By Kayla Boardman (@kaylarboardman):
Max Allen knew from a young age that he wanted to become a professional soccer player.
Growing up in Liverpool, England, the freshman at San Jose State would spend time at the park playing soccer with his older brothers and dad. Once Allen realized he was pretty good at it, he decided to pursue it further.
While soccer, or football as it’s referred to in pretty much everywhere but America, is still gaining popularity in the U.S., it is a huge deal in other countries around the world like England.
Allen was part of two different soccer academies in England from a young age. At age 8 he signed a contract with the Liverpool F.C. Academy and at 10 he signed with the Bolton Wanderers FC Academy until he was 18.
Since Allen was a midfielder for the Bolton Wanderers, it makes sense that he is continuing this position at SJSU. However, it was no easy task getting his academy midfielder experience.
“In England, playing for an academy is massive because everyone wants to play football,” Allen said.
Soccer academies are similar to recreational programs in the U.S. where players go to school during the day, train in the afternoons and play games on the weekend. However, that is where the similarities end.
To play for a youth soccer academy in England, you must first get recruited and sign a youth development contract with the team. It is a professional environment that treats the players like they are in the top leagues.
“It was very competitive because you are playing against lads from the best clubs in the world like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United,” Allen said. “You’re playing against them week in and week out and that just gives you the experience to deal with any situation on the pitch and off the pitch.”
This experience gave Allen the hard-working drive he brings to the soccer field for SJSU. With so many strong players vying for a spot on a professional team in England, he quickly learned that it is important to put in hard work.
This mindset is what caught the attention head coach Simon Tobin when recruiting new players. Tobin said that he believes Allen has what it takes to lead the team one day.
“He is just a great player. All the coaches think he can go to the next level,” Tobin said. “He still has got a lot he needs to work on, but he is the future of this program.”
Tobin traveled to England where he watched Allen play in a trial match.
After seeing the hard work and dedication that Allen gained from the competitive nature of the soccer academies, Tobin offered him a spot on the SJSU soccer team.
Allen said the coach was a big reason why he decided to come to San Jose, as Tobin is also from England and has a similar mindset when it comes to playing the game. He also wanted to push himself to try something new.
“It was a fresh start basically,” Allen said. “Just to see what it was like and to see if I could handle it or not. I wanted to challenge myself.”
Eventually, he wants to play for a professional team when done with school. Allen said he doesn’t have a preference between whether a U.S. or European team recruits him, as he wants to work to be the best possible.
“A professional club is a professional club and if I can sign anywhere, start off there and work my way up and then just see what happens,” Allen said.
However, he said that since he is just a freshman, his current goal is to focus on his education at SJSU and growing his skills with the soccer team.
His experience at the soccer academies in England have proved to not only improved his soccer skills, but also his ability to play soccer and go to school full time.
“Sometimes your main focus is soccer, but then you realize you need to get your education too. So it is just finding the balance,” Allen said.