other passions and interests outside of football,” he said.
“It took me quite a while to figure that out. It is really important to have other passions and interests and to be a good person.”
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At Coach Monty, Patterson wasn’t just giving back to youngsters by providing advice picked up in his footballing journey – he was also doing so financially.
In 2022, the kind-hearted 15-cap All White international created a scholarship that, as well as providing gear and opportunities to those who otherwise couldn’t afford it, allowed him to offer “mentorship and guidance outside of football”.
All profits from items sold on the online Coach Monty shop – including training shirts, beanies and socks – help fund the scholarship.
Three young players aligned to Manurewa AFC are currently on the scholarship.
“I am trying to be a person that helps them move forward, lead by example and show what it is to be a good person or a good man,” Patterson said.
“There are some people who don’t have the financial means to go to all the coaching clinics or get the best gear and that sort of stuff.”
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Four players are in line to make their #AllWhites debuts in Luke Adams, Kip Colvey, Max Crocombe and Monty Patterson pic.twitter.com/8NRVhJZt4S
— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) May 12, 2016
Patterson made his All Whites debut in 2016 at the OFC Nations Cup.
One of his teammates was Rory Fallon, who several years earlier had provided a spark of motivation for the then-teenaged Patterson while he was coached by the striker’s father, Kevin Fallon, at Mt Albert Grammar.
“Rory came in for a training session before the famous game against Bahrain where he scored the header,” Patterson said.
“Later that day, he gave Kevin a shirt, and Kevin gave that shirt to me the next day and it said: ‘To Monty, God Bless, Rory.’ I would have been about 13.
“Fast forward six years later ... we were in the same squad. It was like full circle and a special moment.”
There have been many special moments in his playing career.
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One was joining an elite club of New Zealanders to score a goal in the FA Cup – the 152-year-old British knockout football competition.
That goal came while playing for Braintree United – while on loan from Ipswich Town – securing the side a 1-0 first-round win in the 2016-17 competition.
The magnitude of scoring in the world-famous tournament took some time to sink in.
“It was a good moment, but at the time I don’t think I realised just how big.”
Patterson’s footballing journey has taken him around the Pacific, and as far away as England, Russia, America and Norway.
He has also been on the books at A-League club the Wellington Phoenix.
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TRANSFER NEWS | Delighted to secure the signature of young All White Monty Patterson on an initial loan - full story to come! #COYN #ERereTeKeo pic.twitter.com/mCvoiGS4kt
— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) January 31, 2018
In early 2020 he was contracted to Norwegian third league team Honefoss BK. But given the global uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic, Patterson decided to return to New Zealand.
He initially linked with Auckland United and took on some youth coaching, which gave him the idea for the Coach Monty academy.
The New Zealand league took some getting used to after playing in front of huge crowds overseas – including being part of the All Whites’ squad that competed in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
“There probably was a little bit of an adjustment period [after] playing in front of big crowds in the FA Cup. There was a bit more of a buzz to it than coming back and maybe playing in front of 10 or 15 people,” Patterson said.
“It took a mentality change.”
Throughout 2023 he was a standout for Manurewa AFC, including in their return to the National League for the first time in 35 years.
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HE'S HERE 🤩 Welcome to Manurewa AFC Monty PattersonHE'S HERE 🤩 Manurewa AFC are proud to announce the signing of 15 Cap All White Monty Patterson for the 2022 season 🙌🏽 Big things ahead for our club. Let’s go Monty 💛💙 #REWAHARD
Posted by Manurewa AFC on Sunday, January 30, 2022
The money Patterson earned playing in New Zealand was nothing compared to what he could earn overseas.
But he loved being back home, and said it would take something special to chase his own football dream elsewhere.
“It is rewarding working with young people and seeing them develop as players and as people,” he said. “It means a great deal to me.”
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.