Heidelberg’s #2 GK reminds us that a great football story goes beyond the first XI

NPL Victoria’s Heidelberg United will take the field at Olympic Village on Saturday night for arguably the biggest game in their club’s history, as they take on A-League Men Premiers Auckland FC for the right to compete in the 2025 Australia Cup final.

Their semi-final date against the newest A-League expansion side represents the first time the Melbourne-based club has reached this stage of Australian football’s national cup competition since it was re-invented back in 2014.

It’s the kind of footballing story that every player wants to be a part of. The fairytale cup-run, knocking over all the giants along the way. But as we all know in football, there can only be 11 on the pitch.

Reserve Goalkeeper, Ryan Govan should’ve been a part of this story. As the number two behind the experienced Yaren Sözer, Govan has had to bide his time. But as the national stages of the 2025 Australia Cup rolled around, he got the call from coach John Anastasiadis that he’d been waiting for.

He was told that he was going to get the gloves for Heidelberg in their round of 32 clash against the Weston Bears. Finally, an opportunity – on the national stage no less – to prove what he was about.

Football’s a cruel game

Born and raised in Brisbane, Govan quickly progressed through the ranks at Redlands United, securing the number one jersey at just 20 years of age in NPL Queensland, but knew he needed to challenge himself outside of that league if he wanted to progress his career.

“Melbourne and Sydney are seen as where Queensland footballers go to test themselves,” Govan told Round Ball Australia.

“A conversation with my glove manufacturer T3 led to me speaking with Heidelberg, and I was really impressed with their facilities and professionalism,” he explained.

Heidelberg offered him a trial based on his success in Queensland, and despite a rival offer from fellow NPL Victoria club Oakleigh Cannons, Govan chose to sign for the ‘Bergers’ in late November 2023.

While his motivation to uproot to Melbourne was to secure a starting spot for one of Victoria’s leading NPL clubs, it was never a guarantee. Within weeks of signing, Heidelberg had also enlisted the services of Sözer – a Melbourne native who had most recently been on the books of the Central Coast Mariners.

Sözer himself was looking for a number one spot, having warmed the bench for the Mariners as reserve keeper during the club’s run to the A-League Men title in 2023, and Govan would have to patiently wait.

Heidelberg’s success in the 2025 NPL Victoria season – securing second place behind fellow Australia Cup semi-finalists Avondale – has been built on their defensive solidity, conceding just 25 goals in 26 league games.

While that has been a huge positive for the club it has meant limited opportunities for the now 23-year-old Govan, with Sözer a key figure in Heidelberg’s league-leading defensive record.

“I would have liked to have started more, but I’ve learnt a lot off the pitch as well as on it,” Govan said.

But that start would come. The call up from Anastasiadis for the Weston Bears game was just what he needed. Until, amongst the shining joy of a cup-run for the ages; the other side of football’s cruel coin would land unfavourably for Govan.

A freak hand injury in training – spraining a ligament in his wrist – just days before his big opportunity sidelined Govan for three weeks, and his chance to start was gone.

History in the making?

While his personal journey this season has been challenging there is no doubt of Govan’s commitment to the cause, and he is revelling in the atmosphere being created by his side’s success.

“The mood around the club is like nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s almost disbelief that we’ve reached the semi-finals given our draw. The feeling in the dressing room is unbelievable, but it has been like that all season to be honest,” he enthuses.

That Cup run has Heidelberg bidding to be the first non A-League club to reach the final of the Australia Cup since Sydney United 58 back in 2022, and just the second in the modern era.

If they make it that far, the ‘Bergers’ could even make history as the first NPL club to win the revamped national cup competition, and licensing rules permitting – would be able to have a crack at Asia in the AFC Champions League Two.

It’s a long shot given the opposition ahead of them, but as every round goes by, those odds get shorter. The beauty of the Cup is possibility – after all, who would have picked Heidelberg and Avondale to be Victoria’s sole representatives left in the competition at the semi-final stage?

So whilst the young keeper likely won’t see any minutes this Saturday, his story reminds everyone that a lot more goes into a football story than the 11 players that start from the first whistle on any given weekend.

There’s the reserve keeper pushing in training despite missing his chance through injury, there’s the subs than come off the bench in the 93rd to drain the referees watch, the assistant coaches who grind through video reviews, the volunteers who pump up the footballs, the staff at the canteen, the fans who show up in the rain.

Football clubs are a village. And on Saturday night, Heidelberg’s will be pushing them as far as they can toward a slice of Australian sporting history.