Goalkeeper Andrew Kempe is delighted to be the latest Bermudian to join the island’s ranks of professional footballers.

Kempe signed for Galway United a couple of weeks ago and has just started to settle into life on the west coast of Ireland with his new team after being scouted while finishing his college career at Temple University.

“I was just playing my last collegiate season at Temple and in the last few games of the season a guy reached out to me on Instagram and invited me to a trial opportunity in the US,” Kempe said.

“He was at that trial, saw me and from there he put me in touch with Galway United for a trial and it just went from there.”

So with little time to prepare, Kempe packed his bags at the start of the year to head to Ireland in the hope of earning his first professional contract.

“At the start of January I came over here and started training during their preseason,” he said.

“I was here for about three weeks, doing a trial period. I then left for a bit, went back to the US and got myself organised before coming back about two weeks ago. It’s been great so far. I’m really enjoying the city of Galway and the scenery. The lads in the team are great so I am settling in very nicely and enjoying it.”

Every member of the Galway squad is professional and Kempe is attempting to make the huge leap in class between college level and the paid ranks.

“The standard of football is great and it’s a really high level,” he said.

“It’s obviously the highest level that I’ve been a part of, so it’s great exposure for me. In my last two collegiate seasons I was working towards professional football and that was my full focus. It’s always been a goal of mine since I was little to play professional football but I would say in the last couple of years I have really concentrated on getting there.”

The next step for Kempe is trying to force his way into the Galway starting XI but he is well aware of the task he faces as he attempts to prove himself to manager John Caulfield and the team’s supporters.

“Right now I’m the No 2 goalkeeper,” Kempe said.

“There has been an injury to our starting keeper, which happened just as I arrived in Ireland, so I’ve been bumped up to No 2 right away, which is good exposure for me.

““Usually the games here are on Friday nights with the occasional game on Monday night and my personal aim is to get on the pitch, hopefully earn myself some games, do well in the minutes I get and then go from there. I want to show my abilities and show that I can be a starter. As far as the team goals, it’s to finish top three and to try to win the league. We want to shoot for high standards and high goals and that’s where we want to be. There is still a long way to go but that’s definitely where we’re aiming.

“The fans are amazing and I’ve never been part of a club that has such passionate fans and everything is at a really high standard.”

Kempe has played for the Bermuda national team, featuring in a match against Guinea in the Fifa Series in Saudi Arabia but he will not be among the squad for the upcoming Gold Cup preliminary games against Honduras.

“I’m not in the squad for the games against Honduras,” Kempe said.

“They wanted to give me a chance to be with Galway and settle in here. If I’d been selected, I would have had to leave just a week after joining the club, so together we decided it would be best for me to stay with Galway and then reassess for later international windows. It’s always a goal of mine to be a part of Bermuda and I hope to be back in the squad at some point soon.”