'Stute youth off to the USA

YOUNG Institute player Sean McKinney is delighted to have been given a football sponsorship to go to an American University to study Mathematics.

The 18-year-old will play for Hartford University in Connecticut, in a league with more money put into it than the Coca-Cola Championship in England.

His scholarship will cover tuition fees and the cost of living away from home in the USA. If all goes to plan he will be leaving University with a good degree in Mathematics, a chance of playing in the same league as David Beckham, and he will be debt free. It is a 100 per cent scholarship, with a value of about $42,000 (US).

He will play for the Hartford Hawks University team in the NCAA championships, a league with more financial investment than England's Coca-Cola Championship.

He plans to either pursue a career in football or go on to take a PHD in Mathematics. He plays up front for 'Stute Reserves and won the manager’s player of the year award at Under 18.

The teenager says he took inspiration from Institute’s Harry Gregg, a Busby Babe and hero of the Munich Air Crash: "Harry told me that there is a lot of people in Derry who could have made it. He told me a lot of them are too homesick to do things and it is a waste of talent."

He says he cannot wait to get over and show what he can do: "I can't wait to get going. This is a great opportunity for me. My degree will set me up for any field of Maths, and there is also the business side of it. When I finish I will probably look into further study, maybe a Masters Degree or a PHD. There is the chance at the end of every term to be drafted into the MLS. That is a realistic possibility for me."

He has his head well screwed on and is not getting ahead of himself: "I am a student athlete and student comes before athlete."

The centre forward can look forward to working with some top class coaches such as Dan Gaspar, a coach with the Portuguese National Team at the World Cup, now working with players like Cristiano Ronaldo.

His mother Linda said it comes from hard work and having wider horizons from a very young age.

"He deserves it, he really does. He works hard. He was always brought up to know there was a big world out there."

At the suggestion he might have an easy time against American defences because it is not a country usually associate with "soccer", Sean is quick to talk up the standard: "It will definitely be a big step up for me. I have a friend Declan Call over there, he told me not to underestimate it. The game has really developed over there. They are all natural athletes. They have me doing a pre-pre season training regime to make sure I am up to the standard."

Sean believes there are a wealth of other young players in Londonderry who could also make the grade: "The amount of talent here in Derry is unbelievable, if only more people knew about the opportunities that are out there for you as well. Not just in football, there are scholarships out there for other sports, athletics and things like that. Girls can do it too. More people need to know about it."

His big chance at the American scholarship came through a scheme called Pass4Soccer, Ireland. They are a a non-profit business founded by Philip Poole who aim to educate students, parents, athletic and teaching staff about soccer and education scholarship opportunities and to assess, assist, promote and support footballers find and win soccer scholarships in Higher Education.