On Friday, September 13, Football Victoria’s Hume City star Aamir Abdallah was named the 2024 NPLM Gold Medalist, cementing his status as the competition’s best player with an impressive 32 votes.
Capping off his remarkable season, the dynamic winger also earned the NPLM Players' Player Award, along with the prestigious Bill Fleming Medal, which celebrates the standout player of the season as voted by the Football Victoria media network.
Despite being unable to attend the Victorian Gala Night at Crown, Abdallah received the news from his Hume City captain, Josh Bingham.
“I was actually sleeping at the time and Bingham called me and said, ‘Bro, you’ve won it all, you’ve taken everything,’” Abdallah said, recalling his shock. “I just thought there was no way, this is actually insane.”
The forward, who joined Hume City from Heidelberg United ahead of the 2024 season, exceeded all expectations, scoring 14 goals and registering five assists in just 20 matches. His journey, which has seen him play professionally in Estonia, came full circle this year as he sought to revitalise his career.
“I had it in my head that this was a make-or-break season for me,” Abdallah shared.
“Before the season, I had certain goals for myself of being a starter in the team and hitting 10 goals and five goals by the end of the season, that’s what drove me the most.”
The move to Hume City in January proved transformative for Abdallah with the team’s camaraderie and supportive environment playing a significant role in his success.
“It’s by far the best change room I’ve ever been in,” Abdallah said.
“Everyone is so down to earth and humble, and it showed in our performances on the pitch.”
“At the very beginning we were just going game by game with not many expectations but obviously wanting to do well, then as we got closer to the end of the season and we kept performing in different competitions and had the chance to win a couple of them,” he said.
“That sort of opened our eyes to the possible performances that we are capable of and from that point onwards we were more driven and more aware that we could come out of this season with a trophy to show for it.”
Hume City’s 2024 season saw them reach the Australia Cup Quarter Final and the NPL and Dockerty Cup Semi-Finals, though they ultimately fell short to South Melbourne in all competitions.
“We still had a very good season, reaching new heights and hitting the most points in the club’s history, we were still really happy with the season but there is a bittersweet feel to it, Abdallah reflected.
Looking ahead, Abdallah has ambitions of returning to professional football, whether in the A-League or abroad.
“I really want to play professionally again – that’s the dream of any player,” he said.
“Hopefully that can happen, but if not I will be probably be back at Hume for next season if everything goes well with the club.”