Welcome!

This is my first entry into this blog. I am teeming with things to share but I feel the right way to get into it is to introduce ourselves first, and share the fruition of MaceFootball.

My name is Maceon, pronounced Mason. I am a 21 year old footballer from Sydney, and have been coaching for the past year and a half. I love this game, and MaceFootball is my creation.

Football has been with me for over half my life, and this is my way of expressing and sharing my love for it.

My first memory of football was the first goal I scored. It was my first game playing for my local grassroots club. I was 11, and played striker. I took a touch just outside the box, and put it over the defenders and into the top left. I did not think much of it. Kids don't usually celebrate their goals they just kinda run back to the halfway line which I find kind of funny. But it did feel good.

My dad was my biggest supporter. Come gameday, he didn't stand with the all the other parents, he stood right behind the opposition goal so that I could distinguish him from the rest. The only image I remember was seeing my dad jumping up and down with joy as I was going back to the halfway line after scoring. From that day I was bound to the game, and he has supported me the whole way through. This business is an ode to his commitment to me, without him I would have given up a long time ago.

The first thought about MaceFootball came to me 7 months ago, shortly after I tore my ACL. It was the worst injury I ever suffered and it had an indescribable toll on me. It was my first time playing first grade professionally and the season had not even started. Before this, I had been consistently training almost everyday for 2 years and it had felt like everything I worked for was for nothing. It felt unfair and I thought I deserved more. And that was where I was wrong. I had to look at myself further and calibrate on where my life was going, and it was not easy. For a while there was no reason to get out of bed, and I silently watched as my friends went along with their lives, feeling sorry for myself. However the one thing I gained from all this, was time and perspective. Reflecting on the past 2 years I realised what was important. That my training did much more than make me a better player, it built my identity and confidence, strengthened my sense of self and showed me the value of hard and fulfilling work. It also gave me opportunities I did not expect, and in those opportunities there were moments I lived where I had glimpses of what my future could be. So I decided not to give up so easily. 7 months have past and after hours in silence, I have my body back, I have my goals, I have my plan. Now is the time to execute.

MaceFootball is here to help young players through football, just liked it helped me. We are not just another academy that provides just some extra training away from the regular 2 nights a week with your local side. We are more than that. We are here to better ourselves, and turn the average player, into the best on any pitch they step on. Training with us means sharing our values, raising your standards, enjoying the process, and always wanting more.

More to come soon...

Mace.