As one of only four UK Armed Forces men playing football at Step 3 level and above, Hungerford Town’s Jack Wright is already an inspiration to many.
But now the 23 year-old, who hails from Blackburn in Lancashire, has added the honour of being voted as the Royal Navy Young Sportsperson of the Year 2023 to his list of accolades.
“It’s a proud moment for me to be recognised for the award, let alone win it,” he told us. “There were some great people put forward for it, so for me to win feels that bit more special.
“For me, to play at this level is everything; there’s a select few of us who are lucky enough to do it because our current work allows it; there are many lads who are good enough to play but just can’t get the time off, so I’m very grateful.
“It can be a struggle at times, work have been flexible with me and my family/friends have been great. The club itself understands my situation and have been unbelievable since I joined.
“It means I don’t really get back up north too much but family and friends have supported me by coming down here.
“I joined the navy at 16 because I wanted to do an apprenticeship and earn some money like most kids of that age wanted.
“The idea of the navy was put to me whilst I was still in school and it sounded like everything I needed. They sold me the dream of being able to get time off from work and that was more than enough for me to sign up!”
We asked the talented defender how he has coped with juggling his work life and football commitments in the Pitching In Southern League Premier South.
“Personally it’s been a massive learning curve,” he admitted. “I’ve learnt very quickly and adapted to non-League because it’s a different world.
“It’s the first time I’ve given civilian football a go and it’s very different. I joined Hungerford Town in early October and as a team we’ve been on a good run, so now it’s just about keeping that going, which I’m sure we will.
“With the Premier South so far, the biggest thing I’ve learnt is that anyone can beat anyone and if you’re not on it you get punished.
“Every week you’re up against a striker who’s either been pro or has aspirations to go pro so every week is a challenge, but it’s a challenge I love.
“A personal aim is to just keep learning and keep playing. As a team I think the aim is pretty simple; we want to get promoted because we know we’re good enough to do it.”
The Crusaders sit just outside the top five and face a trip to Tiverton Town on Saturday.
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