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  • Thanks for that Johnny 111. The College my son is attending is NCIA and is very remote and quiet so I don't think he is getting the experience he'd hoped for. However, the standard of football is good and the team made it to the Nationals last season, which is one of the reasons he is happy to stay for another year; they were knocked out by the team that went on to win it Sadly, he was in the reserve team at the time although I believe he will be in the First team next season.

    I was quite naive when we went into this and didn't realise the range of divisions in the College system. As long as the degree he gets at the end is the same we're happy. He is coping well with the work but is very homesick. I have asked him if he'd like to look in to transferring to a larger college but he feels he'd only be distracted and not spend enough time studying. I was just taking advantage of your expertise in case he wanted to move in the future.

    Thanks again.
  • oliversw
    oliversw Posts: 49 Forumite
    Hi Gill,
    The college that I was accepted to was Mid-Kent college, which was then situated in Chatham, however they have built a new campus in Gillingham; I'm not sure if they train in the same location as it was when I applied. Like Johnny said it was for students between 16-19 and they do do these types of courses around the country. I would take note of what Johnny has to say though his expertise far surpasses mine.
    Best wishes
    Shaun
  • gillbaby
    gillbaby Posts: 77 Forumite
    Thanks Shaun, As you say Johnny is talking a lot of sense, my grandson just wanted a starting point when I asked. At the moment I think he intends to look further into what Johnny has to say and also he's contacting one or two of the local minor league clubs local to where we live. Living in the city of Manchester doesn't help!! You can imagine where he wants to end up!! I suppose if he aims high he might hit lower!
    I'll pass on your comments to him anyway. Thanks for everything.
  • BFM
    BFM Posts: 101 Forumite
    edited 4 April 2011 at 2:28PM
    bottom line is he's almost certainly better off studying in the UK and playing for the university football team.

    those teams are scouted and if he's good enough he will have a chance to play at a higher level.

    in the (statistically most likely) case he isn't then he'll have a degree and a career to proceed with without racking up a ton of debts - there's scant scholarships available in us colleges for men's sport that aren't american football or basketball.

    eta - and i think it would be incredibly tough for the first time away from home to be a 3-5 year university commitment on a different continent arriving wioth no friends and no support network.

    that said, we lived in the US for 6 years and living / working abroad was the best thing my wife and I did, but we did it whilst earning money (it was a work transfer) and we had each other for support and i already knew a few folks over there it was still really tough at first to settle in.
  • Johnny111
    Johnny111 Posts: 44 Forumite
    bottom line is he's almost certainly better off studying in the UK and playing for the university football team.

    those teams are scouted and if he's good enough he will have a chance to play at a higher level.

    Bottom line is he will not be better off in the UK and especially playing for the university football team. It's completely different.

    I take on board your points about homesickness and settling in. Re scholarships, you are right, compared to the "big" sports in the US soccer scholarships are limited. A coach has around ten full scholarships to hand out, but these can be divided among most of the squad, i.e 20 players on 50% athletic scholarship. Most will usually qualify for some academic money, so generally speaking on average a student athlete from the UK is likely to pay around £4000 a year. This obviously also depends on the universities tuition fees and where he wants to play and study. If all you care about is the scholarship and getting a degree then you'll be able to find a full scholarship somewhere...most likely in the middle of nowhere and with a bad athletic program.
  • BFM
    BFM Posts: 101 Forumite
    Johnny111 wrote: »
    Bottom line is he will not be better off in the UK and especially playing for the university football team. It's completely different.

    I take on board your points about homesickness and settling in. Re scholarships, you are right, compared to the "big" sports in the US soccer scholarships are limited. A coach has around ten full scholarships to hand out, but these can be divided among most of the squad, i.e 20 players on 50% athletic scholarship. Most will usually qualify for some academic money, so generally speaking on average a student athlete from the UK is likely to pay around £4000 a year. This obviously also depends on the universities tuition fees and where he wants to play and study. If all you care about is the scholarship and getting a degree then you'll be able to find a full scholarship somewhere...most likely in the middle of nowhere and with a bad athletic program.

    pay £4000 a year - does that include housing / living costs and college fees -good schools in the US cost what $25K a year at least, pretty much all of my US friends came out of college with significant debt - although none of them were on scholarships to be fair - and from what you've said would likely not result in a worthwhile degree given the time commitments and travel etc - given the unlikelihood of ever making money as a pro sportsman, getting a decent degree has to be a critical part of going to college in his day and age, surely.

    how is that better than studying for significantly less overall cost to the family at home and ending up with a decent degree?

    again, i'm not saying that going to the US is not a great thing to do, i just think that a bit of realism is needed and certainly before the OP starts cutting checks on the basis there is a real road map for this to pay itself back.
  • carebabe
    carebabe Posts: 225 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    despite having the scholarship there are costs not covered such as the flights which can be expensive. also to consider is the possibility of the coach for chosen sport changing midway through studies. a new coach may not offer the same level of scholarship leaving parents to pick up suddenly very much higher costs.
    Teamwork means.......never having to take all the blame yourself ;)
  • Johnny111
    Johnny111 Posts: 44 Forumite
    BFM wrote: »
    pay £4000 a year - does that include housing / living costs and college fees -good schools in the US cost what $25K a year at least, pretty much all of my US friends came out of college with significant debt - although none of them were on scholarships to be fair - and from what you've said would likely not result in a worthwhile degree given the time commitments and travel etc - given the unlikelihood of ever making money as a pro sportsman, getting a decent degree has to be a critical part of going to college in his day and age, surely.

    how is that better than studying for significantly less overall cost to the family at home and ending up with a decent degree?

    again, i'm not saying that going to the US is not a great thing to do, i just think that a bit of realism is needed and certainly before the OP starts cutting checks on the basis there is a real road map for this to pay itself back.


    To be fair, at this stage and throughout the recruiting process it's all ifs and buts. Nobody knows what type of deal they are doing to get or find and at which university/college. All I can say is that I know many people from very poor backgrounds that have found a way to do it, without any debt.

    If the original poster has got £1500 to pay a recruiting company for advice and the opportunity then great! If not...it doesn't cost a lot to start sending emails to coaches and see where it takes you.
  • Just responding to the comment that scholarships change if the coach does. The scholarship I've organised for my son will be maintained for the duration of the course; so the fees will be the same every year.
  • Johnny111
    Johnny111 Posts: 44 Forumite
    Just responding to the comment that scholarships change if the coach does. The scholarship I've organised for my son will be maintained for the duration of the course; so the fees will be the same every year.

    At most colleges I know athletic scholarships are yearly agreements. It is very unlikely however the scholarship will ever be reduced. If anything it will be increased as time goes on and the athlete becomes more experienced and key to the team.

    In most cases scholarships will be reduced if there are behaviour issues or academic issues i.e not attending classes.

    If I was you I would check into whether it IS actually a four year agreement or a yearly agreement. Either way it shouldn't be a problem if your son is fulfilling the potential that the coach first invested in.
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