He may have had his playing career cut short by injuries, but Adam Hett (pictured top right) has reignited his passion for football as a coach, taking charge of the Northern Tigers Under-16’s this season in the NPL Youth NSW.
After spending time in England in Coventry City’s academy and reserves, Adam looked to have made his break into professional football in Australia as the winner of the first season of Foxtel’s Football Superstar program.
Given a National Youth League contract with Sydney FC, Adam’s hopes of playing for the Sky Blues suffered a blow just three days before his firs team debut, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and subsequently missing the entire season.
Unfortunately, that injury was the first setback of many as Adam looked to return to regular football.
“I came back in the second season and I started to have hip issues,” he explained.
“I had an operation on my hips where they trimmed the top of the femur and some cartilage in the joint itself.”
“By the time I came back I was too old for the National Youth League so I was released from Sydney FC.”
After playing briefly with Spirit FC, Hett made his way to Northern Tigers but after two seasons the then 23-year-old was forced to hang up his boots.
“After that second season I started to get chronic groin pain and osteitis (bone inflammation),” Adam said.
“When I went back in for scans, it showed that I had little to no cartilage in my hips and I’d developed osteoarthritis in the joints.”
“I was basically told if I didn’t stop playing I would need hip replacements by the time I was thirty, so I had to give it away.”
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Adam, who took a step back from the game in order to refocus.
“I had a couple of years off and it allowed me to separate playing from coaching and accept the fact that I couldn’t play anymore,” he said.
“I then decided to get back into coaching and took up a position at Lindfield FC, to make sure I enjoyed it before pursuing things further.”
“I really enjoyed it there and Jason Eagar (Northern Tigers Technical Director) knew I was back coaching so at the end of the season he asked me if I wanted to come back to Tigers, so I took on the under-16’s position.”
With his passion for the game now renewed, Adam is looking ahead to a new future as a coach.
“It’s definitely something that I really enjoy and I enjoy being back around football,” he said.
“I suppose I’m at an advantage now where I’ve got a good grounding in my experience as a player within professional clubs, but because I’m young I’ve got a head start on other coaches.”
“Football’s my passion, if I can make a career out of it and coach full-time I’d love to get to that point.”