Growing up in the United States and heavily involved in advancing the cause of Black Student-Athletes at multiple colleges, Bel Rolley doesn’t fit the usual mould of Australians in college soccer. However, the Merewether United junior who played for three power conference schools has always had her sights set on returning to Australia to play in the A-League. Now back in her hometown with Newcastle Jets, College Matildas made the trip to the Steel City to catch up with a player who may be considered American-Australian, but from a footballing perspective, sits squarely on the right-hand side of that hyphen.
Your college profiles all list your hometown as Las Vegas, but you are playing in the A-League as a local player. What is your connection to Australia?
So, mum is from Newcastle, where I’m currently playing at the Jets. So, I was born in Vegas, grew up there for eight years. We moved to Newcastle for about five or six years when I was eight, and then moved back that way. So, all my mum’s side of the family’s here, and we always had strong ties here. So that’s kind of where the Australian connection comes in, which I think confuses a lot of people.
How much do you remember of your time in Newcastle growing up?
I definitely remember. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to seeing things and then I put myself there. So, I definitely remember certain spots you’ll drive by and certain fields. I remember I played for Merewether United here, which is a pretty small club.
I just have a lot of really fond memories here. And obviously coming from Las Vegas, you don’t get the beach and all those things. And it’s my happy place. Merewether and Bar Beach were our spots growing up. So that’s kind of where I feel like I’m a bit at home without having mum here, which is nice.
You started your college career in the midst of COVID and at a time of racial tension following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. How did those early experiences shape your time at USC?
I think it shaped me into the person I am. Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, college soccer did this for me,’ but I think it really did. I had a coaching staff around me, (head coach) Keidane McAlpine and those kinds of people, that really pushed me to step into myself as a person and understanding that it’s great to be good at football and playing soccer, but not if you’re not taking care of the person you are.
So, it was kind of this interesting time, because my freshman year I had actually broken my ankle right before the season and had surgery. So, I was somewhat removed from the group and kind of having any type of leadership role. And it was interesting because me and a couple of the other younger ones who ended up being mainstays at that program, we were all injured at the same time. We were also the Black players on the team, and so people were looking to us that, honestly – you know how the hierarchy of college soccer goes – they’ve never even looked in your direction, like you might get a ‘Hi,’ and then they look at you to be a leader. And so, I think it kind of came naturally to me that there was a place for me to step into and kind of be my full self and share and help the people around me. And I think it was really important. I think what made USC feel like such a home, for me, is because it was just open to all of us being our authentic selves and whatever that looked like in such a time where that’s like a hard thing to be doing.
Black coaches in general are scarce in college soccer, but Keidane McAlpine, who has won a national championship at USC and built three programs (Washington State, USC, and Georgia), is next level. How did having a coach like him help during that time?
It’s everything. I think the reason I chose to go to USC was knowing the brilliance that he brings. And I think from start to finish with him, it was never about what kind of soccer player is going to come out of this, but what kind of person? Even before the tragedies that happened, he was always pushing. ‘Go to Black networking events, be around strong, powerful Black women.” To this day, he’s put me in contact with some of the most influential and just amazing Black women for me to look up to.
for USC across 2020 and 2021.
(Photo: USC Athletics)
I think he understands that if you don’t feel like yourself and you can’t feel safe in your environment, then you can’t perform. And I think he has built that. And I mean, that was my first message when I signed to the Jets, because I feel like I owe a lot to him, who I turned out to be, first as a grown woman, and as a player as well.
You were heavily involved in societies at USC, including becoming co-president of the USC Black Student-Athlete Association. How did that come about, and why was it important to you to be involved?
So, we started that. (US 400m hurdler) Anna Cockrell, who’s now a silver medallist in the Olympics, she put a group together on Zoom, and we had been people that she thought would be interested. And I knew of her, but didn’t know her super well. And she had been kind of aware of that a couple of the girls on the soccer team, which is a predominantly white team, had stepped into leadership roles in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement.
