FirstPoint USA PLATFORM | PRESS RELEASE

4 min read

FirstPoint opens up free US scholarship opportunities to all with £750,000 investment in new digital ‘matchmaking’ platform!

-UK-based agency, which provides opportunities in the US market for scholar-athletes, launches a new online platform to directly connect users to American universities and colleges without cost!-

Market-leading agency FirstPoint USA has launched a new digital platform which for the first time gives scholar-athletes the chance to access scholarships without travel and at no cost.

FirstPoint, the biggest contributor of student sporting talent to the US market globally, has made the “game-changing” move of removing the fee that was a prohibitive barrier to entry for some. Already more than 2,000 US universities and some 56,000 coaches are registered to the service ahead of the next wave of scholarships commencing in Autumn 2020.

The company’s new digital platform – accessible via firstpointusa.com – gives young scholar-athletes the option of remotely matching up with these universities and colleges without having to pay service fees. It offers would-be athlete-scholars the chance to engage with institutions without having to travel – and has been described by some early users as serving as a matchmaking service for US university and college sport.

Working with more than 2,500 universities and colleges in the US, FirstPoint has placed 20,000 scholar-athletes and secured more than $200m of scholarship funding on their behalf in the last 20 years. Now, it hopes its new platform can ultimately help to open US scholarship opportunities to any young person in the world – international students currently add $44bn in annual revenue to the US market, therefore the demand from the States to unearth unsigned talent is greater than ever.

Andrew Kean, CEO and founder of FirstPoint USA, said: “The new FirstPoint USA digital platform is years in the making and has only been possible due to significant investment – but it is truly a game-changer.

“The current environment is clearly not without serious challenges but the beauty of this platform is that scholar-athletes can directly engage online with universities and colleges.

“For the first time ever, anyone can now access a scholarship via our new platform which brings the universities and colleges directly in touch with the user. This means more access for more athletes and for more coaches and the US universities are really buying into it – they are absolutely crying out for international talent for the 2020/21 academic year.

“FirstPoint USA can continue to provide various levels of service and support however this platform removes that barrier for those who may not be able to afford it. For 18 years we have successfully secured scholarships for thousands of talented individuals who have gone on to enjoy life-changing experiences – this platform means we can reach even more people with these opportunities.”

FirstPoint USA ambassador Bobby Clark, a revered college football coach in the US, welcomed the new free platform, adding: “I don't think any country gets the combination of academics and sport better than the USA. Through my more than 30 years of coaching college soccer in America, I had players who ended up enjoying careers in finance, medicine, teaching, law, coaching, and quite a few as professional footballers with two even making it into the English Premier League. The greatest thing they enjoyed was getting a degree while also playing the game they loved.

“FirstPoint’s new free platform is ground-breaking and will only help expand the reach and open up the possibility of a world-class sports scholarship to even more young people across the world.”

Also increasing is the number of sports which US universities and colleges are asking FirstPoint USA to help find them talent for – more than 30 sports at present with everything from football and golf to cheerleading and esports.

Andrew continued: “Ultimately all the universities and colleges want the very best talent possible and it’s our job to help find those young people, no matter the sport. The academic, financial and cultural elements are equally important which is where our team excels in finding the perfect match.”