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Our Staff & Their Thoughts: Best U.S Sports Facilities
The majority of FirstPoint USA staff were given the opportunity to go out to America on Soccer Scholarships. During their time in the USA they were privileged enough to play at some amazing facilities, and visit some beautiful campuses. We asked our staff which universities they visited had the best sporting facilities and the nicest campuses:
Andrew Kean
Andrew played for Cincinatti, Ohio, and says the best facilities he has played at would be at Stanford University. He also was so impressed that he chose also Stanford to be the best Campus he visited.
Nicole Montoya & Barry Neville
Both Nicolle and Barry played for Binghamton University, New York, and both say the best facilities they played soccer at was Penn State University. Nicole would say the nicest Campus she visited whilst living in America would be the University of Notre Dame, but as our American Girl has been spoilt for choice over the years, she feels she would have to also put the US Naval Academy in her answer too. Barry chose West Virginia University as the best campus he visited.
John Paul Boyle
JP went on a soccer scholarship to Hartwick College in New York and says the best facilities he played at were at Penn State University, and the best campus he has visited was The University of Washington.
James Beggs
James played soccer for the University of Mobile, Alabama, and chose The University of Mississippi as the best facilities he played at. James Also said that the best campus he has visited in the states would be UNLV.
Simone Enrici
Simone attended Martin Methodist College in Tennessee and says the best facilities he has played at would be University of Alabama Birmingham and the best Campus he has visited would be University of Washington.
John Crawley
John played for the University of Las Vegas and for John this is the best facilities he has played at. The best Campus that he has visited would be University of Sandiego.
Kevin McCann
Kevin went to Xavier University in Ohio and says the best facilities he played at was St Louis University and the best Campus he visited was Virginia Tech
Liam McGrath
Liam went to the University of Memphis and chose Memphis as the best Campus he has visited. He also said the best facilities he played at were at UNLV
Do you think you have what it takes to secure a scholarship to study & play in the USA? Apply now for your assessment!
Congratulations, Mitchell Hart!
Earlier in the year, we posted on our blog that FirstPoint USA client, Mitchell Hart, was to take part in the London Marathon, raising money for the charity Shelter.
We’re pleased to update that Mitchell raised a whopping £2000 for the charity, running the 26 miles in under 4 and a half hours!
Well done Mitchell, from everyone at FirstPoint USA!
Have Your Say
My Soccer Scholarship: 1 Year In
Earlier in the week, we caught up with Alex Brown, who last year secured a soccer scholarship to the University of West Alabama through FirstPoint USA. We asked Alex to reflect on his experiences, 1 year in:
1. What originally made you choose FirstPoint USA, and are you still glad that you did?
I originally chose first point USA as I was recommended it by a friend and thought I would give it a shot. Turns out it was a great choice and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
2. What has been the highlight of your first year at UWA?
The highlight of my first year was on October 28th 2012. It was the last game of the season and also my birthday. My parents had flown over to surprise me and were watching the game. It was 1-1 at full time and we headed into overtime. I ended up scoring a lucky rebound off my back to win the game, I couldn’t believe my luck!
3. What has been the hardest adjustment you’ve had to make since moving to the US?
Trying to balance school work with training and traveling for matches was hard at first. I found that if you don’t think you have enough time you can make enough time regardless of how busy you are.
4. What do you miss the most about the
I miss my mums cooking the most! Nothing beats it!
5. How often did you get to go back to the UK in your first year?
In my first year, I came home at Christmas for four weeks and now I’m home for may June and July. It’s a welcomed break before I’m back in August for the start of pre season.
6. Have you had any chances to get a job alongside your studies and athletic training?
I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some coaching with the local children at high schools and various soccer camps which has been a really good experience!
7. How do you think the focus on athletics differs in the USA when compared to UK universities?
There is a huge difference! In the USA, college athletes are treated differently to normal students. Training everyday with 2 games a week is something you won’t see in the UK at a university. Having specialist athletic trainers at every session who offer any treatment before and after games and sessions is almost like being professional. They money spent on top of the range facilities is incredible and makes the whole experience even better!
8. Can you describe a typical day in the life of a soccer student-athlete at UWA?
During season:
Wake up 7:30am eat breakfast
Attend class between 8:00 and 3:00
Lunch 12:30
Training 3:30-5:30/6
Treatment in the training room 5:30-6:30
Dinner 6:45
Homework 8-10
Sleep 10:30
9. What advice would you have for anyone considering a soccer scholarship to the USA?
Anyone who wants to carry on playing football 24/7 and earning a degree at the same time, it’s a perfect opportunity. But, it’s not always easy and there will be times that are hard, especially being away from home for long periods of time. You will have to be mentally strong and pull through!
10. What are your plans for the summer break now that you’re home?
Having recently got home in England, I’m planning on spending as much time with family and friends. Working and earning some money ready for next semester and sticking to my fitness plan so I’m 100% ready for the start of pre-season!
