AX is pleased to announce that Lani Smith has signed her first professional contract with Vasteras BK30 of the Swedish First Division after attending the Ft. Lauderdale combine in December of 2015.
For Smith, the offer came as a surprise, as she had just graduated from the University of Akron three months prior.
“It was pretty unexpected how quickly everything happened. I graduated college in December, and two months later I am signed with a professional team. I am anxious to get over there and start working with the team,” Smith said.
Smith was a standout at Akron, earning All-Conference honors in both her seasons with the Zips after transferring from the University of South Carolina in 2012.
AX is thrilled to help connect young players to professional teams around the world through their combines and training sessions, and Smith was no exception.
“I would definitely recommend them to other players looking to play in Europe. They are honest, organized, and very connected to European soccer. Even though I went to this combine to showcase my abilities, I feel that I learned a lot from the coaches, and built great connections,” Smith said.
The 24 year old heard about AX from none other than her roommate and fellow Akron Zip, who attended an AX event in San Diego. After that conversation, Smith had heard enough, and decided to make the trip to Ft. Lauderdale to chase her dreams.
“She motivated me to go to the Fort Lauderdale combine with her. They are the first and only agency I heard about and made contact with; thankfully, they did such a great job that I didn’t need anything else,” she said.
Smith said she felt she was able to trust and gain continuity with everyone involved in the combine, including her coach.
“What I liked most about it was we were put into teams and assigned one coach which we stayed with the whole day. That definitely helped me feel more comfortable and allowed us to work together to showcase ourselves instead of everyone trying to do it individually,” Smith added.
Luckily for her, the team she has signed with has plenty of AX alumni on their squad already. The Scandinavian side signed Tori Christ in 2015 and Lauren Prott earlier this year.
The winner of Sweden’s First Division also gets the opportunity to play in the Women’s Europa League, which pits the best teams in European women’s soccer against each other.
“I’m very excited to get the opportunity to experience Sweden and everything it has to offer. I have never been to Europe, so having the chance to live there for eight months is very exciting, especially in a country I have heard so many good things about and for such a well-established club. Being able to play in a country that appreciates soccer so much is very exciting,” Smith said.
Vasteras BK30 opens its season on April 10 with an exhibition against Bollstanas SK.