Teenage soccer prospect Fabian Presta is set to take his skills to the United States after accepting a student athlete scholarship to Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee. Picture: Luke Plummer.By Marc McGowan
SPRINGVALE White Eagles soccer star Fabian Presta is preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime after accepting a four-year student athlete scholarship to the United States.
The 18-year-old currently competes in the under-21 Foxtel Cup competition, the sport’s top Victorian youth league, but come August Presta will be suiting up for Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee.
“It’s still surreal – just the fact that everything is happening,” the teenage sweeper said.
“I was pretty ecstatic, to be honest, when I found out.
“I was doing exams at the time and my friends had dropped me off and I went to get the mail and I realised I got my acceptance letter.”
And this is no ordinary scholarship. It covers three meals a day, classes, books and accommodation – including utilities.
Presta, who lives in Hampton Park, also has the opportunity to study physiotherapy as his major, which ensured he had no hesitation in accepting the offer.
“Since I was little there have been two things I’ve been interested in – soccer and the human body,” he said.
“If I’m lucky I’ll get scouted to play professionally or I may even get a job in physiotherapy there.”
Despite there being high expectations on him to perform on the football field, Presta is taking it all in his stride by keeping things in perspective.
“There is a bit of pressure on me because I haven’t been performing that well lately, but I’ll hopefully get back into it, although I’m trying not to think about pressure too much,” he said. “Compared to some other things, like having a mortgage or looking after a family, I don’t find the pressure too bad.”
In fact, Presta’s attraction to the world game is all about being able to relieve life’s hassles.
“I’ve been playing since I was about six. Growing up, my dad Julio was playing soccer, so it was inevitable,” he said.
“It’s a passion for me. It calms me down if I’m stressed and it’s good being able to just go for a kick with mates for some fun.”
The scholarship came about through his father’s friend Ariel, who organised for him to trial in Geelong in October with US college recruiting program National Scouting Report (NSR).
After a stand-out display at the try-out, all that was left was for NSR to check out Presta’s scholastic results at Lyndhurst Secondary College in Cranbourne. They stood up to the test and the rest is history.
“I’ve grown up being very close to my family, so it is going to be hard living that far away without any contact or the family support,” Presta, who has Uruguayan, Spanish and Italian bloodlines, said.
His mother Claudia shares her son’s sentiments, but is extremely proud of him.
“It’s a great opportunity for him. As a mum, I’m a bit sad to see him go, but apart from that it’s fantastic,” she said.
Presta’s talent with the round ball has taken him to this point, but he is looking at this opportunity as being as much about furthering his physiotherapy ambitions.
“As long as I get my degree, I’ll be happy. Being able to play soccer is a bonus,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind if this gets me a career in physiotherapy because I actually think it is a stronger point for me than soccer.”
