CALGARY – Carrying a Polish passport, University of Calgary Dinos midfielder Eryk Kobza knew he had a unique situation in front of him when the Canada West men's soccer season was cancelled this fall.

Kobza was born in Canada and grew up in North Vancouver, B.C., but most of his relatives reside in Poland. With the prospect of being close to family and continuing his soccer development, Kobza began exploring playing opportunities in the Central European country.
 

With the help of an agent, he landed trails with a few clubs before settling on a contract in August with Sokol Ostroda in the Polish third division.

The chance to continue playing with great coaching and facilities, all while being only hours away from family was too good to pass up.

"In comparison to U SPORTS, the level [of competition] is higher, especially in terms of the pace of play and physicality," stated Kobza, who was named the Dinos male rookie of the year this past spring. "The fact that players are playing to support themselves financially just adds more competition and a feeling of urgency. Even though this is just the third division, you can tell it is a professional environment with the amazing pitches, the stadiums, and even the fans that come to the games and chant passionately.

"I am still trying to adjust to the demands of the level of play, however, it's been a great challenge and can only make me better."

Now living a boyhood dream, Kobza trains daily with double sessions twice a week to prepare for weekend matches. With clubs spread out across Poland, he gets the unique opportunity to travel to all corners of his parents' homeland.

All of that is on top of being enrolled in three classes at the UCalgary, which he takes online with an eight-hour time difference.

During his freshman season with the Dinos in 2019, Kobza helped the team make history with their first appearance at a U SPORTS national championship. The Faculty of Kinesiology student was a key cog in the starting lineup as the team became road warriors, defeating the Trinity Western Spartans and Mount Royal Cougars en route to a conference silver medal. He scored two goals and added an assist during the regular season to earn a spot on the Canada West all-rookie team.

Kobza's successes in Calgary and his early impressions in Poland now have him eyeing a long playing career and climbing the ladder to the top levels of Europe.

"Being in a professional environment everyday and learning from older guys who played already in the first division and are towards the end of their careers is very beneficial to a young player," he explains. "I plan to continue to work hard and see where this journey takes me.

"Getting the opportunity to do what I love every day at a high level is very rewarding."

-UC-