As someone who was born and raised in Wheeling, WV, I find it interesting that a person from somewhere like Scotland would choose to settle down in the Ohio Valley. What opportunities would arise in this small town? Ryan Wall made his first journey to the United States many years ago, and now, he has spent more of his life here.
It all started when a college coach went to watch some soccer in England.
“I met the coach of the University of Rio Grande in 1994 when he came to recruit students and saw me play,” said Wall. The coach ended up offering him a scholarship to play and study at this small school in Ohio.
“I didn’t know much about America before coming here. In fact, when I stepped off the plane, it was my first time I ever visited the country,” said Wall.
Ryan spent the next four years studying international politics at Rio Grande while leading their soccer team to win championships. He would go home to visit family and friends during the holidays and in the summer. He would also pick up part-time jobs in construction when he was back in the United Kingdom so he could save money for when he traveled back to Ohio. After graduating from college in 1998, Wall decided to go back home to the UK with no intention of leaving there again.
“ I had no intention of staying in the US once I finished my college degree. In fact, I went back to Scotland to study a master’s degree and then live and work.” But, fate would take a different turn for him.
“When I was 24, I had an opportunity to coach soccer and get my MBA at Wheeling Jesuit University. It was there where I met my wife.”
His wife, a Wheeling native, only wanted to raise their family here, and so he chose to settle down in the Ohio Valley.
“After studying at Wheeling, I began a career in international business. I have continued to coach soccer throughout my time at Wheeling at the youth and collegiate levels. I coached all three of my children when they played, as well as periods of coaching Wheeling University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams. I also founded the Wheeling Highlanders Soccer Club, which plays during the summer months in a regional men’s soccer league.”
Now, in a town that he loves, Ryan Wall continues to grow the sport that brought him here in the first place.
