We recently caught up with one of our clients here at FirstPoint USA, Adam McMahon, who has recently committed to a soccer scholarship at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The former John Paul Academy pupil tells us about his decision to go out to the states, the process of obtaining his scholarship at USAO, and his plans for the future.
Throughout his soccer career, Adam has played for multiple clubs, including Stirling Albion, Partick Thistle, Petershill Juniors, Maryhill Juniors and Arsenal U19’s. Adam has also had many successes throughout his soccer career, including the 2013 League Winner with the John Paul Academy 4th year team, the 2015 Glasgow Cup winner with Arsenal BC, and Player of the Year at both Maryhill and Petershill Juniors.
Having had a successful soccer career so far on home turf, we asked Adam what made him wish to pursue a soccer scholarship in the US…
“I think the opportunity to play football at a really high level, while studying for a degree, is too good to turn down. If a career in football doesn’t pan out I can always fall back on whichever degree I get. Also, it has always been my intention to live abroad at some point, so this only made my decision a lot easier.”
[caption id="attachment_11589" align="aligncenter" width="573"] Adam will be joining the USAO Men's Soccer Roster[/caption]With regards to the process of obtaining a scholarship, Adam tell us that this went very smoothly; although he could sometimes find it frustrating trying to find the correct offer. However, Adam states that George - of our clearing and promotions team – was, “fantastic with me the whole way through the process and kept me updated with offers and advice regularly, I can’t thank him enough.”
Adam tells us that choosing to accept an offer from USAO was an easy decision to make. Stating that a lot of schools in Oklahoma wished to sign him, but he knew that USAO continuously have successful teams under Coach Hampton, and felt that he could greatly benefit by playing for him. Adam also added that he knew someone who attended USAO on a soccer scholarship a few years ago, and they could not speak highly enough of the school and Chickasha City, where the school is located.
Upon moving out to the states and beginning his soccer scholarship, Adam tells us that he is most looking forward to getting to know his new team mates and travelling the country with them to play different colleges in different states. However, Adam also states that obtaining a degree was also a major factor in his decision to move to America so tells us that he is looking forward to his studies, even though he has a lot of hard work ahead.
Finally, we asked Adam where he sees himself being in 10 years-time. He told us…
“In an ideal world, I’ll be somewhere playing soccer professionally for a living, but if not I’ll hopefully be living abroad somewhere, maybe coaching or with a job related to my degree. It’s not something I’ve thought about a lot; I’m just looking forward to the next four years playing at USAO.”
We’d like to wish Adam the best of luck for his time at USAO and we will keep you updated on his progress out in the states through our various social media platforms.
