Player Spotlight - Ellis Davies
For Ellis Davies, soccer runs in the family. With his father as a role model, Ellis began kicking the ball around in his backyard as soon as he learned to walk. By the time he was six, he was playing with a local club. “My role model growing up was definitely my dad. He played football his whole life and recently hung up the boots at the tender age of 53. He knows so much about the game and was always giving me advice and passing his knowledge on to me. He was my biggest supporter but also my toughest critic, which has helped me develop so much as a player”.
It was not just his father that supported his career, rather Ellis’s entire family that played an important role in driving his success as an athlete. He recalls countless nights spent driving through Calgary to training and games, and support for trips across Canada, the United States and Europe. “Surrounding yourself with good people who want the best for you is so important and makes your journey through the sport a lot easier.”
The University of Lethbridge was an easy choice for Ellis. Being close to Calgary made it easy to visit family, while still providing a unique experience in a new city. He noted the size and sense of community at the school as another attractor. “At bigger universities, it is easy to become just another number, but at the UofL, there is a real positive atmosphere when creating relationships with professors, students, and staff.” On the field, Ellis says that community and fan support for the soccer team is strong, with good attendance and loud fans at home games. Alumni support is another positive he noted, supporting the team and players through fundraising and connecting with current athletes.
With many experienced players graduating from the program the year prior, the 2019 season came with some growing pains for the Pronghorns as new faces were integrated into the team. Ellis remains positive about the future of the team despite the challenges they faced over the season. “This is a cycle that happens with every team, and I am sure with hard work and dedication, we will see improvements.” Another major shift for the team came in terms of captaincy. After a season-ending injury to captain Marcus Menzies, Ellis stepped in to take his place. “When first coming into university sports, I never thought something like that would be possible, so having the armband is a great honour.”
Regarding academics, Ellis says there are certainly challenges that go along with being a student-athlete, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it. “At first, the time commitment to both school and athletics was tough to handle and very different from what I was used to, but you learn quickly that discipline and time management are really important in order to do well.” He is studying a General Management major, with minors in Supply Chain Management, International Management and Sports and Event Marketing.
