Back O’ The Net!

It’s destiny…

t is, of course, most famous for being the home of the great Alan Partridge, and figurative painter Stella Vine and, er, that 15th-century Guildhall thingy.

And now, Norwich city has another claim to fame, being the new home of one very talented young Greystones footballer.

Having moved over to the club last Wednesday, Simon Power has now realised his childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer with a major English team by signing on the dotted line with Norwich City FC.

For football agent Dan Chapman, a senior partner at Full Contact, Power is one of the fastest players that he’s ever seen. “He’s got exceptional speed,” says Chapman of the 19-year-old Rathdown Park native. Having started with Greystones United AFC, Power went on to be capped for Ireland at U19 level, and most recently represented University College Dublin in the 2017 season.

Having signed an 18-month contract with the Canaries last week, Power has gone straight into City’s development squad, Chapman believing that Simon has the talent to quickly break into Norwich’s first team. “It’s going to take time, obviously,” says the agent, “but the sheer pace he has got will make him a threat at any level.”

Hmmm, wonder where he gets that from? Dad, Rory, also played for Greystones, and was later a star player for Dalkey United. Which may explain why Simon’s older sister, Sophie, is a member of the Ireland Tag Rugby Squad and younger brother, Joe, currently plays for Greystones United AFC. Just to keep the balance of nature in check, mum, Caroline, is reportedly crap at sports.

That’s Rory holding the ball, right, after captaining the 1995 League winners, Greystones AFC.

As the welcoming party died down and the daily training kicked off in Norwich, we managed to grab a few minutes with Simon Power to find out more about his lifelong commitment to The Beautiful Game, and how it has all begun to pay off…

So, I’m guessing you really had little choice about playing football, given the family genes…  
It’s definitely something that runs through our family for sure. I presume the infamous Dalkey United had a cracking side back then as my dad used to go on about his success in the past with the club and how he dominated the opposition with his Roy Keane-esque slide tackles and leadership on the pitch. So I’m still convinced that I’m a chip off the old block as the football gene was certainly not passed on from my mum, Caroline!

But, we’re a football-mad house, for sure, and it is definitely something which comes to mind of others when they think of the Power family – and it’s something we’re all proud of.

It sounds as though sport, in general, was always part of your life. Someone mentioned your cross-country running success too…?
Sport has been a massive part of my life, for sure, and always will be. I’ve played many sports growing up as a kid, and have always excelled in each sport I’ve took on. One of those sports which I excelled in, and is a key factor to my success in football, is athletics.

I took up athletics when I was around 8 years old, and have competed in many All-Ireland Championships during my time in the sport. I competed mainly for the 60m sprint but also took on cross country running. Although I wasn’t as successful with the cross country running as I was with the sprinting, I’ve no regrets taking on the challenge as it definitely has done my body the world a good, and I would highly recommend young kids and teenagers to try it out.

Did you always plan and hope for a career in football, or did it just turn out that way?
Yeah, it’s definitely something which I’ve always wanted to try as I’ve always been a huge football fan, and I’ve grown up watching football on the TV, always saying to myself when admiring a professional player, “I wanna be like him when I’m older”. And the majority of young kids who play football would say the exact same thing.

I remember when I was in primary school, and everyone in the class was given a page which consisted of things which you had to write down about yourself, and the last question on the page was about your hopes and dreams for the future. And anytime this question came up I wrote down the same thing every time – I was going to be a footballer. And now I’ve been given a chance to fulfill that dream and to pursue a career in English football.

Many teenage dream of making it in sport, or music, or film, etc – was there a point when you knew that your dream might actually be coming true?
I think the point where I thought I could fulfill my dream in making it in football was just over a year ago, when I got to represent Ireland in a 3-team tournament over in Sweden. This was my first time playing for my country in any sport, and is definitely the highlight of my career so far.

I got to play amongst some of the best and most talented Irish football players who had already made the journey across the Irish Sea to play football in England, and just to be given the opportunity to play with them gave me a sense of hope and belief that I can compete at this level, and perhaps make that journey across the Irish Sea sometime in the near future.

Signing to Norwich – an overnight sensation, or a long, hard haul to putting pen to paper?
It was definitely a long, hard haul to putting pen to paper. From the days of playing football down at your local green with your mates using jumpers as goal posts to the relentless weeks of training and work in the gym for 2 years, these are all the pieces you need to complete the puzzle. Despite being born with a talent, you won’t make it without hard work, sacrifice and dedication.

