Personal Statement
If I were an ordinary smart British 17 year old kid who finished secondary school (10th grade) with nearly all A grades, I would probably be in Upper 6th Form (12th grade) studying A levels, playing football (soccer) for my school and looking forward to studying, say, maths (math) at a local university.
But I’m not.
True, I am smart, British, 17, studying hard, playing soccer and looking forward to studying at university. However, the difference is that I’m driven. I don’t just like soccer. I live, eat and breathe it. Rather than going the 6th Form route, I left school to follow my dreams and entered a soccer academy where I can combine high level soccer with academic study. Here, on the soccer side, I get to play against mighty opposition from pro clubs such as Leicester City FC (my last minute assist held their International U18s to a 2-2 draw (tie) in September!), Arsenal FC (hmm.. learned some lessons, shall we say?) and to turn out every week competitively for our super-talented international U21s team in regional leagues, cups, and friendlies against professional clubs. I also get to improve my soccer ability every day, either through training 3-4 hours a day with a professional FA coaching team, doing bodywork in the gym with my strength and conditioning trainer, or by practising on my own.
Throughout my time at the Academy, I have consistently played at a very high standard. The squad I currently play in consists of players who have represented their nation at U21 level, players released by professional clubs and others who have had trials at professional clubs (like myself). We play an attractive brand of possession-based, attacking football which allows me to play at my best.
As a result of hard work and grind, I have become an outstanding right-back (outside back) who excels technically, is extremely athletic, highly motivated, confident and mentally strong. I was delighted to win the first ‘Player of the Month’ award this season in my first month with the U21 side aged just 16 as my coach and peers appreciated my work ethic, positive attitude, and successful transformation to a new position.
A central and defining characteristic of the programme here at FBT International Academy (http://www.fbtfootballacademy.com/u21-squad/ and https://twitter.com/academyfbt?lang=en) and a deciding factor in taking the risk of leaving school is the chance to study to the same standard as A levels but a curriculum that is dedicated to sport where I have achieved Distinctions throughout my first year. This is super-challenging and enormously rewarding. I’ve grown as a person literally and metaphorically, my footballing ability has developed exponentially and I’ve excelled educationally.
But I’ve not ‘made it’… yet.
My next step is to come to the States to play soccer in the burgeoning programmes flourishing in higher education whilst at the same time being stretched intellectually. Hopefully, this experience will open up avenues into pro soccer or, possibly, other employment. If all goes to plan, I’ll be somewhere closer to having ‘made it’ and turned my dream into a reality.
