Our thanks to Ross for his his blog post! If you'd like to follow his career path then apply today!
Guest Blog Post - FPUSA Client, Ross Connolly!
4 min read
This week FPUSA client Ross Connolly kindly wrote a blog post for us. Ross has been recovering from injury so we are glad he took some time out of recovery to give us an insight into his playing background and his thoughts about the future.
My name is Ross Connolly, I am 17 and I am from Dublin, Ireland. I am a Striker/Midfielder. I am currently playing for Rangers AFC in the Premier Division of the Dublin District League.
I started playing football at the age of about 4 for my local team, Parkvale FC. I played for Parkvale up until the age of 15 where I moved to Rangers AFC after doing trials at a number of teams including Shamrock Rovers and St Josephs Boys. I also played badminton for the Leinster squad from the age of 12 to 14 years old.
Over the many years I played for Parkvale I had some great success. I scored over 200 goals in 8 seasons including 47 goals in my U9 season and 40 goals in my U13 season. Each season I would have averaged 20-25 goals. At the age of 14 I had a trial for the South Dublin development squad. Also, during my years at Parkvale I would have played a number of games for the older age groups and would have also scored a number of goals for them.
During my time at Parkvale I won various awards including, SDFL (South Dublin Football League) cup at U8, SDFL Division 1 Title in 2009/10 SDFL league runner up in 2010/2011 and a Player of the Year award in 2007. I captained the Team for two years at U15 & U16 levels.
I am currently working with FirstPoint USA in order to get a scholarship to the USA for 2014. A big reason I want to go to America is because of the high level of football but also because I will get the chance to get a degree and play football day in day out at a high level. Also the chance to live in America is one I would never turn down!!
My parents are very happy and excited for me about moving to the USA to pursue my career but they are also going to be upset about me leaving home as all parents would be! They have been very supportive and helpful in bringing me over to London and Glasgow for my client games.
When I go out to the USA I will probably look at studying something in the area of sports as that is a big interest of mine. P.E. teaching or sports management courses look very appealing to me but I am always looking out for other courses I might be interested in studying.
What I am most looking forward to when I go out to the USA is probably playing football every day in world class facilities. The facilities out in the USA look amazing and I can't wait to get out there and experience it all first hand.
My time with FirstPoint USA so far has been brilliant. It started when I signed up online, then I travelled to Belfast where I passed my assessment and now I am nearly finished my checklist. I have attended 3 client games so far and have loved all 3 of them. Unfortunately I have to miss the showcase event this year through illness but I am hoping to play in some more client games in the New Year to build up my footage even more!
This year 2013 I was invited to the 4th July Celebration at the US Ambassador’s residence in Dublin. I was lucky enough to take part in the annual flag football game and I also got the chance to meet the Charge d’Affaires John Hennessy Niland who had previously coached soccer at a college in Boston.
