FirstPoint USA, the world’s largest sports scholarship agency, has expanded its football club partnership portfolio into Sweden with the launch of a new collaboration with Gothenburg based Torslanda IK.
The Swedish Club’s Sporting Director is former Dartmouth College player Dan Keat, who played two seasons with LA Galaxy, and the partnership will provide opportunities for its young players to progress to collegiate soccer in the States as an alternative to their professional pathway.
In 2023 were Torslanda IK promoted to Sweden’s third division, Torslanda IK have teams at all age group levels for boys and girls, with both men’s and women’s first teams coached by former New Zealand international Declan Edge.
Stuart McCaffrey, Director of Football for FirstPoint USA, said: “We are excited to be working with the team at Torslanda IK and supporting the club with exit opportunities for talented young players who are considering their options for the next step of their careers. The States has been a proven pathway for many young Swedish footballers and the aim of our partnership is to support those players from the club who are keen to follow this route.
Keat, who earned All-American honors at Dartmouth as well as being named in the All-Ivy First Team during a successful collegiate career between 2006 and 2009, welcomed the new partnership:
“The collegiate soccer pathway is something I am very passionate about having had such a fantastic experience playing and studying at Dartmouth, so we’re delighted to joining forces with FirstPoint USA to guide any young player at Torslanda who is interested in pursuing this option.
“We are a development club who want to provide a platform for talented young players to progress to different levels within the game, and the States is a great option for players who want to benefit from the best of both worlds, between playing at high level while studying for a degree. I can pass on my own insight and experience to the players, while having the expertise from the team at FirstPoint USA to support players and their families through the full process, backed up by their unrivalled network of coaches across the country.”
The new partnership will see FirstPoint USA staging assessment trials in Gothenburg in June and builds on the company’s growing roster of partner clubs which includes Arsenal, Fulham, QPR, Philadelphia Union Academy, Ross County and Boston Bolts.
