FirstPoint USA, the world’s leading sports scholarship agency, is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with The Dundee FC Academy to provide athletic and academic support to young players.
The new partnership will see FirstPoint, who are headquartered in Glasgow with a network of offices internationally, provide advice, guidance and expertise to players transitioning from the Academy, and working with them to secure sports scholarship opportunities for those with aspirations to play collegiate soccer in the States.
Established in 2001 by former Motherwell and Hearts youth team player Andrew Kean, who enjoyed a successful career in the US becoming a Hall of Famer with the University of Cincinnati, FirstPoint has now helped change the lives of more than 30,000 young men and women through sports scholarship opportunities at colleges and universities across the States.
The Dundee Academy is the latest club to benefit from FirstPoint’s expertise in opening up alternative opportunities for players seeking career path options beyond academy football, with the likes of Arsenal, Fulham, QPR, Bradford City and Ross County working with the company’s team of collegiate sport experts. FirstPoint USA also launched a partnership with the Strachan Foundation at Dundee last summer.
Academy Director Jamie McBrearty welcomed the new partnership:
“This is an exciting new initiative for us and designed to provide an attractive career option to those players who are transitioning out of the Academy but strive to continue playing football at a high level, whilst having the opportunity to study for a degree. We’ve seen many success stories of Scottish players moving to play at college in the States and going onto have a great career, whether staying in football or gaining employment in another industry relevant to their degree.
“We have been very impressed with the depth of experience within FirstPoint’s team and our players can benefit from their insights of being in a similar position, before going onto enjoy an incredible four years playing in the States.
A number of current SPFL players have come through the college soccer pathway in the States, including Celtic defender Alistair Johnston (Wake Forrest University) and Aberdeen midfielder Dante Polvara (Georgetown University), while former Rangers academy player Matthew Henderson is currently starring for Big-10 Conference giants Penn State University.
The States has also proved a happy hunting ground for FirstPoint USA’s Scottish alum beyond their playing careers, with former Ross County academy player Ally McKay now enjoying life as Chief Soccer Officer at MLS club DC United, while Aberdonian John Robertson – who attended Maryville College in Tennessee – has recently been appointed Assistant Head Coach at the University of Texas women’s soccer team.
Harvey Moyes, Head of Club Academy Partnerships with FirstPoint USA, who played for NCAA DI Northern Kentucky University, added:
“We’re really looking forward to working with Jamie and his team at Dundee and helping players who are coming to the end of their Academy careers explore a different pathway. I know from personal experience what a great opportunity college soccer in the States can offer. We describe it as the best of both worlds, with players benefiting from the amazing facilities they have out there with top level football, combined with the academic side and a good degree at the end of your four years.
Playing and studying in the States can open so many doors for you and we would encourage all players who find themselves at a crossroads to come and speak to us.
To kick off the partnership, FirstPoint USA delivered a US sports scholarship presentation to Dundee’s Year 1 Academy players, outlining the support available and talking players and their families through the scholarship process.
