Cypress Lake student Noah Zantman signed his first professional soccer contract last month with SC Cambuur, a second division club in the Netherlands.
At 14 years old, most teenagers are hoping to make their high school varsity team with dreams of some day playing in college.
For Noah Zantman, he’d already been denied entry into the professional soccer ranks by one club and suffered through a debilitating condition that nearly destroyed his psyche and will to continue his quest.
Zantman’s struggles, however, weren’t enough to break him. In fact, they motivated him to finally push through the ceiling he’d hit the previous two years.
The 16-year-old Cypress Lake High student signed his first professional contract with Dutch club SC Cambuur last month.
“It was a relief, and a very emotional moment,” Zantman said. “I felt incredibly happy. And, honestly, I really didn’t know how to react.”
Zantman, a native of the Netherlands, will head to Europe in mid-July to start training with SC Cambuur. The club plays out of the city of Leeuwarden in the top flight of Dutch soccer, but was relegated from the top division, Eredivisie, to the second division, Eerste Divisie, in May.
Zantman’s father, Simon Membre, played on the same club when he was his son’s age. The 5-foot-10 winger, who moved to the Naples area when he was 8, has come a long way from sending out highlight tapes, which featured a speedy 13-year old with a deadly left foot, to professional clubs around Europe.
The highlights were enough to earn him a tryout with Eredivisie’s FC Groningen. Zantman may not have wanted to hear it at the time, but it was there he learned there were much stronger, faster and, not to mention, older players who were better than him.
When he didn’t make the club, it only motivated him.
“I was very emotional and very angry,” Zantman said. “I wanted to come back better.”
Staying in the Netherlands, he played at the amateur level for a year to show his commitment to improving. Again, pro teams took notice as FC Groningen and Eredivisie’s SC Heerenveen started scouting him.
Zantman was certain this was his time. Except it wasn’t.
During tryouts, doctors discovered he had low blood circulation to his legs and needed surgery so he could continue to walk and run. The recovery and rehab lasted nearly three months where doubts about his future crept into his mind.
Despite FC Groningen’s patience with Zantman, he grew frustrated. There was always something standing in the way of his dream and he left the team.
“I told myself I wanted to come back stronger, but, at the same time, I felt very depressed,” Zantman said. “I didn’t want to play anymore. I was on the verge of saying I don’t want to do this anymore. There was a lot of stress on me, and there was also a lot of pressure to make it somewhere.”
Moving back to Southwest Florida turned out to be the best thing for him. Zantman returned to the amateur ranks and trained with Anthony Stovall, who played in the professional ranks in the U.S., Belgium and Germany, and his Stovi Stars program.
“As soon as we got our hands on him, we knew he was a diamond in the rough,” Stovall said. “On the ball he was just magical. His technique was nearly flawless. It was just a matter of getting him to maximize what God had already given him. That’s what made the difference for him. The kid is coachable.”
Over time, Stovall noticed Zantman’s confidence grow and saw he was ready for another shot.
Having just re-opened its youth academy, SC Cambuur offered Zantman a two-week tryout. During the first few workouts, he realized he wasn’t in as good of shape as his competition.
However, after a meeting with members of his family, Zantman realized he had something the other hopefuls didn’t have. And it showed during the last two days of training.
“I pulled everything out of me,” Zantman said. “I ran until I couldn’t run anymore. That’s how they saw how my work ethic was above everybody else’s.”
Following the last day of training May 26, he waited for an email from the club offering him a contract. It was a family event that winded down as it became later and later with no contract.
At 11:30 p.m. with no one around, Zantman’s email pinged. SC Cambuur offered a contract he signed the next day.
“I didn’t think it was going happen for me,” Zantman said. “I finally got a chance. I just hope to support my family and fulfill my dreams.”
Stovall reminded him to stay focused at all times.
“He must prove himself on every single level,” Stovall said. “Do not think about where you want to be and where you want to go. The dreaming is good, but every day you have to come in and work, perfecting your craft and getting that much better every single day. It’s a journey, not a destination.”