More than 12,000 kids are currently playing football in the English academy system. Add in grassroots football and that number would probably more than double. Very few though make the step up to professional football, opting to quit football altogether when failing to make the grade. Others, like Cornwall-born 26-year-old Josh Bragg, make a huge change in their life by leaving the comfort of England to try their luck in other countries. Bragg has spent half a decade in Sweden and an additional year shining in Australia, winning three promotions along the way, and tells us about his career to date, his plans going forward and why leaving England is by no means negative.
Tell us about your time in England. Where did you start playing? What led to you leaving the country? I spent time at Plymouth Argyle as a kid and then spent some time with Torquay United’s development programme which meant I moved there to combine studying and training everyday. That didn’t develop into anything in the professional game but gave me a little taste of training full time. I was a very late developer physically compared to most kids my age so at 19 I found myself at a bit of a stumbling block. I was back living in Cornwall with my family and wasn’t physically ready for men’s football at any real high level. That’s why I jumped at the chance to come to Sweden when that opportunity arose, in a country where maybe being physically behind others wouldn’t matter so much as the football had more of a technical emphasis.
Upon arrival in Sweden, what was your first impressions of a new country and where did you go? I enjoyed Sweden from the first day I arrived. I didn’t really know what to expect and what the football was going to be like but everyone was very welcoming and helped me out a lot. I first arrived to Sandviks IK with my best friend from back home and we lived together and were training everyday. At first we just decided to give it a go for a season and try to enjoy it as much as possible and then probably return home and see what happened after that. We had a really good group at Sandviks IK though and I eventually stayed there for two seasons in which we won promotion two years in a row. I then moved on to Umeå FC to play in division 1 (the equivalent of England’s League 1) which was a pretty big jump from Sandvik. I coped pretty well though and managed to score seven times from midfield and was nominated for the club’s player of the year award.
Then you left Umeå for Linköping right? Tell us about your time there. I was disappointed to leave Umeå but still wanted to stay in division 1 and that led to me joining Piteå IF on a pre-season tour to Finland where I unfortunately broke a bone in my foot. This meant I was without a club and would miss the start of the following season. This was a very difficult time for me, and luckily out of the blue I received a call from Linköping City who wanted me down there. I went down and had a look around at their fantastic facilities and my mind was made up, I liked the city and the club had big plans which meant I was prepared to drop down to play in division 2. Despite missing all of pre-season and the early parts of the season due to the foot injury I managed to play some good football that year and my 15 goals helped me to be named midfielder of the year in that division. That lead to a trial at the then Allsvenskan (The Swedish top division) side Åtvidabergs FF who had been keeping tabs on me although it eventually lead to nothing.
After such a good campaign you must have felt excited for the following season. And you moved north again, but to Boden this time. What was your experience playing for that club? I returned to Umeå for the off-season excited about other opportunities that might arise off the back of the season at Linköping City. However, I found that everything went very quiet until Stuart Gibson (the man who had originally helped bring me to Sweden) who was now manager at Bodens BK called me and wanted me to sign there. I really enjoyed that season off the pitch living with and playing with a great bunch of lads, however on the pitch it was frustrating as I never hit my best form and was constantly battling niggling injuries. That frustration ultimately lead to me looking for other opportunities outside of Sweden just for a change of scenery if nothing else.
So after half a decade in Sweden you left cold, snowy winters for Australia? How has that change been both on the pitch and off it? That search for a new club and reaching out to all contacts I had resulted in the opportunity to come to Australia and to Melbourne to play for Dandenong Thunder. It’s a very different place to live and a place where I have really enjoyed living not just because of the weather. Australians love their sports so I have enjoyed watching various different sporting events and all the things there are to do here. On the pitch it’s perhaps more similar in footballing style to what I grew up with in England, a slightly more physical and direct approach but still a good level of football with a lot of good players as I’m playing with and against ex Australia internationals and ex A-League players.
What is your plans for next year? You got promoted so what level are you at now? I would love to stay here in Australia next year, I was lucky enough to be a part of a promotion winning side this year. The club will now play in the National Premier League Victoria which is the 2nd tier of Australian football. The season has only just ended after our grand final victory and everyone at the club is still celebrating the promotion but I’m sure I will sit down with them in the coming weeks and discuss plans for next year.
What are your future plans with your career? Returning to Europe or staying in Australia? Plans for next year are to stay here in Australia but I am open to playing football anywhere so definitely wouldn’t rule anything out.
What would you tell young English players who haven’t made it in the professional game back home? Recommend going to other countries? Why/why not? Just because you don’t make it in England doesn’t mean you should give up playing. I would say keep working hard, believe in yourself and if given the chance to play football in another country 100% I would recommend it. Even if moving to another country doesn’t lead to you playing football at the very top level it will give you the chance to experience different places and meet different people. I certainly don’t regret leaving England anyway.
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Josh is a perfect example of a footballer who had the courage to test his limits and the determination to succeed with his career to leave his comfort zone to make his dream reality. Sure, when growing up he probably didn’t dream of directing play from the base of midfield for Dandenong Thunder, scoring goals for Linköping City or pre-season running in -22 degrees Celcius in Boden, just a few hours from the Arctic circle. Still, he’s made his dream of being a professional footballer a reality. He loves to play football. For the last six years, he’s done it everyday while getting paid for it. He has experienced life in foreign countries and forged relationships with people across the globe. Josh Bragg’s career shows kids it’s still possible to play football professionally even if Manchester United or Chelsea won’t make room in their squads for you.
As he said above, don’t give up on your dream. Josh didn’t. Instead he worked hard to make his dream real. Now he lives in Melbourne. He is playing football professionally. And I bet he’s loving it.
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