Callum Hubble has enjoyed three seasons at DII side Rogers State University. We spoke with Callum about the weight his degree holds from such an established university and his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
Give us an idea of your background playing in England?
I started playing academy football at a young age. I began my career at Chelsea FC and enjoyed my seven years at the club. I left Chelsea for Ipswich Town FC with the hope of having a breakthrough year with the first team. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out and I joined my local club Chelmsford City. This really got me thinking about accessing my options further afield and the US option seemed like a no brainer for me.
How did your move to the US happen and why did you decide that you wanted to make the move?
While playing for Chelmsford City we used to take part in showcase matches where college coaches were invited to watch in person and online. I had various offers from a number of institutions including some pretty big DI and DII programmes. Being recruited is great and it definitely opened the door to finding out more about the differences between each programme and how the US coaches budgets can be varied depending on the level they are at.
There are so many variables when choosing the right college for you, you really have to go with the feeling of what’s right for you financially, what coach makes you feel wanted and the key is what’s the best decision for you educationally. I chose Rogers State University because it’s a smaller university where I received more attention in the classroom as there’s less students per class.
Tell us about some experiences you’ve had and any highlights that stand out over the last three years
The last three years in America have been the best of my life. I’ve met some great friends and had some cool experiences travelling around the USA playing different colleges in different states. There’s some things that really stand out in particular, visiting AT&T stadium (home of NFL superstars, Dallas Cowboys). We were given a tour and were allowed to train on the field, we also visited Colorado on tour and saw the Rocky Mountains. Last season we won our conference, and we are the first to do so in the programme's history.
Personally I had a great season, probably my best of the three seasons with the university. During the summers you have different options on whether or not you want to come home and relax or if you want to keep playing. I have played summer league for Oklahoma City 1889, last summer we won the regional title and went on to nationals where we made it to the Quarter Finals.
What are your plans moving forward?
My plans moving forward are to finish my degree and graduate in May, 2021. The major plus of attending a university like Rogers State is the fact that I have a variety of options that have been made available because of relationships that I have built up within and around the campus. For me now it's just figuring out and deciding what will work best for me.
The main aim is to continue playing and hopefully achieve my dream of playing professional football. If that doesn't work out I’d like to go into coaching. Another major plus as a result of attending university in the US is there are many coaching roles available within the university. I’m looking at maybe becoming an assistant coach at a college soccer programme to build up my profile and experience. Then all going well eventually become a head coach. I am currently majoring in Sports Management, so going into a role as a sports agent and representing professionals is something that interests me also.
Who knows what can happen after graduation but the biggest thing for me is that I have a degree recognised worldwide allowing me to take many different paths if I wanted.
Finally, what advice would you give to anyone looking to go to the USA on a scholarship?
My advice would be trust yourself. It can be hard at first, moving to a foreign country but everyone will help you. If you’re unsure, ask a lot of questions and go to a university that really wants you. The guys at Atlantic Scholarships will be able to assist you in making a decision that best suits your interests. If you ever want to contact me feel free. I would love to help in any way that I can. The main thing I will say is to just go for it! It will be the best four year experience of your life and you won’t regret it if you do decide to take that leap.
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