You started with Greystones United, then Ireland United – were there other key steps to Norwich City…?
So, I started off playing football with Greystones Utd, where I learned the basics of the game, and developed a love for the game too, playing amongst my closest of friends. I then made a decision to leave my hometown club to move to St.Josepsh Boys AFC, where I faced a greater challenge than I did at Greystones. This was where I began to take football a lot more seriously.

At Joeys, I played with and against some of the best players in the country, and I then knew that I had to do more off the pitch if I wanted to better myself and to compete at this level. So, I started training by myself. We had a small white wall in the driveway of our home, and I used to get a couple of footballs and lash them against the wall to test my touch, and to improve my passing skills.

We also had a big green in my estate. I’d bring a couple of footballs down there, where I had more space to practice other skills, such as my dribbling, and getting used to running with the ball at your feet at a greater speed. I’d do this as often as I could, as all I wanted to do was have a ball at my feet rather than being stuck inside my house doing my homework.

So, just having a ball in your sight as often as possible, and kicking and messing about with it, was definitely a key step, especially from in those early years. As I got older, I moved to a couple of other different clubs, where I was training with better players, and being coached at a higher standard, and I began to get a name for myself as being a serious football player with real potential.

I began to develop physically, and I started training almost 4 times a week. It was then, at about 17 years of age, when I pretty much dedicated my life to playing football. It was all I wanted to do. I would show up to every training session and give my all to the coaches, and to the team. The hunger and the hard work every week at training, and in every match, striving always to be better, these are the most important factors in my career. It’s what helped get this move to Norwich City FC.

You moved over just last week, and hit the ground running, literally – have you managed to take it all in yet, or are you too busy training?
To be honest, it actually hasn’t quite hit me yet. I’m training every single day, and it’s quite knackering, but I’d say once I put on that yellow and green jersey for the first time, it will all hit me, and I’ll realize how lucky I really am to be given this chance, and that I’m actually living the dream of playing football professionally.

When would you hope to get your chance on the pitch for Norwich? Is there a timetable yet…?
I would like to get the chance to play my first match for Norwich as soon as possible, but I know at the moment I’m not match ready. I need to get sharper by training every day, and get fitter by going to the gym and eating properly every day also. This will take a few weeks to all sync together, and by then, hopefully, I’ll be able to set foot onto Carrow Road for the first time.

It’s going to be an exciting year ahead for you – psyched? Petrified? Or just dizzy with the craziness of it all…?
Yeah, it is going to be very exciting, but it’s also gonna be extremely challenging, especially when I first arrive. I’ll need to get settled, and get comfortable with my new surroundings, as it is indeed all a bit crazy at the moment. I’m full of all sorts of emotions. But it’s something I’m really looking forward to doing, and facing the oncoming challenges that stand in my way.

Any tips for those fellow young Greystonians with similarly big dreams?
For all the young Greystonians wishing to pursue a career in football, I’d say, just play as much football as you can with your mates – and, most importantly, just enjoy when playing. Try and have a football with you as often as possible. I used to bring a football with me anywhere I went. Get down to a local field, and run with the ball, or find a wall and just get locked into that back-and-forth.

Given that Sophie is on the Irish Tag Rugby Squad and Joe plays for Greystones United AFC, is there any sibling rivalry in the Power house? Or do they both accept now that you’re now officially better than them…?
All three of us seem to have to gotten the sporting gene, for sure, and you will definitely find some competitiveness amongst ourselves, particularly with between myself and my younger brother. Joe also plays football, and has the same ambitions as myself, and I love to take the Mick out of him, seeing that I’ve actually signed professionally. I’d say he feels huge weight on his shoulders now, seeing that I’m officially the best sibling out of them all. There’s no way he’s gonna live that down. He’s very competitive, and I’m sure he’ll want to get out of my shadow sooner rather than later!

My older sister, Sophie, is also very sporty, and has many incredible achievements, but she’s happy enough to accept that I’m the best sibling, so we don’t have that competitive edge between each other. It’s good though to have competition in the family as this can only make each of us better ourselves, each wanting to grasp that number one spot. So, I’m sure I’ll be handing over the throne to Joe in no time at all…

You can check out Rory’s career so far right about here. And find out how his beloved Norwich City are doing right about here.