Alumni Spotlight Interview with Robby Bonjione
Jersey United Spartans player 2009-2016  

Hi Robby thanks for joining me today. I’m excited to speak to you as this feedback will be helpful for our current JU players thinking about their future, and for them to hear about the journey you have experienced over the past 8 years.  

Q:  First, tell everyone about your soccer history at Jersey United, and what made you tryout back in 2009?
A:  “I wanted to join JU in order to play at the next level. I played for my town team until middle school, then realized I wanted to play on a more dedicated team with more advanced coaching. Looking back, I probably wouldn’t have played college soccer if I didn’t join JU at that time. My first 2 years, I played on the JU 2nd team coached by Dominic Rice. It took me some time to develop. During my freshman year of high school, I made the JU 1st team and played for Martin Brown for 4 years. It took us some time to gel, but after a season we became one of the best teams in NJ. I look back at those years and I still stay in touch with most of the guys. During my college offseason, I continued to play with JU over the summer for Kevin Nash on the u23 team.”    

Q:  How did JU help with your college selection?
A:  “JU provided me plenty of athletic recruiting opportunities. We traveled to the top tournaments on the east coast allowing me to play in front of hundreds of colleges. The coaches spent hours talking to coaches on the phone trying to help me find the right fit. I ended up choosing the university that best met my career goals while giving me a chance to play soccer. Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham.”  

Q:  What were the soccer highlights of your club career, and college career?
A:  “At JU, it was winning the US Club State Cup (NJ Cup) my senior year. In college, it was making it to the conference championship my freshman year.”  

Q:  How did playing for JU prepare you for the demands of college?
A:  “The years of balancing a demanding club soccer schedule with academics prepared me how to manage my time and school work in college. I was able to graduate Cum Laude with a degree in Accounting from FDU-Florham.“  

Q:  What advice would you give incoming freshman heading into their first preseason? A:  “Make sure to find a competitive team to play on during the summer to keep fit and make you’re your skills are sharp. Playing with older, more experienced players made the transition into preseason easier.”

Q:  Where are you now?
A:  “I’m working on obtaining a Masters in Accounting with plans to take the CPA exam next summer. My connection to soccer also opened doors at the accounting firm, EisnerAmper, which I recently secured a position in the Tax Department upon graduation in May 2018. Turns out, one of the people I interviewed with also played college soccer. This Fall, in addition to studying, I was asked to be an Assistant soccer coach at FDU-Florham for my graduate year.”  

Q:  Did you ever think you would ever be a soccer coach?
A:  “No, it’s crazy to think I’ll be able to share what I have learned from my JU coaches and teammates from over the years.”  

Thanks for joining us Robby. JU specializes in working with youth soccer players to develop their skills on the field, and reinforce life skills during their soccer experience.  As much as we like to share our college and professional players succeeding on the field, paving the path for alumni to succeed in the classroom and the real world is just as rewarding. Best of luck Robby.  

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