Melbourne Victory’s academy system brings talent together from across the globe on and off the pitch.
Tom Huang (pictured above) has coached budding Victory youngsters since 2019 and brings more than just football experience to his role.
Growing up Singapore, Tom served two years national service before moving to Australia in 2008 to study finance and economics at Monash University.
Football was a way to make friends and start a new life for Tom, who now enjoys it as a devotion for the next kid in a similar position.
“You play football every chance you get in Singapore because it’s one of the most popular sports. We played before school, during recess and after school,” he says.
“I’m really passionate about working with and helping kids in their football development.
“They’re so young and haven’t formed full habits yet which makes them a joy to work with. They may fail 10 times but once they get it on the eleventh attempt, it’s just pure enjoyment. Every session you can see development out of every one of them.”
Tom played football at Monash University until a series of serious knee injuries led to a switch to coaching.
Managing teams at Monash introduced him to the incredible network of people football provides in Melbourne and kickstarted his passion for coaching.
“There’s over 100 countries where we’ve got players from at Monash Uni so I’ve made friends from every corner of the world,” he says.
“We get players from so many different backgrounds in the Victory academy system now with first generation refugees starting to play. It’s fantastic.”
Victory celebrated their U-NITE Multicultural Round on Tuesday with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Sydney FC at AAMI Park.
