Imagine taking a 7 hour bus trip across Germany to play a football game. Now, imagine that you are the underdogs in that game, and could only field 26 players to participate. I’ll let Calum Davidson explain the rest,
“Despite the circumstances, morale remained high. We came out firing and won the game by 3 scores. That was certainly the best team win I’ve ever been a part of. A lot of guys, including myself, played all 3 phases on a very hot day. I have immense respect for the guys who put their bodies through that every other week, get home at midnight on Sunday and still wake up at 7am on monday to go to work.”
The previous story exemplifies what kind of player you get with Calum Davidson, a teammate that will do whatever it takes for the game of football. Davidson is currently playing wide receiver for the Mallorca Voltors in Spain's LNFA Serie A. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, the talented player was able to give us a quick interview about his journey thus far.
RUGBY BEGINNINGS
Growing up in Edinburgh, Davidson was initially a rugby player before converting to American Football.“I began playing rugby as soon as I could walk. The sport had a huge impact on me growing up and taught me a ton of valuable lessons. It was the first thing in my life that I really had to grind for, lose sleep over, endure pain because of. That effort being rewarded really cemented in my teenage mind how much value there is in setting goals and doing everything humanly possible to achieve them.”
FOOTBALL: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Calum Davidson’s first interaction with American Football was pure coincidence. After receiving free tickets to a University game from his father, who worked at the University, “I remember watching the game and thinking ‘I could definitely contribute to one of these teams’.”
Two former Edinburgh Wolves players hold the credit as influences for Davidson’s play. “Dave is an Xs and Os guy, the way he understood the back and forth between schematics on each side of the ball definitely inspired me to become a student of the game. Steve inspired me through example, he was exactly the type of hard nosed, ‘run through a brick wall for the man next to you’-type of player that I wanted to be.”
WHO IS CALUM DAVIDSON
More than just a football player, Calum Davidson was the Captain of the Watson High School rugby team, where he was a 2-time Scottish Cup winner, as well a Championship Game MVP. Davidson received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
THE FOOTBALL JOURNEY
The University of Edinburgh is where Davidson began his football career, before joining the Edinburgh Wolves Senior team where he was named Team MVP twice. He followed that with a three year stint playing in Germany with the Cottbus Crayfish, where he averaged 150 yards a game rushing and led the team in rushing touchdowns. Davidson spent the 2023 season with the Rostic Griffins, where he was named the Team MVP.
“Wolves was where I really fell in love with football. I was playing running back and we had an awesome O-line, big nasties with great technique. Wolves was nothing like university football though- university level was about putting your best players around the ball and letting them make plays. At Wolves, we really needed everyone doing their one eleventh to have success and that’s the beauty of football in my opinion. That’s what made me fall in love with the game, understanding the chess match that was going on between coaches while being totally immersed in the brutal mentality we had between myself, Steve and the O-line.
At the end of university, I suddenly realized I was going to need a job which is easier said than done with a philosophy degree. The Cottbus Crayfish got back to me with an offer, and I took it without thinking twice. I’m still forever grateful that they were willing to take a shot on an unknown kid from Edinburgh with 4 years playing experience and no contacts whatsoever.”
PLAYING STYLE
Calum Davidson has a rugby background, but how does that translate to play in American Football? I’ll let him explain, “I know everyone likes to say this... but versatility is a strength for sure. Coming from rugby which is much less specialized, position wise, you get comfortable in a much wider variety of situations on the field. Aside from that, I believe my ability to remain calm throughout the chaos of a gameday can be extremely useful when assisting coaches, reporting back what I’m seeing and feeling on the field and making adjustments.
IMPACT ON THE GAME OF FOOTBALL
In a short time, Calum Davidson has made a huge impact in the football communities he has served. “I hope that I’ve proved that you don't need a big name program, international or otherwise, behind you to climb the ladder in Europe. I’m passionate about helping those “small school” type guys get noticed if they have the skills and work ethic to make it happen. If anyone reading this wanted to reach out for advice, contacts, etc. I’d be more than happy to help if I can.”
SPAIN AND BEYOND
“I’m currently mid season with the Mallorca Voltors. After our season wraps up here I’m going back to Rostock with a lot of our imports from last year (and our MVP from the year before) with the aim of winning the GFL2 North.
After that, we’ll see... I’ve been lucky enough to be an import for 5 years now and I still feel I have a few prime years left, but once that’s over I’ll be very excited to start ‘life after football’. I have an amazing girlfriend and a great family back home that I’m immensely thankful for, there's a lot of missed time to make up for with them.”
PLAYING FOR MALLORCA VOLTORS
I asked Calum what his current role was with the Voltors, and his thoughts about the future.
“My current role is player/coach for the seniors as well as coaching the youth and flag teams. The Voltors have a very new youth setup but it’s really inspiring to see how many kids there are on an island as small as Mallorca that are excited to play football. It definitely helps keep me grounded and reminds me to always be grateful I get to do this for a living. There’s also a ton of young girl ballers ready to take Spanish football by storm in a few years, that's awesome to see as well.
For the men’s team, I enjoy being able to have input into the game plan and what we work on each week. I definitely take a lot of pride in preparing our guys as best we can for what we’re going to face that weekend.
THE LEGACY OF CALUM DAVIDSON
“I think the main thing I want to achieve is to leave a positive impact at every club I go to. When someone asks anyone at a club I’ve been to, whether that's the Head Coach or a special teams player for the youth team, I want to make sure they remember me as someone who had a positive impact on the club first and foremost, who never felt he was better than anyone else because of import status or any other accolade.
FINAL WORDS
I asked the talent player to sum up what his journey has been like so far, or if he had any words of encouragement for our readers.
“I’m not sure I can even attempt to sum the whole thing up in one quote but something I’ve certainly struggled with over the years is reliance on others. It’s probably more of a cliche than a quote but ‘Life is a team sport’ is something really tried to embrace more. I’ve always had a desire to control my surroundings, and reliance on others can certainly compromise that, but the older I get the more I realize how much potential you miss out on by isolating yourself in that way. I’ve still got a ways to go on that for sure.
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