Back from Britain

When 23-year-old Floyd Central graduate Jaime Halas traveled to England last August to play soccer professionally, she was armed with unbridled enthusiasm, obvious talent and invaluable experience accumulated during her university years. Halas, Bellarmine University's all-time highest scorer with 39 goals, became Southern Indiana's first professional female soccer player--and the first from her old club Javanon--when she joined Football Association (FA) Women's Premier League outfit Keynsham Town in southwest England. Having decided that she wasn't quite ready to quit soccer in her last year of college--a year that was going extremely well--Halas sent out about 80 e-mails to various clubs affiliated to the Football Association asking for a trial. She received 10 responses, three showed further interest, and one--Keynsham--provided what she thought was a decent offer after a stint of tryouts. It was one of those life-changing decisions that could lead to greener pastures. Or so she thought. Although Halas started off well among a cosmopolitan squad that included three Brazilians, two Bosnians, a Serbian and a Romanian, it wasn't long before she realized a difference in attitudes and commitment compared to her college days. "It was an excellent experience in general," she says. "I learned loads about myself, the world, and how cultures interact, but from a footballing perspective, it left a lot to be desired." London's Arsenal--a team which includes four former US W-League players on its roster--may be head and shoulders above every team in Europe right now, but Halas still believes the standard in England overall is "not even close" to that of what she experienced in the US on a collegiate level. "Not to sound pretentious, but I felt like an amateur," she says. "There was no professionalism in training; people were always joking around and never taking it seriously." The situation came to a head after just four months, when Halas--who had been playing regularly as a striker and weighed in with seven goals--was dropped from the first team after a dispute with manager Barrie Newton. "My advice for players wanting to do what I did--research, research, research," she says. "I wish I would have asked for a video or watched some matches. That would have been another indication of what type of team they were and how things worked." Halas says she is on "a serious break" from the game, and hasn't played organized soccer since January. "I haven't put on a proper pair of boots since I left," she says. "But I do have some coaching things in the mix and hopefully I can rediscover why I started playing this game in the first place. I am kind of sour right now, but I know with time it will pass." Despite her feelings, Halas still has no regrets, and says she met some great people and enjoying her time at the pub where she worked part time (The Volley). "I wouldn't trade the experience for the world," she admits. "If it was all about the football--meaning politics aside and nationalities aside--I would probably still be there playing now, but sometimes that is just not how it works." BIO-Aidan Kelly is a soccer writer for The New Albany Tribune & Jeffersonville Evening News. Now living in New Albany, he is originally from Dublin, Ireland, where edited a newspaper for 11 years. Read his blog at soccerindiana.blogspot.com.