Words & Image: Michael Flynn, Football Queensland

Brisbane Roar NYL goal machine Jai Ingham says watching his club’s A-League Grand Final win on Sunday has further inspired him to continue his path to professional football that began with last year’s NPL Queensland Premiers Olympic FC.

The 20 year old was on hand at Suncorp Stadium with the rest of Roar’s National Youth League squad, who this year are competing in NPL Queensland for the first time.

Ingham hails from Lennox Heads in northern New South Wales and joined Olympic for the first season of NPL, quickly becoming a stand-out performer as the Brisbane club claimed the Premiership and Grand Final titles.

The energetic attacker’s performances resulted in a call-up to Roar’s youth system, where his hard work and determination – and a penchant for scoring goals – saw him earn minutes in the A-League this summer alongside the likes of Thomas Broich and Besart Berisha.

Ingham said his opportunities with Roar, including his time with the first team, and the guidance offered by Roar coach Mike Mulvey, further added to what he learned at Olympic last year.

“They love to keep it on the ground and play it quickly – one touch, two touch. I had to change my game completely to play the passes and I think I learned a lot off the ball such as movement and receiving.”

“We’re a bit younger and quicker in the youth team. Last year (at Olympic) there was more experience and we got into more battles, but here we like to keep the ball and play the Roar way.”

Despite the differences, Ingham is adamant his time at Olympic, including training alongside former Roar players Matt Mundy and Tim Smits, held him in good stead as he sought to make the most of his opportunities.

“Matt Mundy was a big part of it, just showing me the kinds of different runs I could make,” Ingham explained.

“He showed me a lot of what defenders don’t like and I just took it on board and tried to do as he said. Obviously he played at the highest level in Australia and he was a very good player playing in the A-League for a number of years.”

“Tim Smits, playing up front, he was playing at the Roar as well. He was very helpful when it came to scoring goals.”

Ingham said his 14 goal return last season with Olympic taught him how to deal with the pressure to perform week-in, week-out – a requirement for any player hoping to progress to the top level.

“Definitely my confidence grew. Pre-season with Olympic was one of the best pre-seasons I ever had in my whole career, so that set me up to lead in to a good season I thought.”

Ingham has continued that form this season with eight goals in the opening nine rounds – including a hat-trick against FNQ FC Heat in Cairns in the Round 2 and a brace against Malaysia’s finest Under 23’s at Perry Park.

He said he turned down offers from interstate to remain in NPL Queensland as he seeks to further develop his game and earn a senior contract in the A-League for next season.

“I’ve had a taste of it now and it just makes me hungrier and hungrier. Hopefully something can work out, but if not I will move on and try somewhere else. But I like Brisbane and hopefully I can stay here for many years to come.”

Ingham believes he wouldn’t have received these opportunities had he not chanced his hand in the National Premier Leagues in Queensland.

“It was a long and tiring journey but in the end it has all paid off. I just worked hard and tried to do the best I could.”

“Just to get a chance to get on the field and to get a youth contract here was a big thing. Coming from Lennox Head, we don’t have any of the youth systems or the QAS down there. Hopefully now I can keep it going,” he said.