From Darwin to Europe, from Striker to Defender, from a 3-year deal to being released, a lot of challenges were faced by Hamilton Thorp.

Why did I start this Podcast?

The idea behind the Podcast is to provide a behind-the-scenes type conversation on how players, coaches, agents, etc. became Overseas Athletes.

I'll speak to them about how the process started, what and who was involved, the details behind how they moved overseas and the lessons they’ve learned.

Over time I want it to be an educational resource for current and future young athletes who want to chase their dreams on a global stage 🌎️

I'm hoping that these interviews will help them along the way. It will also help guide them around important topics such as; agents, visas, contracts, currency management, banking & finance, nutrition, fitness, recovery, overall health, culture, language barriers and sponsorship, along with many other subjects.

⚽️ 🌏️ Episode 6 - Hamilton Thorp

Hello there,

I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of the Overseas Athlete Podcast, where I had the pleasure of interviewing Hamilton, a footballer with an inspiring journey from Darwin to England.

In our conversation, Hamilton shared his unique approach to reaching out to football clubs, including Arsenal, in an era before Google. His dedication and talent caught the attention of Arsenal, leading to a two-month training stint with them.

👀 A sneak peek into this week’s episode

The Journey from Darwin to England
Hamilton's journey from Darwin to England was not an easy one. He had to write letters to different football clubs, including Arsenal, expressing his interest in playing for them. He also played for the Australian under-20 team, which gave him the opportunity to tour America and England. It was during this tour that he received a letter from Arsenal expressing their interest in him. Hamilton stayed in England for two months, training with Arsenal, but unfortunately, he didn't get a contract.

Trials and Tribulations
Besides Arsenal, Hamilton also had trials with other clubs, including Bury, and Rochdale. He had to make sacrifices to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He had to leave his family and friends in Darwin and move to different places, including the UK, to increase his chances of success. He acknowledges that not everyone has the mentality or dedication required to make it in the competitive world of professional football.

The Mental Challenges of Professional Football
Hamilton reflects on the mental challenges he faced throughout his career. He mentions the pressure and the need to perform consistently. He admits that he could have benefited from having access to a sports psychologist to help him handle the pressure and overcome mental hurdles. He believes that the mental side of the game is crucial, especially in today's highly competitive environment.

The Versatility of a Footballer
Hamilton talks about his transition from being a defender to a striker and the challenges he faced. He recalls how he signed a contract with Portsmouth at the age of 23, which was a dream come true for him. Despite not feeling fully prepared, Hamilton joined Portsmouth as a striker and had to adapt to the new role. He mentions that even though he had previous experience playing for Arsenal and in the old NSL, he still struggled with the transition and had to learn and grow into the position.

The conversation also touches on the versatility of players, the role of coaching, and the challenges of dealing with setbacks and negative feedback and giving advice to aspiring athletes. If you're curious to learn more, tune into the Overseas Athlete Podcast for the full conversation.

Full episode:

🎙️ New Episodes are released each Monday, with a couple of upcoming episodes at the bottom ⬇️ 

While the first group of guests are Football ⚽️ related, we also have guests in the following sports lined up for future episodes:

⛳️ Golf - An Aussie on the World Long Drive Tour!

🏀 Basketball - A female basketballer from Brisbane who has played in Egypt, Tunisia & Mozambique 🤯

🏉 Rugby Union, and League - An Aussie coach in France.

🥊 MMA - A World Champion in 2022, and a new fighter in the International Arena.

🏏 Cricket - A coach at the highest level in England.

I have also secured 2 x Fifa Football Agents - I think will be great to hear from the agent directly and get an insight into that side of the game. One is Australian-based, and the other is based in North America and deals largely in Europe.

and many more! If you are, or know someone who you think would be a great guest, please reach out here:

In case you missed the first few episodes, you can find them below:

Episode 1 - Michael Glassock, from Sydney to Malaysia
Episode 2 - Cam Watson - From Melbourne to Portugal, Holland & India Episode 3 - Sean Lane - From Bangladesh to Aspire Academy in Cleveland
Episode 4 - Kerwin Marc Jean-Pierre - Unleashing the Potential of Young Athletes - A Journey from Australia to Spain.
Episode 5 - Stefan Milidrag - from Canada to New Zealand.

💱 Currency Update from SportsFX

🇦🇺 A rather strange week for the Australian dollar, seemingly going against the results.

Wednesday saw a higher-than-expected inflation report, which would normally see the chances of an interest rate hike, meaning a higher currency, yet the AUD fell lower on Wednesday and into Thursday by between 0.5% - 1% against the USD and the GBP.

The sentiment though is that the RBA won’t raise rates in October, so this left the AUD under pressure as the markets took the flight to the safe haven US Dollar.

The AUD/USD exchange rate dropped to its lowest level since November 2022 this week, before bouncing back over 1% overnight, it what seems like profit-taking in the market before the US inflation figures later on Friday evening.

Then on Thursday, Australian Retail Sales figures were released and came out lower than the expected 0.3% and a low 0.2%, yet the AUD moved higher, which is against what it would be expected to do. So a very mixed week for the Australian Dollar, going down when it would be expected to go up, and then going up when it was expected to go down.

🇬🇧 The Pound (GBP), is still falling and has seen it’s worst month since August, falling 4% against the USD, and falling from a high of $1.9971 against the AUD in the middle of August to a low of $1.8958 earlier this week.

The inflation figures are even higher in the UK, but they are not looking to raise rates again until mid-2024, which seems to be causing weakness in the GBP.

🇪🇺 The Euro (EUR) also saw weakness this week after lower-than-expected economic data from Germany, the EU zone's strongest member, and this has left the EUR very uncertain as markets are not taking the Central Bank’s Announcements very seriously right now. The EUR has dropped to a 6-week low against the AUD dropped almost 4% since August.

In the world of currencies and global economics, shifts like these are common, and staying informed is key to making sound financial decisions. If you have any questions or require a more in-depth analysis, feel free to reach out. We're here to provide you with the insights and support you need for your financial endeavours.

🇺🇸 📊 Even - though it had a 1.5% range in movement it has only changed 0.25% for the week against the USD, sitting at 0.6425 on Friday morning.

🇬🇧 📊 Even - it has seen a 1% swing from top to bottom for the week against the GBP, sitting at 0.5265 on Friday morning, which is now a 9-week high.

🇪🇺 📈 Up 0.51% for the week against the EUR, 0.6081 on Friday morning and reaching an 8-week high.

🇳🇿 📊 Even for the week with just a 0.25% change from last Friday against the NZD, although it fell to the lower end of its range, dropping to an 8-week low at $1.0780 on Friday morning.

If you have money overseas and are looking to move it back to Australia, or you want to send money overseas from Australia, reach out to speak about your Currency Options below, what can SportsFX help with?

1. Bank Beating Exchange Rates 💱 

2. International Multi-Currency Accounts 🏦 

3. Personalised Advice 🤝 

4. Risk Management 📊 

Upcoming Episodes

🆕 📅 October 2nd - Episode 007 - Matt Ward - Navigating the Challenges and Rewards of Pursuing a Sports Career in Asia.

🆕 📅 October 9th - Episode 008 - Patrick Flottmann - Exploring Different Football Cultures: Patrick's Experiences in Thailand, India, and Korea

If you liked the episode, please share it with a friend who might find it useful. 📩 

You can follow The Overseas Athlete on the below channels ⬇️