So, I remember we got on Zoom. We were like, ‘Okay, take big picture world out of it. First, let’s make this a safe space for all of us to exist and be ourselves, but then deal with what’s going on, because it is an emotional toll.’
But then also be able to ask, ‘What can we change within USC to make it a better place for all of us, and then the generations to come?’ So, we built that from the ground up, basically over Zoom. We got back to school. I think us and football were the only ones allowed on campus, and eventually track, because LA and COVID was probably as bad as could get if you weren’t in New York. We went from there, and then we started having meetings, and Anna came to us one day, and says, ‘It’s my last year, like, I’m going pro. Is this something that you want to take over?’. We’d done a whole government structure of the organization, and we’d always decided there’d be a male and female co-president, just because there’s different needs for different student athletes.
So, within a year, I found myself being co-president, which was obviously an honour, and something that I cherish. I think it came with its challenges, though, because as the movement has worn off, with it came a lot of people, even Black players around the school, that didn’t feel like it was urgent, because it wasn’t so in your face. But I think the message that me and Eric, my other co-president, shared was that the work was never done, and there’s always more progress to be made.
You were at USC with another American-Australian in Talia Grossman. Is that something the two of you bonded over when most of the team is American anyway?
I remember she came in and she was pretty quiet. Talia’s a great girl. I love her. She understands what it’s like having two parents from different sides of the world, culturally. She was super quiet, but I immediately gravitated towards her. Keidane was always big on finding your people and someone that can help you through the process. I met her mum (who is from Australia) on their visit, and it kind of went from there. I think I was always…I wouldn’t say a mentor, because I feel like she mentored me a lot of ways, but we kind of built a relationship off that, and then it was nice to have someone understand.
You had some injury issues at USC. What were they? Did they affect your overall experience?
In high school, I had my first ACL. That was at my soccer practice, I was playing for fun, and one of my teammates came through my knee. That was the start of a chain reaction of injuries.
I recovered from that really well. Came back a better player, better person. I wouldn’t trade my injury history for the world. Got to USC and had a pretty sore foot during preseason, and I said, ‘Something’s not right,’ but that was my dream. So of course, I was going to push through and see where we could go with it. And then a week before season, they found out that I had a navicular fracture, which is basically what holds your foot up.
So, I had to get screws put in, almost immediately. I think that’s probably the best thing that ever happened to my college soccer career, because I was able to sit back and take a lot of things in that you miss when you’re going 100 miles an hour trying to get a spot. And I look back and we had the best back line in the country. I was never going to play over the names (e.g.: Julia Bingham, Ashleigh Plumptre, Natalie Jacobs) we had.
I love how freshmen come in eager and you want it really bad. But we were #3 in the country, the players that have been there and know the systems are definitely the ones that should start out. So, it gave me time to sit back, reflect and figure out how far I wanted to take it.
Why did you decide to transfer from USC when you did?
That’s probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make for my career. We had a new staff come in. When (Keidane McAlpine) went to Georgia, we waited a long time to see what kind of coach we would get. Because I was going into our senior year, we had to find a coach that worked for us, and this wasn’t the one. And that was something I couldn’t see myself succeeding in and being prepared for the next level.
You transferred to Oregon in 2022, a team with both a fellow Aussie player in Lara Kirkby and an Aussie assistant coach in Rachael Doyle. Was there an instant connection with them?
I don’t think so. Lara is just the kind of person she is. She’s welcoming, and she’s kind, she’s warm. But I think the question I get a lot here from a lot of other Australians is, ‘So you’re Black, you have an American accent. How does this…how does it work? Like, what’s the story there?’
So, it wasn’t an immediate connection, but I think as soon as I got to know them, and they kind of realised, I’m Australian. I grew up here. I think me and Lara clicked, it was just the kind of people we are.
[Rachael] was a big piece of my decision at the time. I didn’t get to work with her as much as I thought I would, but just her understanding the Australian system, knowing that I at some point wanted to come over here. She was a good connection to make, and kind of understands the American style.
