Signed with Stoke, but not in Nelson

Scott Morris is living out his dreams of being a professional footballer after signing with Stoke City.

The 22-year-old locally raised goalkeeper has signed on with the English second-tier team until the end of the 2024-25 season and has already been named on the reserves for the club’s U21 squad in a game against Manchester City.

With the announcement of his signing last Wednesday morning (New Zealand time), it’s been a whirlwind start to the year for the emerging player.

“To be a young kid from the South Island, it was obvious that being a pro and representing your country was something that certainly appeared impossible,” he says.

“I’ve always wanted to be a pro from an early age, but it was probably only in the last few years that I realised that being a professional footballer could be a real possibility if I just got my head down and worked hard.”

Having ended last season with Christchurch United, winning the Chatham and English Cups as well as the Southern League, he kept 12 clean sheets from 20 appearances.

While he might be the last line of defence, Scott says it’s been a team effort that sees him where he is today.

From rubbing shoulders with local legends to the coaching he’s received, there are countless people to thank.

He says he still has the Newcastle Jets shirt Jeremy Brockie gave him on his wall, as well as Coey Turipa’s New Zealand under-20 World Cup shirts.

“I still remember him telling me when he gave it to me that I need to give him one of mine in return when I’m older.

“There’s so many people that have had an impact on my development, too many to name, but there are two that really refined me as a player. . . Paul Ifill, a Wellington Phoenix Legend and Premier League player, and Jonathon Gould, a Premier league goalkeeper coach, Stoke City goalkeeper coach when I arrived and All Whites goalkeeper coach.”

He also couldn’t forget to thank his parents, who he says have backed him since day one to chase his dreams.

“My time in Nelson football was mainly my youth years where I spent every Saturday with my best mates playing for a team which my dad coached. Therefore, it really planted the seed of the love I had for football.”

When he was 14 years old, his father, Paul Morris, says Scott came home and said he wanted to move cities to join Paull Ifill’s Football Academy in Masterton.

But the path hasn’t all been daisies and roses, with the decision to move into goal coming after he was diagnosed with sever’s disease.

“I first got into goalkeeping when I was about 10 due to having a sever’s disease, growing pains in your heel essentially, which meant running became pretty hard for me.

“Dad put me in goal for his team and I never really looked back. I don’t think I would’ve been much of a footballer had I stayed in the outfield,” he laughs.