NAC article on Balard for anyone keen to run it through a translator:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1GWdf1f2kU/
Translator:
On the sun-drenched terrace of the Campoamor golf resort in Spain, NAC midfielder Max Balard (24) gave a candid interview during the training camp about his family ties, the family club that NAC is for him and life on the other side of the world.
15 Jan 2025
Despite the fact that Australian Balard is tens of thousands of kilometres away from home, he continues to mention the important role of his family. “During the Christmas holidays I went to my grandparents in the East of France. They have a house near the Alps and luckily my parents had also come there from Australia. We spent Christmas together. That was nice. Very nice.”
2024 was an ‘amazing year’ for the midfielder, as he describes it himself. “My life has changed quite a bit,” he says, an understatement. “With Central Coast Mariners we wrote history in the Australian competition and that gave me the opportunity to play football in Europe. I am very grateful to NAC for expressing their faith and trust in me. The club feels like a family.”
Warm welcome
It is quite a change for the twenty-something, but Balard feels at home in the Netherlands. “So far, it is even better than I could have imagined,” he is honest. “It was not really that difficult, because I have already travelled a lot with my parents. Getting used to new countries comes quite naturally to me. But it is on the other side of the world. I was welcomed immediately by everyone at the club.”
Has he ever suffered from homesickness? “I feel very much at home here,” Balard emphasises several times in the fascinating conversation. “I live in Prinsenbeek. A quiet and pleasant environment where I can find everything I need. It is nice that the supporters there also recognise me on the street. I have no problem with that. Isn't it nice that people are so friendly and nice to you?”
“I FaceTime my parents about twice a week and I also talk to them a lot via WhatsApp,” Balard says. “On New Year’s Eve, I showed a friend from Australia all the fireworks via FaceTime. He was impressed, haha. Those are great ways to keep in touch there too and I hope that my parents and friends can also visit some matches in 2025. They know that playing football in Europe was a dream of mine. And I am now living that dream.”
Cooking and grocery shopping
Balard has to stand on his own two feet, as he has also experienced in the meantime. “I have to do the shopping, cooking, cleaning… That is all part of it now. In my free time, I like to play on the PlayStation with my teammates or go outside for a walk. I also visit other cities in the Netherlands with friends or teammates, such as The Hague, Utrecht and Rotterdam. Also to get to know the country better.”
The city that impresses him the most? Breda. How could it be otherwise… “I have never seen so much passion in a city for a football club,” says Balard. “Our supporters are always there, everywhere. I still have to get to know the city centre of Breda better, but I like to walk around there. My Australian friends also think it's great. The atmosphere here is great. Great!”
He has not yet been able to put on the official Australian national team kit, but Balard was selected for the Socceroos for the first time in 2024. “An honour”, says the Sydney-born playmaker. “The next goal is to get minutes in the team. That is a big wish and a nice goal, but I will have to work very hard for that here at NAC. In Australia, they see the Eredivisie as a very strong competition.”
Passion and battle
How does Balard view the coming period at NAC? “We have had a good first half of the season and with the team spirit that we gained in Spain, we have to perform well again in part two”, says the Aussie. “We worked very hard at the training camp and discussed with each other again what we want. It should strengthen us in the tough battle that still awaits us. Maintaining is and remains the goal and our supporters will be incredibly important in that.”
And on a personal level? “I want to give everything to make the team better and to become a better player myself,” says Balard. “Maybe I have to take more risks in attack sometimes. I also want to be more involved in the team’s goals. Moreover, I want to be able to play even more under pressure. I have to be a leader on the field.”
www.facebook.com
