Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle opens up on leadership, juggling friendships with captaincy, and being back on the same team as his brother. Video / Neil Reid
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle talks to Neil Reid about not giving in, leadership, juggling friendships with captaincy, and why it’s good to be playing with his brother again.
When a teenaged James Hoyle broke both his tibia and fibula, he feared his football playing days were over.
Aged 18, the Barnsley-born future Napier City Rovers captain was signed to Rotherham United FC’s youth team with a dream of becoming a fulltime pro.
That desire was shattered by a double leg break; an injury that required surgery and eventually saw him being released by the English club.
“I’d kind of given up on football,” Hoyle said. “That was sort of it for me.”
His second chance at the sport he loves came via older brother Stephen, who after three seasons at Napier City Rovers recommended him to coach Bill Robertson on a trial basis.
“And Bill said, ‘Bring him out. Let’s see what happens. And if he can’t stay with us, then we’ll try and find opportunities for him around New Zealand’.
“And I was lucky enough that they took me on that year.”
Next year will mark a decade since Hoyle first wore the Napier City Rovers shirt, a team for which last year he racked up his 150th league appearance.
Hoyle will again captain his side against Wellington club Island Bay in round 14 Central League action in Wellington on Saturday.
Last weekend they beat the Wellington Phoenix Reserves 2-0, retaining third spot on the Central League points table and ever closer to a National League spot.
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle turns on the GPS unit of teammate Ethan Richards before a training session. Photo / Neil Reid
Hoyle said he “can’t imagine” what his life would be like had he not taken the plunge and travelled 18,500km to try to reboot his football.
“This is home, my football club now,” he proudly said.
Almost a decade on and Hoyle is a mainstay of the Napier City Rovers first team.
It was a role he inherited after a long-term knee injury to fellow modern-day club legend Fergus Neil.
Two of the modern-day legends of Napier City Rovers, (left to right) Fergus Neil and Jim Hoyle during a training session at Park Island. Photo / Neil Reid
“I loved having the opportunity, but at the start, I was definitely nervous and probably not ready,” he said.
“It’s a great honour to be captain of this team, it’s a privilege. It’s just something that I love doing. I love the responsibility, I love the way the lads look to me for help and advice and things in certain situations.”
Hoyle was aged around 21 when he started captaining the team.
Over the years he has grown into the role, and it is shown both on and off the football pitch.
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle, left, watches on as his brother Stephen challenges for the ball during their side's 3-0 Central League win over Stop Out. Photo / Neil Reid
For several seasons he has been one of Napier City Rovers’ most consistent performers.
A defender, he is constantly the man who cleans things up when his side is under the pump near their own penalty area. That includes exerting a strong – but controlled – physical presence when required.
Off the pitch, Hoyle is well-liked and respected by his teammates.
“I sort of see myself as sort of like a team dad,” he said.
“My main goal as captain has always been that everyone that comes to this club enjoys playing for this club and loves their time here. If it’s a week, if it’s two years, if it’s three years, if it’s the rest of their career, I just want people to come to this club and love playing for Napier City Rovers.”
He is firmly in the captaincy mould of someone who leads by his actions, rather than a stream of words.
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle takes a moment of reflection pre-match in his side's changing room at Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid
“I’m always trying to give it everything,” he said. “And, hopefully, the other lads follow suit.”
But he’s also acutely aware of when it’s time to get vocal and “dig someone out”.
Among his close friends in the squad is midfielder Liam Schofield, who like Hoyle hails from the English town of Barnsley.
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle, facing camera, jumps for joy as his players celebrate a goal at Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid
Not only do they form a close bond in the Napier City Rovers set-up, but their working week also sees them working side-by-side as a crew at Geary Painting, a company owned by former Rovers National League player David Geary.
Schofield was Hoyle’s foreman while the football captain completed his painting apprenticeship.
“Monday’s always a debrief from the weekend, definitely,” Hoyle said of workplace banter.
Liam Schofield is a friend, teammate and workmate of Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle. Photo / Neil Reid
“We try and stay away from it [talking football] as much as we can, but we’re so passionate about it. Yeah, we have a class time at work.”
He said it was “amazing” having his brother in the environment both on and off the pitch.
“There’s no one really who’s as harsh a critic as he is to me,” Hoyle said.
“But also no one’s as big a fan as Steve to me. He tells me exactly what he thinks of my performance each week.”
The playing shirt of Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle hangs on his peg in the side's changing room at their home ground of Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid
He said one of his brother’s non-playing strengths was analysing both their team and the opposition.
That trait had led to “endless phone calls . . . talking about football and what we can do better at Napier City Rovers to make us better as a team”.
Hoyle, half-jokingly, said there was another reason he now loved being back on the same side as Stephen.
Siblings and rival captains at the time Jim Hoyle of the Napier City Rovers (left), and Stephen Hoyle, of Eastern Suburbs, unwind after Stephen's side triumphed 5-0 in a National League clash last year. Photo / Neil Reid
“He had a knack of scoring against Napier City Rovers,” he said.
“He was a great goal scorer a couple of years ago ... that was his focus, scoring goals.
“We always had decent battles. But he’ll tell you, he always seemed to find a way to score against me for some reason.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
