- 2015 Skills
Personal Statement
I was born in central London, UK where my first memory of soccer was going to see West Ham United (a UK Premiership club) play in east London. By the age of 7, I was playing soccer regularly at school and at my local club, St Andrews. I was scouted by Millwall FC when I was 9 years old. At Millwall FC, I learned the value of teamwork and enjoyed making friends with all the players. The training was intensive and the weekly matches were with premier football clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Fulham and championship clubs including Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford, Reading and Charlton Athletic. I also played with the year above for several matches which helped improve me as a player (usually playing in the right-back position).
By the age of 13, my parents moved to East Sussex and I was offered a sports scholarship at Ardingly College in West Sussex where I became a weekly boarder (e.g. staying at school from Monday-Friday). Although I had another year to run on my Millwall FC contract, my parents wanted me to have a balance between education and sport. At Ardingly, I further developed my soccer skills and our team won the U15 Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) Cup (http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/sport/local-football/ardingly-u15-footballers-win-investec-isfa-u15-cup-1-5952223), in the picture I am third from the left in the middle row.
Having completed my iGCSE's in June 2015 (I have passed all my subjects with As in English Language, Maths, Geography and Academic PE) I have been offered a sports scholarship at Royal Russell School in Croydon, South London for the next two years. The school has invested millions in developing soccer and it has offered competitive scholarships to selected players. In the pre-season of 2015-16, I have been playing with the Kinetic Football Academy which has links to Royal Russell School. Some players from Kinetic go on to become professional footballers.
In applying to a school in the United States, I want to fulfil my academic and sporting ambitions by joining a great University where I can work with experienced coaches while pursuing my studies. So far, I have dedicated so much time and energy in developing my sporting abilities which also include skiing, mixed martial arts and kick boxing. I believe I am a strong personality which is demonstrated by my determination, commitment and enthusiasm to achieve my goals. I work well with my academic teachers and sports coaches and I always want to achieve the best for the team, and not just myself.
The US has a great appeal to me because I am very impressed by the combination of academic/sports and the many great universities able to offer these opportunities. Currently, I am very keen to major in History, Politics or Business Studies. As a UK citizen, I think I am a good candidate for a soccer team because of the experience and competencies I have built up so far and my ability to work well in an international team.
