Footballer excited to be in Canada

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This article was published 16/04/2019 (2350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since Stephen Hoyle joined Valour FC a couple weeks ago, he hasn’t had much of a chance to unpack his bags.

The 26-year-old English-born forward, who resides in Christchurch, New Zealand, arrived in Winnipeg on April 1 from Los Angeles, where he had been waiting for his work permit.

But before he could get to know the names of all of his Valour FC teammates, Hoyle was on a plane two days later. He and defender Skylar Thomas represented the team in Toronto for the Canadian Premier League’s (CPL) kit unveiling. From there, he boarded a plane to the Dominican Republic, where Valour FC and the six other teams in the league spent a week training and playing exhibition games. Valour FC returned from the Caribbean on the weekend and got back to work with a training session on Tuesday morning on Murray Field at Dakota Collegiate.

“In the last month, I’ve gone from New Zealand to L.A. to here to the Dominican and all over. I think maybe one more week (I’ll be good),” said Hoyle, who signed a multi-year deal with Valour FC in December, but had to wait until his season with Canterbury United FC, of the ISPS Handa Premiership in New Zealand, ended before he could join the club.

“I’m a little bit tired in the body, there’s a lot of stiffness from all the flying, but I’m sure after this week I’ll be ready and then still got a couple weeks to get ready for the season.”

Although Hoyle missed the first couple weeks of training camp and has only spent a couple of days in Winnipeg so far, he likes what he sees on and off the pitch. Hoyle, who scored 10 goals in 17 appearances for Canterbury United this past season and has 40 goals over his past 84 games, had opportunities to play in Finland, Germany and South Africa, but Valour FC head coach and general manager Rob Gale was too good of a salesman to say no to.

“I think Rob could sell snow to the Eskimos,” said Hoyle, the winner of the Premiership’s Golden Boot and Supporters Player of the Year award in the 2015-16 season as a member of WaiBOP United.

“When I first ever spoke to him, he talked to me and convinced me and I’m really, really glad he did because everything I’ve seen so far is wonderful. My partner arrived two days ago, she’s enjoying the city, she’s enjoying herself. All the guys have been so welcoming and the facilities we have are first-class. In England, in the championship, even in league one and the second and third tier, our facilities, Investors Group Field, rival theirs. It’s fantastic for me to come here. If you go to certain places in Europe, I don’t think you’re as well looked after.”

When Hoyle signed with Valour FC in December, he was the only the second player under contract and the first international player. The opportunity to play in Canada in a new league was enticing, even though some people questioned his decision at the time. The CPL hasn’t begun its inaugural season yet, and Valour FC plays its season opener on the road May 1 in Victoria against Pacific FC, but Hoyle said the attitude towards the new league has already changed drastically since December.

“Even Canadians who I know of through football kind of turned their noses up a little bit when it was first announced because they thought they wanted to go to more established leagues. But now, they’re desperate. I met one of them in Toronto last week who was coming home from his season and he’s desperate to get into the league,” Hoyle said.

“And you’d be amazed at the amount of foreign players from around the world who say, ‘What is this CPL? We’ve been looking at the website and through the media and it looks fantastic. How many fans you getting for the home opener? What’s the facilities like?’ Everyone now wants to get here. Sadly, I can’t help everyone who messages me on Facebook and WhatsApp. I’m telling you now, there’s a lot of guys who see the potential in this league.”

He also believes the CPL has great potential to develop young Canadian players. As the third-oldest player on the team, Hoyle wants to be a leader in the locker room. It’s a young group, with the average Valour FC player being 23 years old. The English goal-scorer said the veterans need to help the young guys as much as they can.

“The guys I’ve seen are working really hard to cement life as a pro. I think we have eight or nine guys who this is their first time doing it. If the older guys on the team like Josip (Golubar), Skylar (Thomas), Mikey Petrasso and Jordan (Murrell) and all the guys that have been around a long time, if they can show them how it is living day-to-day and being a footballer, I think it’s going to be great for them in the future. This is a fantastic opportunity for any young Canadian.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31