EVENING TIMES

I CAN MAKE KIDS' FOOTBALL DREAMS COME TRUE IN U.S.

 AN EX-FOOTBALLER is offering kids from a deprived part of Glasgow the chance to live their sporting dream for free – in the US.

Chris Ewing has launched a business which aims to send youngsters to the US on sports scholarships. And Chris, 28, says he¹ll waive the consultancy fee for football players from Pollok, where he grew up.

The former Motherwell, Clydebank, Dumbarton and Stranraer player was awarded a scholarship at a US college after playing semi-pro in Scotland in the late 1990s.
Now Chris – who ended up with a degree in sports management from a Tampa university – has founded EDUSPORTUSA and wants to help Scots youngsters aged 17 and above follow in his footsteps.

He said: ³If there are people in the Pollok area who are interested, have the right academic qualifications and the footballing ability, then I would waive the fee.

³I know how difficult it can be in an area like Pollok, being from there myself, and I¹d love to see others have the same opportunity I¹ve had.² Like other consultancy firms springing up across the UK, EDUSPORTUSA aims to help British students with a high level of sporting ability and a good academic record get their study fees paid by athletic scholarships.

Chris said: ³There¹s a lot of competitors to get these scholarships. They¹re typically worth in excess of $120,000 (£60,000) and the application system is complicated.

³Coaches receive hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters from athletes, all looking for scholarships.

³But the coaches usually look to recruit from consultancies they know and trust, where they can be sure to recruit good athletes and good students. ³I am in contact with numerous coaches and have built strong relationships with many of the top coaches.

³I¹ve also developed a strong understanding of what exactly coaches are looking for.²

Chris says he will vet youngsters¹ sporting and academic ability to ensure they aren¹t wasting their time, sort out the paperwork and seek out the college and course best suited to them.

He said: ³The point of the business is to provide the opportunity to study and play sport in the US for those who would otherwise never have the chance.   

³The client would pay the business a management fee for the service but I¹m in talks with the Scottish Executive to help finance the fee for the underprivileged.²

Chris, who has just set up a website to promote EDUSPORTUSA, said: ³My background is predominantly football, but there¹s also a list of 30 sports on my website which you can get scholarships for – like golf, swimming, athletics, etc.

³I want to make people aware these opportunities are there. It helps to have good academic record, but there are also some scholarships for people with lower     academic ability.²