Suburbs Football have welcomed their latest international imports for the upcoming season. Americans Clancey Skea and Johnny Reynolds arrived in early February to help bolster Suburb’s chances of qualifying for the national league. While both learnt their craft in America, their stories are very different.
Clancey targets big season with Suburbs
North Carolina footballer Clancey Skea is hoping a season with Suburbs will help take his game to the next level. The 20 year old midfielder and centre back has arrived in Nelson after a stint in Brazil, where he played in the Campeonato Paranense Cup.yearold midfielder and centre back has arrived in Nelson after a stint in Brazil, where he played in the Campeonato Paranense Cup.
Although the South American competition had its highlights, Clancey says he is looking forward to a fresh start.
“Brazil was a good standard, but it’s exciting to be able to play in a division one league here in New Zealand. It’s also great to settle for a bit in somewhere as beautiful as Nelson. Brazil was an experience for sure, but aspects of it were pretty rough.”
This is his second time playing in New Zealand, having joined Whanganui Athletic in 2025. He enjoyed that opportunity, but the chance to step into the Southern League with Suburbs was too strong to refuse.
Clancey hopes a strong season will move him closer to his long term goal of playing in Europe.
“We have a goal of qualifying for the National League and I want to help achieve that. The team plays beautiful football and I can’t wait to get onto the field. We also want to go better than last season in the Chatham Cup and win the whole thing.”term goal of playing in Europe.
Johnny’s road back to football leads him to Nelson
Midfielder Johnny Reynolds has taken a long and winding path through professional football, from the Seattle Sounders academy to Europe and now Nelson, after a serious head injury once threatened to end his career.
Johnny grew up in Seattle and rose through the Sounders’ MLS academy before signing in Italy at 17. Stints in Spain and the Dutch League followed, but his progress was cut short by a major injury.
“I got a severe head injury playing, and the repercussions meant I just had to take a break. Then Covid-19 hit, and after that I still wasn’t ready or fit enough to play, so I ended up having to get a full-time job.”
A year ago he decided to try again.
“I quit my job, and happened to be playing pick-up ball in Seattle with a couple of guys who had played in New Zealand previously. They put me in touch with Western Suburbs FC in Wellington, and I ended up signing there.”
He finished last season with Wellington Olympic FC, but it was a conversation with Olympic manager and footballing legend Paul Ifill that set him on the path to Suburbs.
“I wanted to see more of this beautiful country, and Paul is a great friend of Skippy [Suburbs head coach Ryan Stewart]. He said Suburbs play a great style of football, so it was an easy choice to come to Nelson.”
Having been forced to have time away from the game, Johnny says he now approaches football with a fresh, lighter mindset.
“When I was younger I was thinking that I needed to make the Premier League, to perform every game, and I put so much pressure on myself. Now I look at each day and think that the sun is shining and I’m getting to kick a ball around as a full-time job. It’s liberating.”
