The journey to Vermont wasn’t a short one for Bilal Kamal. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in London, UK, Kamal was always surrounded by the game of football.
The 22-year-old midfielder explained that at 12, he moved schools and had to travel two hours northeast of London to be part of the academy of Norwich City Football Club.
“We did half day of school and we went to training every day which is quite unique because if you want to be a professional you’ve got to train every day,” he said.
The youngster was so motivated and keen on getting ahead in football that he didn’t mind the two-hour journey to get to the academy. He was ready to make the sacrifice.
Kamal grew up watching the English Premier League supporting Manchester United. He admired Christiano Ronaldo and loved the way Spanish footballer Andrés Iniesta played on the pitch.
“Those technical players, I try to mimic them in my game,” said Bilal.
Kamal describes himself as an energetic player that can use both feet to shoot, cross the ball and make runs forward.
The Englishman said that during his time at the Norwich City FC Academy, youth players had a ritual of cleaning the first team’s boots. He describes it as an old English tradition and he said that it was his opportunity to get in touch with the players but also to be in touch with his dream and what he could become.
“It was such a motivating factor, like the dream is there,” he said.
Now playing with the University of New Hampshire and Vermont Green FC, Kamal’s journey brought him to the United States in hopes of furthering his football career and becoming a professional.
“This is a great experience for me playing at Vermont Green FC, it’s a great environment, the whole system around it. I’m enjoying it so far.”