Budding football stars happy to have a run with the pros

CRAIG SIMCOX/Dominion Post

Thomas Spragg and Tristan Prattley, joint recipients of the Yellow Fever scholarship.

If budding New Zealand footballers Thomas Spragg and Tristan Prattley were nervous ahead of their week with the Wellington Phoenix, they weren't showing it.

The teenagers were the joint recipients of the Yellow Fever scholarship this year and have been flown to Wellington by the fan club to train with the Phoenix this week.

Last year's winner, Marco Rojas, so impressed Ricki Herbert that the Phoenix coach handed him a two-year professional contract, but winger Spragg and left back Prattley are not expecting the same fairytale story to unravel this week.

"I'm just going to go out there to do the best I can, that's all you can ask for," said Spragg, a member of the successful New Zealand under-17 World Cup team last year who plays for NZFC club Auckland City and Central United in the winter.

"I've been looking forward to this. It's a great opportunity to be around professional players and see what it's like in that kind of environment at a professional club."

He had spent a short time training with the Phoenix in 2008 as a 15-year-old, so he would not be daunted this week.

"I'm trying to learn as much as I can and hopefully it will help my football development. I'm sure it will."

Prattley, who hails from Dunedin Technical, has been a permanent fixture in Otago United's NZFC teams during the past two seasons after debuting in 2006.

He came to Wellington a month ago to play for Central League side Western Suburbs.

"I'm stoked to have won this award," he said. "Coming from Dunedin, there's not much opportunity down there in terms of this level of football."

There was no danger of being intimidated, Prattley said.

"You can't be. You've just got to take a positive approach and do the best you can, and see what comes of it."

- © Fairfax NZ News