From New Zealand to Lexington: Probert chases childhood dream

Soccer Small.jpg

Arpan Dixit

Although Rugby and Cricket will always be the most popular sports in the country of New Zealand, soccer, or football as most people call it there, isn’t far behind. 

UK Soccer freshman forward Connor Probert first came to the U.S. with a new life in Lexington and to meet his new teammates. Probert hails from Auckland, New Zealand.   

Most kids growing up there go with rugby as their first sport. 

“Rugby is pretty much what basketball is to Kentucky,” Probert said. “Everything comes first for Rugby and every kid growing up wants to play it. I’m happy that I didn’t take that pathway because football has given me great opportunities.”

Probert has been around the game all his life. His dad, Paul, played for the New Zealand national team and that was his first love at a young age. He also had an older brother who played for the U-17 and U-20 national teams. 

“I haven’t been around any other sport at such a young age,” Probert said. “It was around the age of four that my dad had me playing.” 

Probert came to UK, not having another college choice, and trusted coach Johan Cedergren from the very beginning. Building that type of relationship with a coach was something Probert was looking for when being recruited. Not having an official or unofficial visit might not be the normal route for your average athlete, but Probert is happy with the choice to call Lexington his home for the next four years. 

Cedergren didn’t have to meet Probert to know that he wanted him in Lexington. Probert got exposure when he participated in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last October and the head coach for the Cats knew he wanted the forward after seeing him play at the highest level for his age. 

Probert attended Sacred Heart College for his final two years back home before coming to play for UK. Cedergren established a relationship with Probert’s high school coach, who was also the New Zealand U-17 national team coach, Danny Hay. That is where Probert started peaking as a player, under the leadership of Hay. 

Cedergen kept in touch every week, for almost a year, keeping up with how he was doing in school and the team. Originally the plan was to get Probert here during the spring semester of 2016, but his school results weren’t finalized in time. 

“It was a really long process,” Probert said. “It was just forms after forms and it’s something I wouldn’t want to put myself through again.” 

Playing in the U-17 FIFA World Cup is something that Probert will never forget. He said that this was definitely the coolest experience of his life. 

“We didn’t have any expectations on us so I wasn’t really that nervous going in. Going further in the tournament we realized maybe we could do something here until we ran into Brazil,” Probert said. 

Not many players from New Zealand have gotten the opportunity to come to the United States to pursue their dreams. Probert is just one of a handful of players from the nation to make the jump to the United States. 

Everybody has heroes and people that look up to, especially athletes and Probert isn’t any different. 

“I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo and how he plays the game along with Mesut Ozil,” Probert said. “Ronaldo is more a scorer but the way Ozil sets up his teammates and gets them involved is eventually what I want to excel at.” 

Probert is also a very big Arsenal fan, and has kept up with them all his life. 

After getting a degree, although currently undecided as a freshman, Probert has dreams of playing professionally in the MLS or in Europe along with many other amateur college athletes. 

Probert has set goals throughout his life and his freshman season at UK is no different. 

“My goal is to start every game throughout my years here in Lexington and help my team win the C-USA and eventually a national championship,” Probert said. 

He is starting to achieve that goal this season. Probert has started in all 10 games to start the season for the 6-2-2 Cats, as they look to repeat as C-USA regular season champions. 

Probert has scored one goal to go along with two assists on the season. Getting opportunities is all you can ask for being a freshman. Probert has certainly been in the box a lot this fall, attempting 14 shots in 10 games. Statistics is not something Probert is worried about, and that tells you a lot about the player Johan Cedergen has on his team. 

“It is nice to have stats, you know, I go into a season looking to get at least five goals five assists on the season,” Probert said. “But it’s ultimately about winning and that is what I want to accomplish here.”