David Browne, the son of a cartoonist and prominent social commentator behind the Grassroots cartoon Bob Browne, has been drawing his own path in football since the day he started playing.
His path began as many others, after watching a video of Cristiano Ronaldo and deciding that he wanted to give football a try. From humble beginnings, living in the Kaugere suburb of Port Moresby, he has gone on to become the first Papua New Guinean footballer to play professionally in Europe. After he signed for Dutch Eredivisie Team, PEC Zwolle in 2015.
Born in Port Moresby, he left Papua New Guinea at the young age of 15, after being awarded with a scholarship at Saint Peters College in Auckland, New Zealand. After playing in the 2011 Oceania Football Confederation’s ( OFC) Under 17 Men’s Tournament for Papua New Guinea.
However, his start to football in New Zealand began tragically, as after his arrival, his father passed away .
Showing great character, he worked hard in his first year in Auckland after his father’s passing. He played for the high school and local well-known football club, Central United FC, and by the end of his second season with the club, he was awarded player of the year for his efforts.
He went on to represent the local state side and became top goal scorer for Saint Peters College, before catching the eye of Auckland City FC (ACFC) where he became a first team player.
In the 3 years he spent at the club, he scored 10 goals and made 33 appearences, won the OFC Champions League twice and was part of the ACFC squad that finished 3rd in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.
In 2015, he trialled with the Nike Football Academy, already having more accolades than some professional players and was awarded a place in the squad, but at the same time was offered a professional contract in The Netherlands, he chose the latter option: Signing to PEC Zwolle.
Since then, his career has seen him move to another Eredivisie Club, FC Groningen. He’s at the moment a part of the club’s under 23 team, trying to play his way into the 1st team and with him playing well in recent pre-season matches, he’s putting himself in a position to do so.
David’s story of how he made it to Europe is unique and I hope the young 20-year-old can build on his career in Europe and continue to draw a pathway for future Papua New Guinean footballers to do the same.