Ross Alexander is Assistant Head Coach at Arizona State University's women's soccer, where he's worked for the past three seasons at one of the country's leading D1 athletic programs. An college soccer alum of Grand View University in Iowa, Ross joined us on a recent webinar to discuss the route in college soccer for talented female players, as well as giving insights on his own journey from professional club academy level in Scotland to securing a soccer scholarship in the States.
In his three years at ASU, he has helped guide the Sun Devils to two NCAA tournaments working alongside head coach Graham Winkworth, and has watched players from the women's soccer program progress onto great things, including Gabi Rennie who was named on the roster for New Zealand's Women's World Cup and Olympic Games campaigns.
We covered a range of topics with Ross during our interview, summarised below, and you can watch the full interview in the featured recording on this blog.
Tell us about your role, and how much involvement you have in recruiting players
You are at one of the top universities in the country and one of the best women’s soccer programs in NCAA DI, working with some of the best college players in the country. What level of player are you looking to identify who would be a good addition to your roster?
If you’re going to scout players at tournaments, what are you looking for in a player and what should they be doing to impress you?
You have a few international players on your roster – do you speak with pro club academies overseas, or where do you identify international players from?
What would be a typical day in the life of a student-athlete in your program, between training and studying?
The Sun Devils play in a highly competitive conference facing some of the top teams in the Big 12. How good is the standard of D1 soccer right now and how challenging is it to compete at that level?
How much travelling does the team have to do in a typical season and is that something the players enjoy?
Arizona must be a great place to study and play football. How good are the athletic facilities you have there on your campus?
You’ve worked with some highly rated players in the three years you’ve been on the program. What attributes would you say set the top players apart from the rest, both on and off the field?
What advice would you give to an aspiring player at the start of their college soccer journey, and to someone who is already engaged with an agency like FirstPoint who is looking to speak with prospective coaches?
Is it a route you would recommend to other players back home in the UK who are currently with an academy, or looking at options for the next step of their career?
You secured a scholarship at Grand View University and had a hugely successful time there, playing in the NAIA National tournament and gaining All-American Honours among other accolades. For a player looking at options just now, what would your advice be to someone looking at options between DI or DII and NAIA programs?
As well as being a successful footballer, you have been a very successful student academically. How difficult was it for you to balance both and what is the key to being successful on both fronts?
We see many players progressing for college soccer to playing professional soccer in the US or over in the UK and Europe. Do you think playing college soccer in the US is the best option for a top level player?
What has been the highlight of your coaching career so far at Arizona State University?
What was the highlight of your playing career at Grand View University?
