Alumni Story 5: Dreams Start Here at NAIS Pudong

In the final of our series of alumni spotlight articles, we speak with Matthew Ward, a professional football player in England who spent six years at NAIS Pudong before departing in 2019 to take up his current role as an elite sports star!

Matthew is testament to the broad-base approach to education at NAIS Pudong and a true example of the school supporting and encouraging the dreams of our students, whatever their ultimate goal.  Children the world over really do dream about playing professional football in the UK, but for most those dreams sadly don’t come to fruition.  Not so for this talented alumni, who started his career by signing his first senior contract at former European champions Ipswich Town.  Matthew himself highlights the cut-throat nature of the football industry, but is a real example to our aspiring sports stars to never give up on their dreams!

We’re right behind Matthew as he continues his current football season, hoping he builds on his three goals so far this season!

Tell us about your time at NAIS Pudong and where your career has taken you so far.

I attended NAIS Pudong from Year 6 to Year 11, leaving when I was 16 years old. In those six years I was able to balance my academics alongside pursuing my sporting aspirations with help from the school. 

I have countless memories both in and out the classroom at NAIS and have made some lifelong friends that I still see regularly to this day. A key memory for me is winning the ACAMIS football competition, especially with the team being so close together and it being held at NAIS, winning felt like even more of an accomplishment.

It was always extremely important to achieve a good education, however, football has always been my main passion. It had always been my dream to play football professionally, and I’m extremely grateful I was able to fulfill this dream. The staff at NAIS had always been supportive of me pursuing my football career, for instance, when I had to miss school to go to England for trials, they were able to accommodate me with work online. The football training sessions, matches and tournaments that NAIS provided, alongside so many other sports, played an integral part in my development as a sportsman and football player. 

I started my professional football career at Ipswich Town and am now playing for Woking FC. Football is a cut-throat industry and definitely a tough one to break into. Becoming a football player will undoubtedly involve challenges, but if you approach those challenges determined and with awareness, you can succeed in this professional path.