They told him he was crazy. They urged him to pursue a ‘proper’ career. Futsal, they insisted, was a personal hobby and a professional pipe dream for an Aucklander. No player from New Zealand had, after all, ever made it pro.
Hamish Grey was hellbent on ripping that up. He trained like a boy possessed. When his mates were out having fun, he was finetuning his talents. And in 2022, he did what they said was impossible, signing for ASD Isola 5 of Italy and becoming New Zealand’s first professional futsal player.
Grey wasn’t done with firsts. As a seven-year-old he punched the Wellington air in ecstasy as Sky Stadium erupted. He was among the 36,500 who watched the All Whites qualify for their first FIFA World Cup™ in 28 years.
He became determined to get his nation to futsal’s parallel platform. Last year, at a packed-out Pulman Arena, on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, Grey sealed an emphatic 5-0 win over Tahiti that finally got New Zealand to their first FIFA Futsal World Cup™. FIFA caught up with the 22-year-old, who is now at Zambu CFS Pinatar in Murcia, Spain, to hear his hopes for Uzbekistan 2024.
How did it feel to become New Zealand’s first professional futsal player?
Hamish Grey: It was a very special moment for me, and also for my family and friends. It was something I’d been working towards for a very long time. Every young athlete aspires to be a professional. It was an awesome milestone to achieve. I was very grateful to everyone who had helped me get to that point.
Being from New Zealand and wanting to go pro must have seemed like a pipe dream to many. Did people try to talk you out of pursuing a career in futsal and into an alternative career?
Yeah. Even in football, it’s very difficult to make it in New Zealand. In futsal, nobody had ever done it before. Nobody really believed it could happen. I had people trying to tell me to go after other things in life, but becoming a pro was always my goal. Fortunately, I have very supportive parents. We’ve now got more and more players going to play overseas, and hopefully we will get more professionals.
How much do you feel you’ve improved playing in Italy and Spain?
Playing overseas has been critical for my development. It was a big step from New Zealand to Spain. Spain’s obviously one of the top nations in futsal. I’ve had the opportunity to play with and against some really strong players, and be coached by some top coaches. I also learned a lot in Italy. I’m trying to get as much knowledge and experience as I can, and hopefully bring it back to New Zealand.
How did it feel to beat Tahiti and finally qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time?
That was a really special moment for everyone in New Zealand. For us it meant a lot. We’re motivated by everyone who’s been in New Zealand futsal before us, whether that’s players, coaches, people behind the scenes, parents, friends, family supporting the team. We did that for them. We’re hoping us qualifying for the World Cup will open up a lot of doors in the New Zealand futsal community for the young ones coming through, and for us players too.
What’s the atmosphere like in the squad?
It’s really good. We’re a pretty tight group. Everyone knows each other. We’ve played against and with each other for years. We all have a really good bond. Dylan [Manickum] and Steve [Ashby-Peckham] have been around for ten years, so they’re the leaders in our squad. We all have a really good relationship. Right now we’re all buzzing because of the World Cup.
Given you’re a professional and play at a high standard, do you consider yourself a leader in the squad?
It’s something that I’m aiming to be. I’m looking to bring my knowledge and experience of playing in Europe back, but at the same time I’m still pretty young. I’d like to see myself as a leader in the future.
Which other Futsal Whites should people look out for at the World Cup?
We’ve got a pretty balanced group – everyone’s really strong. Dylan is really good. He’s our captain, our most experienced player. He won the Golden Ball at the OFC qualifiers. We’ve got Jordi Ditfort, who’s playing in England. He’s very good on the ball, creative. Adam Paulsen’s very strong on the ball as well. Our fixos, Logan [Wisnewski] and Ethan [Martin], are very strong players. They’re very important to the team.
New Zealand got a very tough draw, with two of the best teams in the world in your group. What did you think of that…
We’re excited. It’s a tough group. But for us, at our first World Cup, any group we got would have been difficult. Every team is strong. We’re an amateur team. To play against top professionals will be awesome for us.
Do you view Libya as a must-win game?
Yeah. Libya’s our first game. If we can start well, get a result, that would be huge to set us up for the rest of the games. As cliché as it sounds, we’re going to take it game by game. We’re going to try and win every game.
Catela, Adolfo Fernandez, Sergio Lozano, Miguel Mellado, Leo Higuita, Douglas Junior, Taynan… which players are you most looking forward to playing against in Group D?
Some pretty big names in there. Most of us have grown up watching those guys. For me, living and playing in Spain, to play against the Spanish players is going to be really cool. I’ve got a lot of Spanish mates – there’s a bit of rivalry there (laughs). If I had to pick one I’m most looking forward to playing against, I’d go with Adolfo. I’ve been watching him play for Barcelona for a long time. He’s a top, top player.
What are your targets at Uzbekistan 2024?
As a collective unit, with our wider squad, the coaching staff and everyone involved, we’ve set a goal of getting out of the group stage. If we can do that, in knockout futsal, anything can happen. We’ll look to get as far as we can.
Do you also take inspiration from the All Whites’ performances at South Africa 2010?
Yeah, of course. That was awesome, a big moment in our history. I managed to go to the qualifying game against Bahrain. I think I was about seven years old. It was pretty cool to witness that. When we qualified for the World Cup against Tahiti, it reminded me of that. At the 2010 World Cup, the All Whites put New Zealand on the map. They showed New Zealand can compete. They had the world talking about New Zealand, which was really cool. We’ll be looking to do that as well.
Who do you rate as the best player in the world right now?
There are a lot of top players at the moment, but I’d go with someone I think a lot of people would agree with. Over the last few years, Pito has been remarkable. I watch a lot of the LNFS in Spain and he’s been really impressive.
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کلاس یوس