The Asian Advantage: Why Athletes Should Consider Asia for Their Careers.

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 7 - Matt Ward

Hello there,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. I'm thrilled to share with you some fascinating insights from my recent podcast episode where I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt, a seasoned football coach with a wealth of international experience.

Matt's journey from England to Asia is nothing short of inspiring. He started as a semi-professional player, transitioned into personal training, and eventually found his passion reignited in Taiwan. His story is a testament to the fact that sometimes, the most rewarding paths are the ones we never planned to take.

👀 A sneak peek into this week’s episode

Asia - A Land of Opportunities: Matt's experiences highlight Asia as a fertile ground for athletes to reinvent themselves and shine. The region offers unique opportunities for players to showcase their skills and become mini superstars. Plus, the cost-effective lifestyle and less stressful environment are added bonuses!

The Importance of Adaptability: Moving to a new country is not without its challenges. Matt emphasizes the importance of being prepared to adapt to different cultural rules and potential delays in salary payments. But with the right mindset, these challenges can be overcome and even turned into enriching experiences.

The Power of Networking: Matt's journey underscores the importance of building relationships and networking. Whether it's finding opportunities in Asian countries or securing a job while on a visit visa, networking can open doors you never knew existed.

The Financial Aspect: Matt candidly shares his initial financial struggles, but he also highlights how players can make a successful transition with proper preparation. From starting as semi-professional and teaching English, to eventually playing professionally with a salary, the possibilities are endless.

The Risks and Rewards: Pursuing a career in sports in Asia comes with its own set of risks and rewards. Matt shares cautionary tales but also emphasizes that the potential rewards make the risks worth it.

I'm incredibly grateful to Matt for sharing his invaluable insights and experiences. His journey is a testament to the fact that with passion, adaptability, and a bit of networking, the world truly is your oyster.

I hope you find these insights as intriguing as I did. If you're curious to learn more, I invite you to tune into the full podcast episode. Trust me, it's worth a listen!

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:

💱 Currency Update from SportsFX

🇦🇺 The Australian Dollar saw a sharp decline early in the week after the RBA left interest rates unchanged at 4.1% reaching its lowest level against the USD since November 2022 touching 0.6282, a range only reached a couple of times between 2009 and 2023.

🇬🇧 The GBP also recovered after a slow start to the week, even with some poor economic data being released regarding both manufacturing and construction spending which had declined, the governor of the Bank of England stated that he was confident that the inflation figures would come back below 5%.

🇳🇿 The NZD held up quite well this week after their central bank (RBNZ) also left interest rates unchanged. The rates pushed up to their highest point since May against the AUD, and has held there all week.

🇺🇸 📉 Down 1% for the week against the USD, sitting at 0.6369 on Friday morning.

🇬🇧 📉 Down 0.9% for the week against the GBP, sitting at 0.5225 on Friday morning.

🇪🇺 📉 Down 0.7% for the week against the EUR, 0.6031 on Friday morning.

🇳🇿 📉 Down 0.5% for the week against the NZD, 1.0677 on Friday morning, the lowest we have seen since May 2023.

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

🆕 📅 October 16th - Episode 009 - Hillary Beall - Hilary's decision to pursue her football career in Australia: a game-changer.

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 ⬇️