Role Models Who Feel Real →

In youth sport, role models are often seen as something distant. Professional players, higher levels, different worlds. Easy to admire, but hard to relate to.

But the most powerful role models don’t feel out of reach.

They feel real.

Environments like the Union Football Camp highlight this in a subtle way. Not through big moments, but through the small, human ones. Conversations, shared spaces, and simply being around people who live the game at a higher level.

Having someone like Francis de Vries in that environment challenges the usual idea of what a role model looks like.

As a player for Auckland FC, he represents a level many young players aspire to. But what makes the biggest impact isn’t the level itself. It’s how he exists within it.

Being down to earth. Taking time with others. Treating people as equals.

It reminds players that those they look up to aren’t defined only by where they play. They’re not separate from everyone else. They’re people who have committed to their journey, stayed consistent, and remained connected to the game and those around them.

That changes how success is seen.

It becomes less about status, and more about process. Less about being different, and more about doing the right things, over time.

When role models feel human, the pathway feels possible.

And for young players, that belief can be just as important as anything they do on the pitch.