Crescent City Kings’ Warren Finds Success in Australia

October 13, 2016

The love of football and dedication to improve knows no boundaries. For Crescent City King wide receiver Jonny Warren, flying almost a complete day to play is a small sacrifice. This summer, he embarked of said journey, making the global flight from New Orleans to Melbourne, Australia. Warren signed a contract to play for the Melbourne University Gridiron Club. He spent a few minutes detailing his season.

Q: What were your expectations of Australia?

JW: I didn’t really expect anything but for my teammate and I to succeed. Overall, Australia was a fantastic experience.

 

 

Q: Can you describe your Australian team?

JW: My Australian team was very diverse. We had people from all walks of life. Seeing this made me realize that football is universally loved by many.

 

Q: What was the competition like?

JW: The competition was equivalent to Division 2 college football in America. It wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before. The games were quickly paced and talent came to play.

Q: What did you learn?

JW: I learned that football isn’t the same everywhere. The culture, attitude, and desire for the game are different. Everyone does not possess the same drive to overwhelmingly thrive on the field. Conversely, every man that plays the game of football does so out of love and respect for it.

 

Q: How did your career as a King prepare you for life abroad?

JW: My career as a King was quite short, but very productive. The time I spent there is still imprinted in my heart. I’ll forever be a King. I loved the style of coaching that the Kings delivered. My position coach and head coach (Frederick Washington) took a great deal of time instilling a solid foundation. After every practice, our coaches spoke with us and shared their knowledge about life and football. I took heed to everything that the coaches spoke on and applied it to my life and football as well.

 

Q: How did your game improve over there?

JW: My game improved because I had more time to focus on my craft. I spent a lot of time on my hands and routes to improve my game.

 

Q: What was the social life like?

JW: The social life was cool. A little different than what I’m used of but I didn’t find myself socializing much.

Q: If you had advice for any New Orleans football player, why should they choose the Kings?

JW: I feel any New Orleans player with talent should choose the Kings. It’s a phenomenal organization to develop skills and learn how to behave professionally. The coaching on both offense and defense is phenomenal. It’s a lot of things I learned at the Kings that helped my game flourish in Australia. I’m very thankful for that.

 

Q: What’s next for you?

JW: I have a few things planned for next year. My main goal is to land another contract overseas or anywhere God takes me. If all doesn’t go well overseas, you’ll see me back with the Kings.

 

Jonny Warren, through hard work and expert tutelage in New Orleans is living a dream. Melbourne Australia is a world away from Crescent City. Yet, he bridged the gap and took his skills international. He is an example of what outstanding developmental team football should be. He wasn’t promised riches or a spot in the NFL. Crescent City provided him with an honest opportunity to flourish and refine his game.