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ow By Davie Wong, Sports Editor

Going into the holiday, we're hitting that time of year where everyone
is realizing that they failed their new year's resolutions. Some goals
were too intense, others were more of a dream. One could define

a dream as a set of goals that are seemingly impossible, yet we're
always hearing about people making their dreams happen.

What does it take to make your dream come true? Is it sacrifice? Is
it dedication? Is it passion? Or is it something else entirely? To really
take a look at that, | talked to some pretty special people; those who
did make their dream come true.

Ever since their foot touched a ball, Max and Race Williams
dreamed of playing professional soccer overseas. They wanted to be
like the greats. They wanted to play against the greats. To have their
names enshrined in the sport they love. This is the story of how they
made at least some of their dreams a reality.

Their Story

It all started with an opportunity, according to the older Williams
brother. “When | was young, my mom found an ID camp that was
being held here in Vancouver. Originally, | didn’t want to go, but |
ended up going, and a former Manchester United player was there.
He scouted me out and asked me to come over to Italy,” Race recalled
with a grin on his face.

“| was invited to play in the Genova International School of Soccer
[in Italy], and | was invited to play against Serie A, B, and C youth
teams. We were playing to show our talents, and to see if any of the
teams wanted to pick up any of us. It was my first time away from
home, but | didn’t get home sick. | actually really enjoyed the camp. It
was soccer, soccer, soccer. Eat, sleep, breath, soccer. | was 15 turning
16 when | left.”

Can you imagine travelling to a foreign country all alone at the age
of 15, going on 16? It’s hard to visualize, but it was his reality. When
opportunity comes knocking, it's hard to say no when it could mean
getting everything you've ever wanted.

Race was candid about his experience. “It was a pretty cool
experience. Not many kids around here can say they did that. It was
a different culture and different environment over in Italy. It was a
different way of playing soccer, too. The regular schedule was get up
at 8 a.m., eat, training at 9:30 a.m. What we did depended on the
day of the week. Every single day was different. For example, Monday
would be fitness training. Tuesday would be attacking and finishing.
Wednesday would be something completely different. So on and
so on. Around 1 p.m., we'd go back for lunch and a nap. We'd train
around 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., when we got dinner and went to bed.”

But for the older Williams, the eye-opener wasn’t the intensity of the
camp, it was the reality. "Lots of these kids are signing big contracts
now. They grew up in a different environment though. It was make or
break. If they didn’t make it, they were likely going to be working in
a convenience store or bar. At younger ages, they were much more
developed than we were. Some of the kids there were there for the
experience. But a lot of them were there because it was going to be
their way into a professional youth team. | was of one the kids that
aspired to be pro, and didn’t just want to be there to be there.”

Max Williams remembers his experience with the school of soccer a
bit differently. To be fair, it was two years after his brother went. “When
Race first went to Italy, | really wanted to go too, but | was too young.
Eventually, it came around to my turn, and they did bring me to
Europe. | flew out to Savona, Italy, where the camp was held that year.

“We'd play around six times a week, pretty much all day. It'd be
practices five days, and then a game on Saturday. There would be
breakfast in the morning, then training at 9 a.m. Lunch, followed by
more training at 3 p.m. And then dinner, and by then we'd all be
exhausted so we'd sleep. And it was like that every day.”

The living arrangements at such a camp couldn't possibly be
luxurious, but Max remembered them quite fondly. “We lived ina
dorm-like apartment. We shared rooms with three other people, so
four total. It was right outside the field, so you wake up and play
soccer,”

However, things were not always so cut and dry. Max talked about
the reality that one might expect if they went over to a foreign country
for an extended period of time. “The first time | went, | was 15 turning
16. The camp was five months, but | was only there for three because
| had to go back to school. Living there was tough. | was young, so
| missed my family. | was by myself a lot. Obviously you make some
friends, but a lot of people spoke Italian. | had some translators,
players that could speak both. | was respected because | was good,
but if you weren't good, you got no attention, and no one respected
you. It was succeed or fail. If you were good, things were paid for.
You'd get taken places. It was all about earning it. It was around 1,500
euros a month if you were okay, so about 2,200 Canadian.”

That's where the two's stories really split. Max and Race went about
their own ways of achieving the dream of playing professional soccer.

Race Williams

Like his younger brother, Race left the Genova International Soccer
Camp much earlier than he had anticipated. But unlike his brother, it
wasn't to go back for school.

“Sometime during my first year in Europe, | left the camp and went
to England with my agent. | had trials with Notts County, and they
told me to come back at the end of the season. | went back home and
trained like crazy while going to school.”

With his destiny seemingly tied to Europe, the elder Williams
embarked on his second European trip shortly after finishing the
school year. “| went back to England later, where | tried out for the
Blackburn Rovers. | played super well, and they wanted me back.

But we ended up going to Chesterfield, because we worried about
my development. The worry was about how much playing time | was
going to get. So | went to another team, and it didn’t work out there.
| came back home, because the season was going to start and | was
without a team.” Without a team, and without a way in, Race Williams
came home and went back to school, continually training and playing
domestic soccer.

Sensing a need to start back over, Race made his way back to where
it all started: soccer school.

“| went back to the Genova International School of Soccer the next
year. We played some of the best teams in Italy, and | played out of
my mind. | had 8 goals in 10 games, and | had lots of teams looking at
me. But before | could sign anything, | had a sports hernia, which left
me unable to play. | came home and did rehab for half a year before |
could perform at that level again. During rehab, | broke my knee ina
skiing accident and | had to take a lot of time off training and playing.”

With that knee injury, there was fear that it had ended his dreams of
going pro. But Race never gave up, and fought hard to bring himself
back to the level he was at before.

It wasn't long before he had another chance to make his dream
a reality. "| went to Spain next, and | tried out for Hercules FC in
Alicante. Over there it was like | was living the dream life. | practically
lived on the beach, in an apartment. It was an amazing city. And
Spanish style soccer was the best soccer |'ve ever seen in my life. The
way they moved the ball, and how quick they were. It was a whole new
level. But at the end of the season, they still hadn't signed me, and |
was finishing school up around that time, so | made the choice to go
home and finish my schooling and graduate.”

The decision was one he didn't take lightly, but one he made for
his extended future. Upon coming to the conclusion that he wanted
to give it one more go, Race decided to change things up this time
around. “| wanted to go back, but | wanted to do things differently,
so | found a new agent, and | went back to Italy. | ended up playing
first team Serie D soccer with Acqui Calcio. It was good quality soccer,
and | was playing with actual men, not youth. | played there for four
months, and then | went on trial with a team called AC Gozzano. They
liked me, and they signed me for the next season. | went home and
prepped all summer for the pre-season camp. | played the season, and
that was my first full season playing as a pro.” Just like that, Race had
done it. His dream of being payed to play soccer was fulfilled.