Busted, but not broken: James Hoyle feared a leg injury as a teen would end his football career, now he’s an inspirational leader

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.”

Napier has been home for Hoyle since.

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.

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.

He has tasted Chatham Cup and Central League success with the club; for those respective triumphs, he was also the team captain.

It was a role he inherited after a long-term knee injury to fellow modern-day club legend Fergus Neil.

On the day Hoyle clocked up his 150th cap last season, Neil played his 200th.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.”

The 2024 season has seen Hoyle reunite with his older brother at Napier City Rovers.

While Jim is captain, he has been joined in the defensive line with Stephen who is also the team’s assistant coach.

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.”

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.

“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.”

Watch the Inside the Rovers video series:

Episode One: Back to Work

Episode Two: The Darkest Days

Episode Three: Skin Deep

Episode Four: Good as Gould

Episode Five: The Hard Yards

Episode Six: Leaving a Legacy

Episode Seven: Fun and Games

Episode Eight: Game Day

Episode Nine: The Great Dane

Episode 10: Back to Back

Episode 11: Long Road Back

Episode 12: Total Commitment

Episode 13: The Bravest Boy

Episode 14: Love of the Game

Episode 15: A Rapid Rise

Episode 16: Mixed Emotions

Episode 17: Cup Fever

Episode 18: 50-Year Love Affair

Episode 19: The Music Man

Episode 20: Sammy’s On Fire

Episode 21: A Burning Desire

Episode 22: Cup Heroics

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.