From Ireland to Chicago: Jack McFeely Brings Luck to Loyola

Men’s soccer’s third-year midfielder Jack McFeely has established himself as a mainstay player for the Ramblers, collecting career highs in matches started, assists and points — while being a team leader.

At the start of the 2023 men’s soccer season, McFeely stepped onto the pitch during the Ramblers’ first regular season match against Lindenwood University to tally the first six minutes of his collegiate career. By the end of the season, he had recorded 176 minutes of play. Now, as a consistent starting player — starting in seven matches this season — he’s tallied a career high of 398 minutes thus far.

In spite of the learning curve McFeely experienced during his first two seasons at Loyola, Head Coach Steve Bode said he’s adapted to the rigor of a Division I environment. He has been able to be a more effective player as well as become more of a leader, according to Bode.

Bode said the work McFeely has put into soccer is how he proved himself to be an asset on the team.  

“His work ethic is a big part of that,” Bode said. “He works extremely hard. The game means a lot to him, and you can tell he puts in the time and the effort to train on his own and try to improve. I think that’s a lot of the reason why he is where he is now in his junior year in comparison to his freshman year.”

McFeely said he’s been playing soccer since he could walk. Starting at 6 years old, he began playing for Top of the Hill Celtic — a club soccer team in his hometown of Derry, Ireland.

Before committing to Loyola, he honed his skills over the years, by playing for Institute FC, where he was named top goal scorer six times. McFeely said he then joined Northern Ireland’s National Team in the U18 Schoolboys League.

Since McFeely started playing soccer at a young age and continued to play as he grew up, he said his skills developed over time, making soccer a big part of his life. 

“My identity for soccer just sort of intensified over the years,” McFeely said. “It was just all I thought about, all I wanted to do, it sort of just kept growing.”

After graduating high school in 2023 from St. Columb’s College, McFeely was in talks with Loyola and Bode. Following a call with the coaching staff, he said the program was so enticing there was no other option for him and he soon committed to Loyola.

McFeely said making the move from Derry to Chicago was challenging because he had to get accustomed to a new city far from home. He said his family tries to make the trip to see him play in America.

“I’m actually really lucky that my family tries to visit,” McFeely said. “Someone from my family will visit once a semester. It’s always nice hearing the same accent and seeing my family again when they come out. That for sure made it a lot easier for me. I don’t think it will ever get easier leaving home when I’m back for the breaks.”

McFeely said his parents, grandparents and two younger brothers, Kevin and Liam, made the trip to Chicago in the early weeks of September to watch Loyola’s matches against Wright State University and DePaul University, where McFeely helped with an assist for Daniel Firs to score against the Raiders.

In addition to the support he receives from his family, who he says are his biggest motivators, McFeely said it was the veteran international players who helped him settle into life at Loyola his freshman year. Now, in a similar position, he tries to help the newcomers, specifically international players.

“Me and the other internationals, the older guys, try and help them settle in a lot because we know how hard it is moving away from home to a new city and a new country,” McFeely said. “I would definitely say we have a close-knit community, the internationals on our team.”

As McFeely has matured, Bode said he hopes to continue seeing his growth on the field in attack and off the field in how he interacts with his teammates.

“[McFeely] is just to continue improving his leadership,” Bode said. “I think he’s got a lot of great relationships with his teammates. I think he can continue to improve his leadership traits and how he impacts the players around him.”

Off the field, McFeely is studying marketing with a minor in sport management. Finding the balance between athletics and academics has been challenging, but getting good grades is just as important, he said.

In 2024, he received the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District award which recognizes “top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and the classroom,” according to Academic All-American.

Following graduation, McFeely said he plans to continue playing soccer in the U.S. or finding a coaching position for the sport, but entering sports marketing would be plan B.

“I think I’ll definitely stay in the states,” McFeely said. “Hopefully, I can get a playing career out here. That’s the end goal for me. Whether that be in Chicago or another state, but I would for sure love to stay in the states.”

For now, McFeely has the rest of the season to play out and another year of eligibility for Loyola. He said the most rewarding aspect of playing for Loyola is the pride that comes from wearing the school jersey and the feeling of seeing fans after a win.

As the season progresses for the Ramblers, McFeely said the goal is to win the Atlantic 10 Conference championship. On a personal level, he wants to continue establishing himself as an effective player.

“I just want to keep contributing to the team, whether that be goals, assists or even defensive actions,” McFeely said. “I think just playing my part on the team and just ensuring I’m always performing is the best I can do, and hopefully that’ll keep helping us win games and get more momentum going forward.”