From England to Batavia: Soccer Star Joseph Armand Pursues Dreams at GCC

by Emma Sternberg
April 17, 2025

Joseph Armand, a business major and center-back defender for GCC’s men’s soccer team, is originally from Bicester, England. He decided to move to Batavia, NY, seeking a change of location and a chance to further his education and athletic career.

Armand has been a member of GCC’s men’s soccer team for two years, playing as a center-back defender. He says that GCC has a great soccer program, which was ranked as the best in the country last year and currently stands fifth in the 2024 NJCAA region rankings. He plans to transfer to Bethel College in Kansas on a full scholarship to work towards his bachelor’s degree.

The weather is one aspect of playing soccer in upstate New York that Armand doesn’t enjoy. “It’s a shame with the weather here that you can’t play all year round like we do back home.”

Armand has been playing soccer for his entire life. Armand started playing soccer at the age of two. “No other sport comes close,” he said. Armand’s father, also a soccer player, was the one who introduced him to the sport at a young age. He sees the game as a way to escape his problems; he said, “It’s like my get out of jail free card” because when he plays, he doesn’t think about his problems.

One of Armand’s most memorable games at GCC was against the team that ultimately won the national championship. GCC defeated them 3-1, knocking them out at the end of the season. Despite the victory, Armand called it a bittersweet ending.

The soccer team plays from August to late November and practices during the spring. They usually have three to four scrimmages during the spring, but they have been unable to do so this year because they don’t have a full squad to train with right now as they are waiting for the incoming first-year students to complete the team. Armand says that his coach, Ken Gavin, is “very straightforward and always wants us to play a certain type of way.”

Armand values his teammates and the diverse backgrounds they bring to the field. “There’s such a broad number of nationalities on our team,” Armand said. “It’s amazing to meet everyone from different places.” Because of this team, he has friends from different areas of the world, like Germany and South America. Because everyone is in the same boat, it makes it easy to work smoothly together.

Looking ahead, Armand is excited about his future at Bethel College and hopes to continue playing soccer at the highest level possible.