New Crawley Town signing Davide Rodari has message for young players who want to follow in his footsteps by turning pro

After moving from Italy, Davide, 21, signed on at East Sussex Coast College at Hastings, whnere he studied Level 2 Fitness Instructing, alongside gaining qualifications in English and maths and developing his skills in the college’s football academy.

Davide then went on to make a huge impression playing for Hastings United, scoring 22 goals in as many games in the 2019 -20 season.

Within 24 hours of signing for Crawley, he was making his professional debut against AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup fourth round.

He said: “My time at the College was really good. I gained some really good qualifications. I had really good teachers. They were all really supportive and knew I had ambitions to play professional football. I’ve always been interested in sport, fitness and nutrition, so I knew if football didn’t work out for me, I would still be able to use my college qualifications to earn a living while playing semi-professional football.

“Studying at the College also allowed me to join the football academy. I was part of the academy while also playing in the Hastings United first team - so I was playing lots of football.

“I signed with Crawley Town on a Monday and trained with the squad that day. Then on Tuesday night, I made my professional debut against Bournemouth. It was unbelievable.

“Playing at the Vitality Stadium, which is a former Premier League ground, playing against full international players like Asmir Begovic, and being on TV was amazing. Seeing my name on the back of the shirt is just like, wow!”

“Jamie Vardy is a huge inspiration for me. He started in lower league football and is now a Premier League winner with Leicester City. His rise to the top is something I want for my career. I’ve been able to achieve the first step of my dream by signing my first professional contract. I’m now determined to work hard, impress my manager, get a run in the side and score goals for Crawley - giving me a good head start for next season.”

“My advice to any young people wanting to make it into football is to up with a college football academy. Work really hard in the classroom, in training and on the pitch.

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