And she played under Keidane McAlpine at Washington State.
That was another big piece. I don’t know if you’ve seen my theme of schools, but if it’s not Keidane, it’s been someone that’s played under him or worked for him, like Sammy Jo (Prudhomme, former USC goalkeeper and current Illinois assistant coach).
Considering all the involvement you had in different organisations away from the pitch at USC, were you able to maintain that kind of involvement in Eugene?
I would say I definitely helped start their Black student organization, and gave my insights. It was in the super-early stages, and unfortunately, it was right when I was on my way out. But they were able to go to the Black Student-Athlete Summit and understand what it takes to get people involved and have events now. So, I felt like I made my stamp, as much as I was removed from it at the time, just being able to give future athletes something to build off.
I was involved with BEOREGON, which is a pretty general group, not Black student-athlete focused, just all kind of belonging, equity and inclusion. But I think we’re in a time in the world now where black athletes deserve a space that’s just for them, just a space to be yourself.
I definitely had pushed around and asked, ‘Okay, how do we get this done here?’ I just didn’t have the connections that I had at USC with other athletes to get it started earlier.
Oregon is definitely a predominantly white area, so the only other Black people you see are athletes. I think what got a lot of us out of our shell at USC was recognising how many Black students there were, and just Black people in LA in general. And you were able to see things differently and appreciate the culture more, whereas I think in Oregon, your only purpose really is to be an athlete here. And that’s the only space that Black people were really invited into.
That was kind of the opposite of what we were doing at USC. Okay, you’re a Black soccer player, but I had eight other things going on. Simone Jackson had eight other things going on. There were all these people with these amazing pieces to them that had nothing to do with what was happening on the field. So, I think that was probably the biggest difference, and something that, when I first got to Oregon, I was a little bit almost confused.
You were part of something of an exodus from Oregon after a four-win season. What lessons do you take out of something as big as transferring not working out as expected?
I don’t regret my choice to leave USC at all because it was not the USC that I had grown to love and dreamed of going to, and I think anyone you talk to would tell you the same. People want different things out of college soccer, and she (the new head coach) brought something different. That wasn’t for all of us that have been there building those years on our backs.
But I think it’s a life lesson that you have to make bold moves and see where it takes you, and that sometimes it doesn’t work out. But I’ve always been like that, even since I was little. I’d rather take the risk and get yelled at by mom when I was five, and have some fun, or do something and see if it works out. And I think it’s a risk-reward situation, and it’s a life lesson that you can make a big move and you do all these amazing things, and sometimes stuff just doesn’t work out.
I sit here now reflecting, and I’m very open to that and aware, but I think at the time, that was a really hard reality. I left my school with all my friends like USC. I’ll tell anyone that’s my home in college. The rest of them were great, but not my home. So, to leave that and then not get what you’re thinking you’re getting, I guess it’s real life. It’s a welcome to reality moment.
You transferred to Illinois for your final season, which is even more different to USC than Oregon. How did that come about?
I went into the transfer portal after Oregon knowing where I was coming out of. Coming out of USC and Oregon is two very different things in terms of level of programs based on the years. I was inundated with emails. I’m pretty self-aware. I know I’m a good player and I’ve got my flaws, like every player does.
But I was like, ‘Mum, I have so many options. I don’t even know where to look.’ I put them all together on a list, and my first call was Keidane. I like to win games, but there’s so many moving pieces to transferring, that I thought more clearly about the second time. Who needs your position? Has someone been there for four years? Because even if I’m better or as good, if they have a relationship for four years, you’re probably not going to play over them.
So, I called Keidane, and we went through the list, and he gave me yeses and nos. And this time, I took about a month to sit there and go through and figure out what fit.
What is the experience like transferring as a grad student, knowing you only have one season to impact the program?
I think it’s a very high-pressure situation. I think it’s become very common; I don’t think it’s for everyone. I mean, it’s immediate, and I think that’s why I had so many options, is because I succeed in high pressure environments. It’s come in, do your business, get out.
