My name is Mitchell Curry. I am 22 years old, born and raised in Newcastle, England. Just like most other towns in England, football was everything in Newcastle. There are two things of paramount importance to Newcastle residents: football and being better at football than our neighboring town, and rival, Sunderland.
As kids, my friends and I would play football at any chance we got. The second we were released on a break during school, we would run outside and start a game. Most of us began playing on an organized team as early as five, like myself. I played for our local club, Swalwell Juniors. It was nothing too serious, training once or twice during the week and then games on the weekends. I always loved the sport and dreamed of being a professional footballer, but it was not until my teens when I started to realize that this dream could become a reality.
“It was the opportunity I was waiting for.”
My dream of playing professional football was not exactly unique. Nearly every kid in England dreams of going to the pitch for work. To start the trajectory towards that dream you have to be scouted by a top club.
In the North there are three top clubs everyone is itching to be scouted by: Sunderland, Newcastle, and Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough scouted me when I was thirteen years old and offered me an opportunity to come play academy soccer with them. I was overjoyed and immediately accepted the offer. It was the chance I had been waiting for, an opportunity to play at the highest level for my age group and take a big step towards signing that professional contract.
Joining the academy team at thirteen was not easy though. In England, most kids who play academy football start doing so at around nine years old. I was years behind the lads on the pitch with me and had to work extremely hard to show I belonged. Over the next two years, I showed just that and Middlesbrough saw it too. I signed a two-year scholarship at fifteen. This was a huge decision for me because it meant I would not continue formal schooling. Instead, I would play football full-time for Middlesbrough and get one step closer to becoming a professional.
“I was quite fortunate to get a scholarship and then I surprised a lot of people.”
Prior to the first year of my scholarship I was made aware that I was quite lucky to be offered my scholarship. The panel had been split and eventually decided to give me one. I was determined to prove them right. I played well during preseason and earned a starting role for the first game of the season, which I scored in. After that first game, I could not stop scoring and my confidence was only building. When the time came to play in the Youth Champions League and Youth Cup, I simply had a knack for finding the back of the net, continuing to score throughout those contests. I had an amazing first season of scholarship and Middelsbrough was pleasantly surprised with my play.
At the conclusion of my first season of scholarship, my dream finally came true: Middlesbrough offered me a three year pro contract. I had sacrificed so much throughout my childhood and missed so many parties and events to instead play football, but inking that first contract made it all worth it. Up to that point, putting the pen to paper was the best moment of my life.
I quickly came down from the high of signing my contract when my second season of scholarship began. I dislocated my shoulder and had to miss four months. After recovering from my shoulder, I had issues with my elbow that sat me down for another three months causing me to essentially be off the pitch for the entire season.
This was an extremely difficult year for me; however, looking back it played an extremely important role in my development both as a footballer and a person. Dealing with these injuries strengthened me mentally and that is something I have carried throughout my career. I no longer worry about the politics-side of football. Instead I play as hard as I can and control what I can control.
“That was an amazing two months.”
Following my injury, I was sent on loan for the two months beginning my next season. I went to play for Harrogate Town and even though I did not start a single game during those two months, it was an experience I am so grateful to have had. While I had some great moments on the field, such as scoring game-winning goals in the second and third games I played in, it was the lessons I learned off the field that made it so special. It was my first experience really playing with men and with professionals so I was able to see how they conducted themselves and how seriously they took the game. I also got more mentally tough and further understood there are some things I simply cannot control. I was told I was starting a game and was super excited. My whole family came to see my first start as a professional and then an hour before kick off my manager told me I was not getting the start. I was certainly upset, but it taught me that, just like life, football is often unfair and you just have to keep working through the challenges.
After my two month in Harrogate, I rejoined Middlesbrough for the remainder of the season and that is actually the first time I linked up with Hartford Athletic teammate Tom Brewitt. One of the highest moments of that season was definitely our win over Liverpool. I scored two goals and Tom scored one, giving us the 3-1 win.
After a great season both with Harrogate Town and Middlesbrough, I was in for another rough stretch of injuries. Right at the beginning of the 2018-19 season I tore my ankle ligaments. Unfortunately, I ended up missing more time than expected as some other injuries struck and sidelined me for basically the entire season. Just like the return from my last season of injuries, Middlesbrough decided to send me to play on loan, this time to a club in Scotland called Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
I was playing really well throughout the preseason, but in the final minute of the last preseason game disaster struck and I tore my ankle ligaments again. This meant another three months of rehab and when I got back to Inverness midseason it was not the same. I had missed so much time that I was not receiving the playing time I had hoped for and it was difficult to get re-acclimated with the team. Since I was not playing the position I wanted to, Middlesbrough sent me on loan to another club closer to home, but we only were able to play a few games before Covid shut everything down.
“It was the right place, wrong time.”
After Covid hit I had a difficult discussion with Jonathan Woodgate, the Middlesbrough manager at the time, and he was honest with me. My contract was up and Middlesbrough thought I was simply too injury prone to resign. After spending eight years at Middlesbrough, it was tough to leave a place that had played such a significant role in my life, but I knew I needed a fresh start.
That fresh start came with my hometown’s rival, Sunderland. As I said earlier, the most important thing to the people of Newcastle is beating Sunderland. The two towns, and clubs, are rivals in every sense of the word. Being a Newcastle native myself, signing with Sunderland was an odd feeling. To make things even more interesting, half of my family is Newcastle fans and the other half are Sunderland. Nonetheless, I was ecstatic for the opportunity to join Sunderland.
Right from the start, playing at Sunderland was an amazing experience. I was able to rid the injury prone label and had a terrific beginning to the season. I scored seven goals in ten games and was able to train with the first team every day. The people at Sunderland were great and it was the first time after a difficult few years that I really loved football again.
Unfortunately, as great as Sunderland was, it was not the right fit for me at the time. There were too many strikers and with the formation we were playing there was not a spot for me. I had been contacted about the opportunity to go play overseas in Miami so I went to see our manager. I asked him to be honest with me and tell me if I had a future with Sunderland. He told me that unfortunately there would not be a spot on the first team for me next season and that I should go to Miami.
I have nothing but good things to say about my time in Sunderland. I still train there when I am back in England. The people were amazing and I wish it could have worked out better, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.
“That was hands down the best time of my life.”
Moving to south Florida was my first time moving across the ocean. Due to Covid, I was not able to see my family and thought I would miss home being so far away. It was quite the opposite as Miami was better than I ever could have imagined. I spent the year playing for both Inter Miami CF and Fort Lauderdale CF. The people, the football, and obviously the weather, made for one of the most enjoyable seasons of my life. I expected to return to Miami for this season but things did not shake out that way.
I spoke to a few different clubs and ended up landing here in Hartford. Coming from Miami, the weather was definitely an adjustment at first, but now it feels more like South Beach. The start of this season may not be what we had envisioned, but, just like the weather, we are improving everyday and I am going to do everything I can to help this team climb the ladder.
