Local lad recovers from horror injury to pursue footballing dreams in the States (By Josh, 18)
By Josh Harris, 18, Sports Correspondent
Ronnie Allen, 18, from Backwell, North Somerset, has found a new home in New York after accepting a football scholarship from Genesee Community College.
However, Ronnie’s journey to the States has been far from easy. Three broken ankles and two surgeries in just 18 months had left him contemplating his footballing future.
“Injuries have been a major part of my journey,” Ronnie said. "Two years ago, I broke my left ankle. A year later, I broke my right ankle. I was compensating for the injury and running differently, which caused further problems.
“I eventually went back to playing football. Then, on a skiing trip in January, I landed awkwardly on my ankle.
“The doctor explained there was still an opening in the bone and recommended surgery to ensure I could play football again. I had the operation on February 19th and was back running two and a half weeks later.
“It was a really difficult period, but I’m just glad to be playing football again.”
In recent years, the midfielder enjoyed spells at Clevedon Town and Portishead Town Under-18s.
But after persevering through his series of misfortunes, Ronnie decided it was time to make the move to America.
“I’d always wanted to live somewhere completely new, meet people from all over the world and experience a different country. After my injuries, it felt like the perfect opportunity to get back the time I’d lost.”
With his heart set on crossing the pond, Ronnie joined the agency ‘US Soccer Scholarships’ to help find the right opportunity for him.
But after his surgery, the uncertainty over whether Ronnie would ever play football again led to offers being retracted.
Nigel Dando
“At one point, I had around seven responses from different two-year colleges across several divisions. I received interest from schools in places including Utah, Iowa and the Dakotas. My injury made this process a lot more complicated.”
Despite his injuries, Genesee Community College, which competes in the NJCAA, gave Ronnie the opportunity he had been looking for.
After swapping North Somerset for New York, Ronnie has quickly embraced life at Genesee, scoring four goals and assisting two in his first five games for the Cougars.
“The facilities here are some of the best I’ve experienced, and I really enjoy living with people from all over the world.
“There are players from Spain, the Netherlands and a lot of other countries, so it’s a really international community. That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being here.
“When I arrived, I was nervous at first, but after getting into the training and playing, I realised the standard was really good. We play a quick and efficient style of football, and I think that has helped me develop. I’m really enjoying it and I feel like I’m continuing to improve.”
Having settled into life in America, Ronnie reflected on his adjustment to a new lifestyle.
“Living in America has taught me real independence. You’re on your own, and learning to balance football, schoolwork and everyday responsibilities has been a huge lesson.
“The food is probably the biggest difference I’ve noticed. It’s much harder to eat healthily when there are so many convenient and fast-food options.”
Alongside his football, Ronnie is studying Sports Management and Administration at Genesee, covering the business side of sports. He has found the educational experience enjoyable so far.
“The education system here is quite different from England. It feels a bit more straightforward. In England, you can sometimes feel like you either understand something or you don’t, whereas here there seems to be more support available.”
After going down the Junior College route, Ronnie hopes to one day make the step up to NCAA Division I to showcase his skills at the country’s highest level.
“Junior College made a lot of sense for me. My grades weren’t the highest, so going to a junior college gives me the opportunity to improve my GPA and put myself in a better position to receive stronger offers from NCAA Division I universities over the next year or two.
“The goal is to use this as a stepping stone and continue progressing.”