FirstPoint USA would like to thank Alex for taking the time to answer these questions, and wish him the best of luck in his future with soccer!
Do you think you have what it takes to secure a scholarship to study & play in the USA, just like Alex? Apply now for your assessment!
America’s Top 10 Most Sports-Crazed Cities
Thanks to TravelAndLeisure.com for this week’s top 10: america’s most sports-crazed cities. You can read the full list here.
1. Philadelphia
Heartaches over the years may have only deepened the fans’ commitment. To mingle (or commiserate) with locals—who, alas, don’t rank well in the survey for being athletic themselves—check out a Chickie’s and Pete’s sports bar, and try the famous “crab fries.” Or, make like Rocky, and run up and down the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
2. Boston
With seven championships in 11 years—from the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox—Boston fans have plenty to be proud of. Not that they would gloat—of course not—but Boston locals are also pretty brainy and tech-savvy, according to voters. Sports tourists can explore Fenway (which celebrates its centennial in 2012), or follow in the footsteps of Boston champions by doing a Duck Tour, which every big team has done after bringing home a title since 2000.
3. Chicago
Wrigley attracts plenty of stadium purists—you can take insider tours around the field, dugout, and press box—and it may have helped the city score at the top for its cool local architecture. Another way to experience the sports scene is to chow down: at Michael Jordan’s Steak House, Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse, or on the more casual end, Pequod’s Pizza. The latter is covered with Blackhawks memorabilia and is an excellent place to sample the city’s top-ranked pizza.
4. New Orleans
“Who dat?” indeed: the city that won the survey for civic pride, wild weekends, and live music knows how to shower affection upon its beloved Saints. If you’re in town on a game day, head to Champions Square, just outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, for music, local cuisine, and the chance to embrace another great spectator sport: people-watching, another survey category that New Orleans has won yet again.
5. Devner
Fans in the Mile High City may harbor fantasies of being called in from the stands to help Tim Tebow win the game. It wouldn’t be a bad idea: the locals rank as the most athletic in the nation, according to voters.
6.Kansas City
The survey’s champion for affordability has a serious case of basketball fever: every March, Kansas City hosts more college basketball games than anywhere else in the country. It’s also a great destination for fans of sports museums—notably, the interactive College Basketball Experience and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Just don’t miss a chance for tailgating-style cuisine: this year, Kansas City also won the barbecue category.
7. San Juan
This is the only city in the survey where the word football usually means soccer, but San Juan sports fans also have passion for boxing and baseball. It has hosted the Caribbean World Series nine times. Voters also gave the city high marks for its hotel options—the Ritz-Carlton’s casino is a popular place to watch games—but you can get year-round baseball magic, as well as margaritas, at Old San Juan’s Lupi’s, owned by former Yankee Eduardo Figueroa.
8. Baltimore
Camden Yards—two blocks from Babe Ruth’s birthplace, and the first of the new traditionalist stadiums—celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, and it’s a must-stop for baseball stadium lovers. For football-related thrills, look for Ravens refueling along Water Street at spots such as the Havana Club and the local Ruth’s Chris.
9. Dallas/Fort Worth
While still heartsick over the Rangers’ World Series loss, Dallas fans do have the NBA champion Mavericks—and a love-hate relationship with the over-the-top Dallas Cowboys Stadium. But you don’t need stadium tickets to hang with fans: at downtown’s Victory Park, you can watch the local teams’ away games on moving TV screens. It may be the best entertainment in town, according to voters, who ranked Big D near the bottom for theater.
10. Providence, RI
Rhode Island sports enthusiasts are often happy to hop a train to support Boston teams. But if you’re staying local, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center—home of the beloved Providence College Friars basketball—is well situated near some of the city’s highly ranked micropubs, such as Trinity Brewhouse and Union Station. Locals also love the AAA baseball Pawtucket Red Sox, whose stadium was home to the longest game in professional baseball history (33 innings).
Click here to read ‘The top 20 Sports-Crazed Cities’
Do you think you have what it takes to secure a scholarship to study & play in the USA? Apply now for your assessment!
Nadal vs Federer: Who is the Greatest?
Do you think you have what it takes to secure a scholarship to study & play in the USA? Apply now for your assessment!
Our Staff & Their Thoughts: If You Could Do It All Again…
The majority of FirstPoint USA staff have been on soccer scholarships to America, but what if they had a chance to do it all again? We decided to set up some questions for our staff, to ask them if they could go out to The States again to play a different sport, what sport would they choose? They also chose their ideal state and ideal university. For a lot of the answers it showed that some of the guys fancied playing golf in sunny California, or being big, tough, American footballers (all clearly dreams!) Have a look at what the staff did, where they originally studied, and what they would do now if they could do it all over again, playing a different sport…
Andrew Kean
Our CEO played and studied for Cincinnati in Ohio would love to go back as his bigger build and play American Football in California but study at Stanford University.
