Melbourne Heart midfielder Nick Kalmar’s impressive rise in football continued on Wednesday after he signed a new deal with the fledgling Hyundai A-League club.
Recruited from the Victorian Premier League, Kalmar has been a standout contributor in the Heart’s debut season, scoring two goals in six starts including the winner in the club’s first ever victory.
The 22-year-old will now remain at his hometown club until at least the end of the 2012/13 season after inking a new two-year deal.
“I’ve been pinching myself ever since I came to the club. We have a good coaching staff, a good playing group and I’m very humbled to be among the players we have here,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of improvement to make and a lot to work on, but I think the set-up here is very good and I’m enjoying it.”
Coach John van ‘t Schip has been pleased by Kalmar’s quick transition to the A-League and is looking forward to seeing him improve further in the future.
“It is often difficult to judge how players will adapt to football at a higher level, and determine whether they will fit in,” he said.
“However, Nick has made a great transition to the Hyundai A-League from the VPL and has already developed into a very important member of our team.
“And given Melbourne Heart FC is only his first professional club, I’m confident Nick can continue to grow as a footballer over the coming two seasons.”
