Staff Profile: Andy McNab

This week we caught up with FirstPoint USA Sports Consultant Andy McNab, about his experiences playing college soccer, through a scholarship he secured with FirstPoint USA! 1.  Can you tell us a bit about your sporting background? In Scotland growing up I played for St.Johnstone, Dunfermline, Clyde, Queen’s Park and Paisley United. I also played against USA and Canada U18 teams in 2005.   2.  Why did you apply to the FirstPoint USA program? The opportunity was presented to me by my manager at Paisley and Andrew Kean came in to talk to us about the opportunity. It seemed like a great opportunity, so I applied.   3.  What was your experience like with FirstPoint? It was an exciting time, with coaches emailing and calling me talking about their program and school. Andrew Kean was my consultant, so having his first hand experience was great for me and my family.   4.  What offers were you made and why did you decide to choose Salem International University? I had a few offers from other schools but I chose Salem in the end because of the team and the coach. He gave me a vision of what he wanted and that proved fruitful as we went on to win 2 conference championships and a regular season title.   5.  What were your impressions of the quality of facilities, coaching etc?  How do they compare to those in the UK? The coaches I had and worked with were all UEFA “A” licensed coaches, so definitely a lot to learn from their experience. The facilities were excellent at the schools I coached at also, and it was obvious a lot of money had gone into it.   6.  What did you achieve academically and athletically whilst in the U.S? Academically I got a degree in criminal justice, and was also put through a Master’s in Business. Athletically, I was part of 2 winning conference championship teams and we also won a regular season title. Personally, I was All-WVIAC conference team.   7.  How did you balance and manage your time between your studies, training and social life? At the start it was all about settling in. After that, it was just all about time management. My training never interfered with my classes. I just made sure all my work was done during the day in between classes, so I could have that social life.   8.  What advice would you have for any young athlete considering a sports scholarship to the USA? Come to an assessment first and foremost. That is a chance to be assessed and also see the presentation. I would say be as focused as possible, and know the in’s and out’s of the whole process!   9.  What made you want to work for FirstPoint USA? What is your role at the company? What is your favourite part of the job? It was a good opportunity to give other people the chance to do what I’ve spent the last years of my life doing. I am a Sports Consultant at firstpoint and I enjoy watching talented athletes and assessing their chances of playing in America.   10.Do you think you made the right choice by studying in the USA? Definitely, it completely changed my life going over to America. Having the chance to study abroad, while playing a high level of football was a great experience. At the end it also gave me the chance to coach over there as well.   11.  What do you think are the benefits of having a USA Scholarship experience compared to a UK education? The fact that you go over to another country, out of your comfort zone and do something different, which looks great on a CV when looking for a job after your degree. It is also a great way to get your education as well as playing football day in day out, which can’t be done in UK.

If you would like more information about Soccer Scholarships to the USA, then register for an assessment with FirstPoint USA today!