Episode 19 - John Iredale

John Iredale: The Eredivisie Signing That Almost Missed the Window, and the Twelve-Thousand-Euro Bill That Followed.

John Iredale signed his first professional contract thirty minutes before the transfer window closed.

Eight years later he has played in four countries, made his Socceroos debut, scored his first international goal at home with his family in the stands, and learned more about contracts, insurance, currency, and tax than most pros pick up in a fifteen-year career. He was eighteen when he flew into Heerenveen for that first signing. The KNVB rule on non-EU salaries nearly stopped it. A scrambled 4 a.m. phone call in Australia got it across the line.

Then the lessons started compounding. A re-injury in Germany. A surgery booked in the wrong country. A bill nobody warned him about. A wedding negotiated into his Korean contract. A national team bonus paid gross.

This episode is what every young Australian going overseas needs to hear before they sign anything.

About The Overseas Athlete

Real conversations with athletes who have built careers overseas, and the people who help them. The Athlete Newsletter every Wednesday: read.athletenewsletter.com

Chris Broadfoot is an ex-pro footballer and founder of SportsFX, the currency and payments partner for professional sport. More at sportsfx.co