ℹ️ Luis Fernandez
Name: Luis Fernandez
Date of birth: 28/09/2001
Place of birth: Enfield, London
Nationality: British
Language: English
Club: Hampton & Richmond Borough FC
Favourite position: Defender
Favourite foot: Right foot
⚽️ Club History:
Stevenage FC | Youth-2022
Oxford City FC | 2020 (loan)
Oxford City FC | 2021 (loan)
King’s Lynn Town FC | 2021-2022 (loan)
Hampton & Richmond Borough FC | 2022-2024
Eastleigh FC | 2024-2026
Hampton & Richmond Borough FC | 2026-…
🎙️ Interview:
Introduce yourself…
I’m Luis Fernandez, I’m a 24 year old semi-professional footballer that has played 200 games between League Two, National League and National League South.
Looking back, how much did coming through Stevenage’s academy shape you as both a footballer and a person?
Stevenage Academy had many positive impacts in my life. Not only did it take me from grassroots level football and develop me as a footballer, it also shaped me as a man. At just 14 I moved away to attend there school and it taught me a lot of independence. Theo club was also huge on shaping young men not just young footballers. Theo academy taught me many lessons and values that I still use every day now.
You made your senior debut at just 17 and received huge praise from your manager. How much confidence did that give you at such a young age?
Making my debut was a very special moment, and it helped that I had such backing from the manager. I felt so nervous before the first game but the manager gave me confidence to go out there and enjoy it. And off the back of that continued to play me.
Every loan move teaches you something. What did Oxford City FC teach you that Stevenage FC couldn’t?
Oxford was my first loan and my first time out of my comfort zone. I knew Stevenage inside out so it was nice to go try something new and get a consistent run of games. It helped that the manager, David ldfield was previous assistant at Stevenage so the transition seemed easy and I had some brilliant memories including beating League One Northampton in the Fa Cup on TV.
King’s Lynn Town FC was another important chapter. How did that season help you mature as a defender?
Joining Kings Lynn on Loan for a season was very beneficial for me. Despite having a tough season as a club, at just 18 years old I played 30+ games in the National League which is very rare for a Central defender. It was also the first time moving away from my family home so it had many benefits in helping me mature.
Your first spell at Hampton & Richmond Borough FC included over 70 appearances and eight goals. Did you expect to make such a big impact?
My first spell at Hampton was incredible. It is a fantastic club to be part of. The first 6 months I was on the sidelines through an injury I picked up at Christmas. Once I recovered from that I played every game from then till the end of the season, helping the club climb out of a relegation spot to well above mid table. The second season was a personal favourite season in my career. Playing almost every game, having a few big FA Trophy away days that we won and missing out on play offs by just 1 point. There was many good memories from that year.
Being named Players’ Player of the Season at Hampton is often one of the biggest honours because it’s voted for by teammates. What did that recognition mean to you?
Being awarded players’ player at the end of that season was an honour. It was such a close changing room and we all got on really well so it was nice to be acknowledged for the hard work that season. I finished that season as club captain and it was nice to see that the lads all gave me recognition for a fantastic season for everyone at the club.
In 2024, you made the move to Eastleigh FC. Looking back on your time there, what were the biggest lessons you took from playing in the National League?
My year and a half spell at Eastleigh was incredible. It’s such a good club and I know it sounds cliche but I genuinely did love playing for the club. I took some good lessons from my time there and made some great friends not only just in the players, but the fans and staff as well.
You became Eastleigh’s Community Player Ambassador. How important is it for footballers to give something back off the pitch?
I became Eastleigh’s community ambassador half way through my first season there. It was a decision made based on my work in the local area and my relationship with fans and local businesses and charities. I think it’s very important for footballers to give back to local community and also play big parts in local children’s football as we are role models to a lot of young people. I still do a lot of work with local charities in my spare time and pride myself in making time to give back.
You’ve experienced loans, injuries, being released, promotions, and returning to a former club. What’s been the biggest challenge mentally?
I’ve had a few challenging moments in my career. I’ve had a relegation that was hard to take. Less than a month later I was released from my childhood club and left club less which felt scary. 2 months after that I suffered with an injury that felt like it was never ending and it felt like my career was all going downhill.
More recently I found leaving Eastleigh hard as I had a good relationship with the club and felt I always performed well for the club, but when change of management happens, players can sometimes be out of favour which is something that footballers have to deal with a lot more than supporters would know. But I always try and keep my head down and keep pushing on as I know football is a short career and I just want to enjoy every minute of it. I don’t doubt there will be a lot more challenging times ahead as well as lifetime memories. But I just want to focus on continuing the journey and hopefully getting back into the EFL.