Nicole Montoya
Our California Girl went to Binghamton University in New York, but would like to have played Volleyball if she hadn’t chosen soccer. Her ideal state to work/live/study in would be Hawaii and she would have loved to go to Columbia University. Smart in the sun!
Simone Enrici
Simone went to Martin Methodist College in Tennessee but would have liked to live in sunny California playing basketball (this is definitely a dream for the wee guy!) University of Las Vegas caught Simone’s eye, and he would have liked to have studied there also.
John Paul Boyle
JP went on a soccer scholarship to Hartwick College in New York, where he had a successful soccer career, but he thinks it would be “cool” to do Swimming and Diving in Texas. If he could go to the states again on a scholarship, he would want to go to UCLA.
James Beggs
James played soccer for the University of Mobile in Alabama, but is one of the guys that would love to chill playing golf in North Carolina. He would also like to study at University of Notre Dame.
Barry Neville
Barry attended New York’s Binghamton University but would enjoy playing Basketball in Nevada, Las Vegas, to be precise! He would also like to have gained a scholarship at the University of Oregon.
John Crawley
John was lucky enough to play at the University of Las Vegas. He would now like to be strong enough to play American Football in California and like Barry, attend the University of Oregon.
Andy McNab & Kevin McCann
Both Andy and Kev would love to play golf everyday in California. Andy went to Salem University in West Virginia and Kevin Went to Xavier University in Ohio. Andy wants to study at the Stanford University where as Kevin would like to study at Sandiego State University.
We also asked some of our other staff who didn’t get the opportunity to go to America on a scholarship and what their ideal sport, University and State would be. Take a look at some of their answers.
Rosie Witham (Media)
Rosie has started off her tennis career well, so said she liked the idea of playing Tennis in Oregon at the University of Oregon. We all know how much she loves this school!
Craig Clark (Media)
Craig would have loved to go on a soccer scholarship. He’s played soccer most of his life and hearing all the stories from the other guys in work makes him feel like he’s missed out on something! Craig would like to have studied in New York at Cornell University.
Nicolle Crawford (administrator)
Nicole would love to do Equestrian as a scholarship. She would love to have done this in Florida at the University of Florida.
Megan Hammond (Client Services)
Megan dreams of being as flexible and talented to gain a Cheerleading Scholarship in California. She also liked the look of studying at Princeton University.
Grant MacKenzie
Grant was a professional cyclist back in the day but looking back as a strong guy now he would have loved to have gained an American Football Scholarship in California and study at the University of Berkley.
Where would you love to study and why? Join in the chat @firstpointusa1
How Studying Abroad Benefits You
Do you think you have what it takes to secure a golf scholarship to study in the USA? Apply now for your assessment!
Women’s Soccer Scholarships: All You Need To Know
American college soccer is regarded as a major sport, with approximately 20,000 players competing within the NCAA, NAIA & NJCAA associations. There are over 1400 + Women’s college soccer programs at universities across the United States, with a maximum of 14 scholarships for a DI team, 9.9 for DII, 12 for NAIA programs and 18 for a NJCAA program.
American soccer coaches will all be looking for different players from different positions to make up their teams. Generally, they will be looking for a talented young athletes who have the ability or potential, are committed to the game, and have a good sporting background. Position specific skills are attractive and can give you an edge above the rest.
What is involved in the FirstPoint USA Soccer Scholarship Program?
All potential soccer student-athletes follow the same path through our program, and each stage assumes you have successfully passed the one before:
- Initial assessment, held at various locations throughout the UK
- Meeting and interview with a dedicated sports consultant at our head-office
- Offer of contract and acceptance onto the program
- Your athletic footage is filmed while you play in our organised client games, and is added to your FirstPoint profile, along with your academic and sporting CV and more
- SAT exams
- You are then promoted to US coaches
- Receive scholarship offers & choose the best fit for you
- Get your VISA
- Get out to the USA!
You can find a more detailed checklist of our full process here.
We’ve also recently featured several blog posts from a current FirstPoint USA women’s soccer player, Corrie MacDonald, which give a great insight into the FirstPoint program, from someone who is experiencing it first-hand. Corrie has written posts about her assessment, interview, client games and soccer showcase, we recommend checking these out!
What is it like to be a international female collegiate soccer player in the USA?
We like to keep in touch with our clients throughout their student-athlete careers, and have been lucky enough to steal a few minutes from their busy schedules and ask them about their experiences playing soccer State-side.
Compared to the UK, the US have a never die attitude towards their college sports. Fair play and athleticism are the emphasised at every game. They take everything so seriously and are fiercely competitive which will make you into the best possible player you can be
FirstPoint USA helped me when I was going through the process, and gave me a lot of good advice. I feel the staff put a lot of time and effort in securing the right place for me in America
Can you stand out and be noticed on the pitch?
We are holding soccer trials throughout 2013, at various locations up and down the country. Click here for a full list of trials. In addition to our mixed soccer trials, we are holding women’s only soccer assessments in London and Lancashire this month. Click here to register for these women’s only events, and you could be on your way to the USA!