In this second installment of Soccer Smart Players Around the World we feature four more players who Soccer Smart have helped to play football abroad. This week we have a male and female player who have impressed in Australia, one enjoying life on a USA soccer scholarship and finally a defender winning trophies in Gibraltar.

Ross Gray

Having played for the likes of Annan Athletic and Queen of the South growing up in his native Scotland, defender Ross Gray sought the help of Soccer Smart to play football abroad. We helped Ross secure a move to Gibraltar Second Division side Bruno’s Magpies in January of 2018. Joining towards the end of the season, he managed four appearances before injury, as his side narrowly missed out on the promotion playoffs by goal difference.

However, last season there was no stopping Ross and his Magpies. The defender made 26 appearances as his side won both the Second Division Cup and also the Second Division league title, lifting the title with an incredible +72 goal difference. Ross finished the season as captain, captaining in 13 of his appearances as his led Bruno’s to their most successful season ever.

This year the 25-year-old remains with the Magpies as they compete in the new Gibraltar National League, a brand new division which features all 11 of the country’s teams with the two division season scrapped.

Brittney Lacek

A star during her college soccer days with the St. Mary’s Rattlers, American midfielder Brittney Lacek has taken women’s football in Australia by storm this year. Having picked up 14 assists and 5 goals in just two years of college soccer, Soccer Smart USA helped the Wyoming-native to secure a deal with Coomera in the Brisbane Women’s Premier League this season, the highest tier of state soccer.

After not scoring in her first two games, the attacking midfielder went on an incredible streak of form to finish the season an outstanding 21 goals in 22 games. Her stunning streak saw her finish as the second top scorer in the league as Coomera finished fourth in the 12 team league.

Joel Drewery

Heading to US college soccer now and Hull-born midfielder Joel Drewery is certainly enjoying his time having secured a USA soccer scholarship with the help of Soccer Smart.

Joel attended Lancaster and Morecambe College back in the UK before committing to join the University of the Cumberlands, based in Kentucky, to study fitness and sports management in 2017.

In his first season, Joel showed that he had settled into playing soccer abroad as he lead his team in assists with six assists in 18 matches. In is second season, he impressed even further with six assists and a goal in just 13 games as he made the MSC First Team All Conference, effectively the team of the year his league.

Joel remains with the Cumberland Patriots for 2019 and already has an assist this season from two games.

Joe Kirkham

We’ve already talked about women’s football in Australia but now for the men’s side of the game, we have that covered too. Joe Kirkham is another player who have helped to play football abroad in Australia. The goalkeeper describes himself as a sweeper keeper and earned a move to play soccer in Australia for South Yarra at the start of the year.

Playing for South Yarra in State League 3 South-east, the fifth-tier of football in Australia, the goalkeeper made 10 appearances for the first team, picking up one clean sheet, as his side finished fourth in the 12 team league.

The goalkeeper also made eight appearances for the club’s reserve who actually won their league by seven points and conceded the least amount of goals. He kept four clean sheets for the reserves.

A great way to play football abroad is to sign up to one of our UK football trials below.

Sign up to our trials

Soccer Smart Players Around the World #2

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