Well-Traveled Colin Falvey Will Give His All For Badge, City In Ottawa

By Matthew Levine
Photo Credit: Chris Hofley

Ottawa Fury FC defender Colin Falvey has tested his playing abilities in several different countries around the globe – several of them a bit more unconventional. Now, his travels have landed him north of the border for his first North American Soccer League (NASL) season.

The Irishman played in India with former Liverpool and English international David James, who was a player-coach for the Kerala Blasters, before joining Fury FC. He nearly won a title there in the developing soccer nation.

“It’s 100 miles an hour all the time. It’s very, very hectic,” he told NASL.com of his time in India.

Falvey also played in another developing soccer nation, New Zealand. He noted the growth of the league, despite it competing with the nation’s top sport, rugby.

“The standard of the league surprised me a bit. There were some very good foreign players and very good Kiwi players as well. I went back on loan, and you can just see the league is getting stronger and stronger,” he said.

Playing in Canada is another stop in his global tour after beginning his career in his native Ireland. Falvey just couldn’t pass up a chance for another adventure.

“When the opportunity arose, it is another new league so it’s a new challenge and a new chance to play in a different league,” he said.

"I spoke to coach Marc Dos Santos about coming, he told me what they we’re trying to do here and trying to build. I had some ex-teammates there, and they told me how good the facilities are and how professional the club acts.”

With Ottawa heading into its second season in the NASL, the 29-year-old is looking to add a bit more leadership and help Fury FC earn a few more positive results in 2015.

“Bring some consistency and make sure that we get over the line and get the results we need to do,” he said of what he hopes to add to Ottawa. “Just a never-say-die attitude and making sure everyone is pulling in the right direction. I can see it is a very strong squad and there will be no problems when anybody is called on to come in and do the job.”

In terms of leading by example, Falvey has been thrust into a captain’s role since the early days of his career with Kilkenny City.

“I think that’s a big part of my game with a lot of clubs in the past. When I was at Kilkenny beginning my career in the Irish League, one of the coaches, Brendan Rea, made me captain at an early age. I think that’s stuck with me through my career. I had to embrace it and get on with it.

“I’m sure if you ask Marc, that’s probably one of the reasons he brought me here.”

Combined with his leadership and commitment to the cause, Falvey’s play even led to Charleston Battery supporters creating a group in his honor - Falvey’s Army.

“It’s great that a section of fans started that in Charleston – more support the better. I think quickly they realized when I first came, I’m very committed and very aggressive when I play and I leave it all on the field. That’s just the way I’ve always been, and I wear my heart on my sleeve,” he said.

“You need supporters like that to get you through the tough times, and that’s a little thing that can make a big difference in the long run.”

He’s ready to leave it all on the line for Fury FC – and the city of Ottawa as a whole.

“I’ll do my best for the club, the city, the badge, and what the shirt represents. Pure honesty from me, that’s what you get,” Falvey said.

“Hopefully the fans don’t just get behind me but everybody.”

While noting the only thing he collected off the pitch from his previous stops were fridge magnets for his mother, there is one thing he would like to collect on the pitch for himself – trophies.

“We all want to be a part of the first Ottawa team to make the playoffs and maybe go on to win the championship. That’s what everyone is here for,” Falvey added.