Tinaya Alexander, England Under-17 international and former Reading Football Club, Chelsea Football Club, and Arsenal Football Club youth player, discusses her experience and what led her to sign for LSU.
“My football passion began at the age of 8, where I played for the Reading Women’s Youth team. After being there for 4 years, I then transferred to the Chelsea women’s youth team, where my knowledge of the game began to take off. Unfortunately, I suffered a couple of injuries to the ankle, leading me to get released and getting picked up by Arsenal Ladies. Arsenal was where most of my development happened and played a decisive role in me playing for the England national team, where players were held to a much higher standard of play.
Having the experience to play on the National team was exciting; playing alongside players better than you, receiving the highest level of coaching while also travelling, and getting the nutrition needed to play at a higher level. It provided me with the structure of how being a professional would actually be, making you want to work even harder than I already had.
Now being in America at LSU, football’s style is the complete opposite; in England, everything was about executing your technical, while the American style is about your athleticism. Coming here was a significant culture shock because I wasn’t used to how they played. However, being here for 3 years has helped me appreciate the American style, as I can also add athleticism to the English tools that I have. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at LSU, having a chance to win the SEC and make many lifetime friends.
In the future, I hope to enter the draft and play either in the States or in Europe, so I can fulfil my childhood dreams of being a professional football player while having a degree!”
Tinaya’s highlights so far include;
2020 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2017 LSWA Honorable Mention All-Louisiana
U-17 England Women’s National Team
U-16 England Women’s National Team
2-time TheFA Women’s Super League Development League Winner
2-time FA Youth Cup Winner
In addition to contributing 8 goals and 15 assists in her LSU career so far, she maintained an impressive 0.56 goals per game average in fall 2020, ranked second in the SEC and 14th nationally.
You can keep up with Tinaya’s football progress by visiting LSU Soccer. This weekend has seen a double fixture for the Tigers’, and after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Auburn, they look to put things right against South Alabama. After assisting a goal last weekend against Southern Mississippi, the gifted attacker will be looking to damage and help the team come away with the win.
The team at RightTrack wish Tinaya all the best for the rest of the season!
If you are interested in exploring the options available in playing football in the US, get in touch!
We work with the best across all sports and can help you find a college similar to Tinaya that meets your skill set, academic needs and is the right fit for you culturally.
