Aussie Focus

'Desire' the key to Atkinson's rise through Australian football ranks

Nathaniel Atkinson has credited his rise through the ranks of Australian football to the burning desire he had to make his childhood dream a reality.

Nathaniel Atkinson applauds fans after a Socceroos match

Nathaniel Atkinson applauds fans after a Socceroos match

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Much has been said of the Australian ‘system’, the narrow road young footballers must travel in order to reach the next level.

Often messy, costly and upheld by the support of the community, it’s no secret player pathways remain in need of further refinement from Football Australia, particularly as they prepare for the impending introduction of a national second division.

For Atkinson, limited opportunities in Tasmania left him at a crossroads early in his career, where his own sacrifices helped bridge the gap between Riverside Olympic, subsequent National Training Centre Programs, and a successful trial with Melbourne City.

"As a boy coming from Tasmania, there aren’t many chances going around," Atkinson told SBS Sport. "You’ve got to make sacrifices to achieve your dreams. It’s just the little one-percenters that can make the difference."
Having joined City’s academy in 2016, the promising right-back quickly became an integral part of their National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria squad, before turning first-team training opportunities into an A-League Men debut the following year.

The 23-year-old’s push up the pyramid of Australian football concluded with an A-League Men Premiership-Championship double in 2021, and if there’s one piece of advice he could provide the next generation, it’s to tap into their own desires.

"If you look at when I was coming through youth teams, there were probably players better than me, but you look at them now and they’re probably not even playing football anymore," he explained.

"It’s probably a desire thing and if you want to make your dreams come true, you’ve got to make those sacrifices. I’ve missed many family events, birthday parties, all different types of events to hopefully one day fulfil my dream of becoming a professional footballer, and I think what sets a lot of us boys from the rest is that we’re willing to make those sacrifices for our long-term futures.

"I think every coach will tell you eat and sleep are the important things, but I think it’s the desire to do it (that makes a difference) as well."

Atkinson’s title-winning season with City culminated in a man-of-the-match performance in the Grand Final against Sydney FC and made way for a move to Scottish Premiership side Hearts six months later, where he currently plies his trade on a deal until 2025.

The switch to Scottish football also coincided with a deserved call-up to the national team, for whom Atkinson has since earned five caps and grown to become an important part of Graham Arnold’s plans as the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches.
It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for the full-back from Launceston, but it’s exactly the kind young players should embrace as they carve their own careers.

"It’s completely different football to Australia; it’s a lot more physical, a lot more physically demanding," Atkinson said of Scotland.

"You come to a different team and you play a different style of play, and I think the more experiences you have in football is only going to make you stronger.

"Playing for the national team is a different experience altogether as well, so the more experiences you’ve got is definitely going to benefit you."

An unfortunate ankle injury sustained in the UEFA Europa League has since cast doubt over Atkinson’s availability for the World Cup, with the race to recover now on ahead of Arnold’s squad announcement next week.

Arnold is expected to finalise his list of 26 players on November 8, and Atkinson would love nothing more than to have his name called.

"It would mean the world," he added. "As a young boy, you watch the Socceroos play at World Cups.

"They are your idols and you dream about one day going to a World Cup and being the idols for the younger generations as well.

"I think it would be a massive achievement, not just for me, but also for my family."
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4 min read
Published 1 November 2022 11:31am
By Jonathan Bernard
Source: SBS


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