These days, he’s Alon Blumgart, Clinical Naturopath and Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy.
Though by rights, the pacy attacking midfielder should be a professional footballer in the A-League.
Instead, he’s a semi-pro in Victoria’s NPL, working days and training nights.
Happily, for the intelligent 27-year-old, he’s content with how life has panned out.
Blumgart, however, like so many talents in this country, has been squeezed out by lack of opportunity in the A-League, forced to grind it out in the NPL or chase contracts overseas as trialists.
For Blumgart’s generation of Australian talents, a second division may have come too late for a final last chance at professional football.
The attacking midfielder will be around 30 years of age when the mooted second professional league - dubbed the Championship - kicks off in the next two or three years.
His story, however, is depressingly familiar.
He was on the cusp of making it in the A-League but that pro deal never eventuated (at Melbourne Heart), and he dropped down to the NPL.
And yes, he’s a talent.
The guru of coaching Ron Smith was so impressed, he selected him as one of the four Australasian talents for Nike’s Chance 2011.
And in London for the global finals, a team of world-class coaches picked up on his talent and identified him as a potential professional.
Nike’s The Chance was a global search for unsigned, young talent with 100 trial winners from 47 countries – including Australia and New Zealand - gathering for four days of training in London next month.

They were assessed for eight professional contracts at the Nike Academy in London where they’d learn from top-level coaches, train like pros and play a full season of football in the UK under the eyes of EPL scouts.
Related Articles

Socceroo-in-waiting seals Championship deal

Fringe Socceroo swerves A-League to remain in Europe after Fulham exit
