Speaking of his experience, Matthew commented:
“From participating in the soccer internship I have experienced so much and I’m only half way through this adventure. I coach kids aged from Under 5s to Under 12s from Monday to Saturday in a spring league where teams compete against each other on a Saturday. On Friday’s I take an Under 5 Jamboree where we play games and helps kids understand the game. My coaching skills and knowledge of soccer have improved extensively from working and listening to coaches.
One of my highlights to date would be meeting David Beckham – this was random – in that I was playing in my host family’s garden when we noticed that Romeo Beckham was playing basketball in the next door neighbour’s garden. We decided to play basketball with them and then David appeared to collect him.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to my host family who are amazing and have treated me as part of their family from day one and also Northern Regional College who have supported and helped me.”
Greg McGovern, Northern Regional College Sports tutor added:
"All students within Level 3 Sport at Coleraine are encouraged to challenge themselves and use the work experience module to gain experiences in industry, we strive hard to set up relevant work experiences and assist students in achieving the greatest experiences they can. In this case, Matthew has went above and beyond our expectations and with some hard work support from all our staff here at Northern Regional College he has gained an experience of a life time, this is encouraging for everyone to follow in his footsteps and push the boundaries of what is an accepted norm; and what they are capable of."
Matthew is due to return Coleraine in November when he plans to complete the second year of his Level 3 in Sports course as well as the IFA ‘C’ Certificate. After that he hopes to travel back to America and fulfil his dream of becoming a USA coach.
Matthew Brown pictured with his idol, David Beckham
