By his own admission, Leighton Williams eats, sleeps and breathes soccer.
A junior business management major at USF St. Petersburg, Williams was just signed to the semi-professional Tampa Marauders Football Club. At 20, he is the youngest player to make the team.
Above all else, Williams is a fan. He especially admires the European culture that revolves so heavily around the game. He never misses a chance to watch Liverpool and cheer on one of his favorite players, Steven Gerrard.
Though less respect is afforded to the sport in the United States, he feels that the audience here is growing.
“The fact that this league that I got into exists is proof of that,” he said.
More leagues have been springing up because of increased interest in the sport. The National Premier Soccer League is the fourth of four tiers in professional U.S. soccer—a good place for a newcomer to gain some experience. The Tampa Bay Marauder’s FC is the newest addition to the league.
Williams signed up for a tryout and had no trouble securing a place on the roster. He talks about being on the field with a gleam in his eyes that reveals the depths of his passion.
“Basically it’s an adrenaline rush. I just love being out there. It takes my mind off of things,” Williams said.
He also likes throwing himself around at any chance he gets, though coaches sometimes chastise him for it. Bicycle kicks are at the top of his bag of tricks.
Despite his love for the game, Williams is set on making school his first priority—the main reason he didn’t try out for USF’s soccer team.
“I wouldn’t say soccer is a first career choice,” he said. “If anything happened with soccer I would definitely take a good look at it, but I’ve got to focus in school. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”
He has enjoyed the intimate atmosphere of USFSP, and made some good friends at the school and in the community.
“In high school most of my friends were soccer players, but since I’ve come to college it’s been a bit diverse,” Williams said. “I still have loads of soccer friends but I’ve also got friends who don’t really care about soccer.”
He aspires to go to graduate school for a dual J.D./MBA degree after he finishes his bachelor’s at USFSP. That is, of course, if soccer doesn’t take him anywhere first.
Williams has always lived in Florida, and he has almost always played soccer, first kicking the ball at 4 years old. Originally from Hollywood, he later moved to Wellington and played for his high school varsity team, as well as Wellington Wave Soccer Club.
Playing semi-professional soccer will give Williams the chance to be considered by teams in upper leagues. Though NPSL is the lowest rung of professional soccer, teams from all four leagues can compete in the Open Cup. This is because a team’s league placement is not based on performance, but rather whether they can finance a stadium and higher operation costs. Williams is excited about the possibility of playing against some big names in Major League Soccer.
Williams cites the lack of youth development as biggest problem with soccer in the U.S., though that seems to be changing. NPSL continues to expand considerably each year, and will likely include more than 60 teams this year.
Among Williams’ most memorable experiences is traveling to England, where he watched Chelsea practice from behind a fence. His ultimate dream would be to play for a European team.
“Playing for Europe definitely has that appeal,” Williams said.
For now, he is excited about getting started with his new team in Tampa. They are meeting in early February to start getting to know each other.
“It’s a diverse group, and everybody seems really down to earth. I’m excited about it,” Williams said.
