Like many children, Royce Smith, 19, grew up with big dreams. Impossible dreams, some told him.
Smith’s dream was to be a professional soccer player.
But growing up in Iola, his opportunities for the sport were few because soccer isn’t offered as a school sport.
Hence Smith was limited to recreational leagues, meaning he had to travel to larger cities to find the level of competition he needed to advance.
Then, there’s the small matter of genetics. As a goalkeeper, most tower over 6 feet; Smith registers at 5-foot 10-inches tall.
Despite all these challenges, Smith was not deterred.
“Obviously not everyone can win the genetic lottery. You can complain about it, or you can go to work.”
So he worked.
“When I told people I wanted to play professional soccer, they said, ‘Oh, that’s a pipe dream,’” he said. “But with the right perspective and the right drive, anything is possible.”
Smith signed his first professional soccer contract at age 17, living on his own in Toronto, Canada to play for a team there.
His efforts then led to playing professionally with teams in Belize and Europe. He recently returned to Iola after a year playing in Sweden, where he also studied and graduated online from Iola High School in 2020.
He is the son of Michelle Diebolt and Leon Smith.
STARTING at age 5, Smith played in the local youth soccer league. He joined a traveling team and played with teams in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas.
The coach of his Lawrence team, Jeremy McGinnis of Iola, also serves as the women’s soccer coach at Allen Community College. McGinnis not only gave Smith rides to practices and games, he also became a sort of soccer mentor. Whenever Smith returns home during the off-season, he continues to train with McGinnis.
McGinnis taught him the right footwork to compensate for his lack of size. He knew how to motivate Smith to draw the best from him.
“I need Jeremy to tell me how to fix what I just did. I might know it was bad, but without someone in my face I’m not as motivated to fix it,” Smith said. “When you start playing professionally, that really matters.”
Turns out, Smith has one very distinct advantage.
He’s a talker.
In other settings, that might be considered annoying.
In soccer, it’s made him a leader.
And as a goalkeeper, he has the best view of the field. He can see plays developing long before they come his way.
He keeps up a constant chatter, letting his teammates know what’s happening.
“A lot of my job is not to make the save. It’s to organize everybody so I don’t have to make saves.”
Communication is an important tool in any profession, but it’s critical for a goalkeeper.
“I understood from a young age that I may not be a great player but I can be great because I know how to communicate. I don’t talk without a purpose.”
He also has another advantage: his faith.
Smith converted to Islam a couple of years ago. Being a Muslim has changed his life.
In addition to praying five times a day, he’s given up vices that can run opposite to what’s needed to be a successful athlete.
“Everything has changed for me. It’s a lifestyle change. I don’t drink or smoke. I’m abstinent. There are a lot of things about my lifestyle that kids my age don’t do,” he said.
“A lot of times I get overwhelmed, but I have God and a good support system.”
SMITH’S first experience playing professional soccer came when he signed with a team in Toronto. He also played with a youth team that traveled to Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
In Toronto, Smith served as a backup to the starting goalkeeper, and didn’t get much time on the field.
He wanted more though, and started working with his agent and on his own to find new opportunities.
“You have to keep setting yourself up,” he said. “Nobody works harder for my success than I do.”
He soon signed a contract to play with a team in Belize. He was still 17, so his mom had to co-sign the contract.
“It was a better deal and I liked the environment better,” he said.
In Belize, he lived in a village with roommates from Colombia and Honduras. Geckos were frequent visitors. He once discovered a tarantula in the bathroom and threw a flip-flop at it.
Belize also offered more opportunities to play, though still not as often as he would have liked. The small country has eight teams that take turns playing each other. Games were shown on television. His team qualified for the playoffs.
Smith planned to return for the next season, but learned he would not be asked to rejoin the team. He tried out for other teams but they didn’t have the same kind of financial backing to give him an acceptable offer.
He came back to Iola in November 2019 and worked with McGinnis for a couple of months.
Soon, he signed with a team in Sweden. He left home in early March, just one week before the U.S. and other countries started closing their borders because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Soon after he arrived in Sweden, a different team took an interest in him.
“In soccer, it’s a small world where everybody knows everybody. Word got around that I was there, and this other team wanted me,” he said, and added, laughing, “I’m very entertaining.”
His agent was able to negotiate a better deal, and Smith liked the fact that he’d get to play with more Americans. The second team bought out his contract.
“This was the first time everything was legit. Teams don’t talk to players the way they talk to agents,” he said.
Smith’s optimism soon dimmed, though. Sweden took very few lockdown measures against the coronavirus, but one of the adjustments was to limit attendance at sporting stadiums.
Teams faced budget cuts because of the virus, too. The season was reduced. His team finished second in the league.
“It’s a really competitive environment. That’s why I like Europe. It was a good experience but the coronavirus messed everything up.”
In six months, he played just a couple of games. He didn’t go home during the mid-season break because he knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to return because of coronavirus restrictions. His family couldn’t travel to visit him, either.
“It was really tough but I knew I needed to stay there.”
After the season ended, Smith attempted to join a team in the Balkans but it didn’t work out. He parted ways with his agent and headed home in October.
“I took 10 days off, but all I could think about was soccer.”
He traveled to Denver to sign with a new agent. He’s since tried out for a team in the Detroit area and was invited to attend preseason workouts, but hasn’t yet received an offer. Travel restrictions make it difficult to try out for another international team.
Since he’s been back in Iola, Smith has taken time to reflect on the paths that led him to play professional soccer across the world. Along the way, he’s learned to speak a little bit of Serbian. He’s fluent in Spanish.
He’s had encounters with a variety of people in a variety of places, from drug dealers in Belize (“I never felt unsafe”) to living in a Balkan ghetto in Canada.
“I’m thankful for every experience I’ve had. Everything is a blessing if you look at it the right way.”
He’s glad to be back home, especially to spend time with his younger brother, Grayson, age 6. He hadn’t seen him in eight months.
He’s also glad to spend time with his mother, who has been his biggest champion. She drove him to practices and games when he was younger.
“My mom never told me no in terms of soccer,” he said. “The ideas of kids can be so crazy, but I think it’s good to allow them to go where they want to go. Don’t shoot them down. Just guide them.”
Because Smith spent the past two years playing soccer internationally, he wasn’t able to take part in traditional teenage activities. He still has big dreams and lots of ideas. Perhaps he’d like to be a videographer. He has his own YouTube channel where he shares stories about his adventures.
He’s also asked USD 257 school administrators if he could speak to students about his experience. Visitations are limited because of the coronavirus, but he’s hopeful that could happen at some point.
“Being a product of Iola, I want to encourage what they want to do. Support the hustle,” he said. “You can find the time to do what you want to do. You can find 30 minutes in a day. And whatever time you put in, it’s worth something.”
He’s not sure what will happen next, or if he’ll be able to continue playing professional soccer, but he has faith that things will work out.
“I believe everything is going to come back around. The rewards I will have from God later can’t be translated into money.”
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