And so, I think you have to almost take yourself out of it. Look at yourself like it’s a business transaction. Like, you get me for five months. You basically pay my living expenses and give me an extra bit of cash. You get my best for five months and then see you later. If we talk, cool. I used to joke about with my teammates, like, ‘Oh, we’re going to be best friends.’ Well, sure, we’ve got four months, whereas you guys have been here for four years.
So, I think you are a little bit more removed from a situation, which I almost think makes the soccer piece of it easy.
Throughout college, you’ve made a point of using your voice to elevate Black athletes in the US. Are you still doing anything in that space even though you’re in Australia?
USC, I stay in contact with their president, one of my friends who was three years younger than me, but someone that I always respected and saw a leader in and just the right kind of person to do the job. So, we keep in contact, and they did a really good job, just honouring the people where it started and recognising where it has to go. So, I think it’s in good hands, and I think I’m as involved as you can be across the world, and three or four years detached from it.
You wrote an article (link) for USC newspaper The Daily Trojan in 2020 about Black athletes and how they are often perceived by coaches, and later earned a Masters in Journalism at Oregon. Do you see those same issues in the media’s portrayal of Black athletes?
I think it’s part of the reason I was so passionate about going into journalism. I think the narrative around Black athletes is just very much that all the capacity you have is to be good at your sport, and even the way that commentators talk about it and coaches talk about it, I think it’s a worldwide thing too, I don’t think it’s just the US.
But just the expectation that you’re going to be – I think I talked about in the article – but some sort of phenom. You might have eight things going for you, but if you’re not fast as a Black athlete, people are questioning your whole game. But that was kind of why I want to get into it, to be someone, to be able to tell stories in the most authentic way, without that lens of what you should be. So, I don’t think any athlete or person, especially – I have a soft spot for Black people and athletes – should be put into a box. Because I think everyone’s different. That’s what makes you an elite athlete, is to be different from other people. If we were all the same, then everyone would be playing pro.
You’re now back in one of your hometowns to start your professional career, playing for the same club you watched as a child. How long had you had your eye on returning to Newcastle to play?
I’ve said it before; my intention was not to play for the Jets. Not that it wasn’t my intention, but I wanted to be in the A-League, and I wanted to be in whatever situation I thought was best for me. It sounds a bit cynical, but I think also realistic. I mean, I’ve always had the goal. I remember when I was literally 8, being like, ‘I’m going to play here,’ but to see college soccer and the reality of sports and how much luck and opportunity comes that you don’t have any control over, I was like, ‘I’ll take whatever’s best.’
The Jets were the dream. But who am I to sit here and say I’m going to go to the Jets, because what if they don’t need a centre back, you know? There’s so many outside things. But I think my whole career, has been ‘Put yourself in a position that when the biggest goals you have are available, that they come true.’
So, when they reached out, I’m not even sure if my agent fully knew my ties to Newcastle. He knew I had family here, and my brother’s obviously in the (Emerging Jets) academy. So, I think that was a pretty full circle moment. And it’s nice to be back home with my brother.
You’re yet to feature for the Jets, so local fans may not have had a chance to watch you play much. For those who haven’t seen you play, what should they expect from you on the pitch?
(Note: Bel made her debut for the Jets between the time of this interview and the article being posted.)
I would say I’m a game changer. And I think that’s not necessarily in terms of whether you’re a substitute or a starter. I think I bring an energy and intensity and kind of this will to win. And I do the simple things well. I pride myself on my one v one defending, and I feel like the rest of it kind of speaks for itself. You’re not going to see me pulling a Ronaldo out of the back line, but you can trust me to make my tackles, make my passes and get my best.
The Olympics were just a few months ago, and the Matildas played the USA in the group stage. Be honest; who were you cheering for?
Matildas. I remember sitting in the in the kitchen with my nana, when I was like, baby, baby. We came to visit, and she asked, ‘If you get to choose, who’s it going to be?’
And so, I think it’s always the Matildas.
Correct answer.
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