Dante McEwan-Henderson Joins Uprising FC in Exciting New Chapter
In exciting transfer news, we are delighted to announce the signing of the highly talented 20-year-old English player Dante McEwan-Henderson!
Despite his young age, to say that Dante who can play in a variety of positions, has already gained some great experience in the game would be a complete understatement!
Dante started his football journey at the age of 13 with Bristol Rovers FC, a professional club with a long and proud history in English football. We asked Dante how he came to sign for the club and if he could tell us about his time there.
“I joined Bristol Rovers just after my 13th birthday after being scouted during a 7v7 tournament in the summer. I then played in a 11v11 trial game which led to a further 6-week trial at the club. I ended up being signed after just 4 weeks of that trial”!
“Being at Rovers is probably why I am where I am today! Without the six years I spent there I most likely wouldn’t have the pathway to this opportunity! Probably my biggest highlight during my time at Bristol Rovers would be playing at their home stadium, and training with the first team squad”!
After spending an unforgettable six years at Bristol Rovers, Dante next played for another English club – Slough Town. Dante joined them during the summer of 2024 after attending exit trials, and whilst he wasn’t there for too long, he really enjoyed his time at the club playing with a good group of lads and working with an excellent set of coaches.
Next for Dante was an amazing experience of playing football in New Zealand which is where he picks up the story.
“Yeah, my time in New Zealand was a great experience, not only for football but also for life! It isn’t everyday that you get the chance to go to the other side of the world and for an extended period as well! I did well out there and played for two clubs, I won two trophies with Palmerston North and then gained promotion with Greytown FC. All in all, it was a very successful trip for me”!
Dante has most recently played for Odd Down FC near to his home in England to stay match fit.
As we said at the start of this piece, we are so excited to have Dante at our club! We asked him what he was most looking forward to by playing for us and what he would like to achieve.
“One thing I can say that I am looking forward to is the fact that games are shown live on FIFA+, this is a big thing for me as my friends and family back home will be able to tune in and support me from afar. With the games being streamed live, it will be a good way to get my name known to a wider audience”.
“I am also looking forward to being surrounded by a lot of people from my own Caribbean culture, I feel this will allow me to settle a lot easier. With Uprising FC I would without a doubt want to win the league title! I know that the club have already finished quite close to the top but just needs that final push. I hope to be able to help provide that! I am ambitious, so winning the Presidents Cup or any of the other competitions wouldn’t be a bad thing either! I am really looking forward to joining the club and can’t wait to meet everyone and get to work”!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dante for taking the time to talk to us, and once again we welcome him to the Uprising Family!
In closing, we must express our thanks to Peter at ProPlayerPathways who has helped with Dante signing for our club. ProPlayerPathways is a company based in the UK who with a unique partnership with UCS Education, provide football opportunities around the world combined with a BSc Degree in coaching.
Words:
Gareth Thomas – Uprising FC Media Officer.