“The idea of going to America was something I had always dreamed about for years, it seemed like the perfect way for me to get my degree while doing what I love very single day while playing on facilities I’d only have dreamed of before.

“I was lucky enough to go through an agency that knew exactly what they were doing which I can’t recommend enough! They guided me through each step of the process which can be daunting as there’s a lot of new information being thrown at you. The agency managed to get me in contact with a college in Upstate New York named Gensee Community College, which was a dream for me as I had always looked at New York as a place on my bucket list, and to make it even better the coach at the time was Irish and we clicked instantly.

“I remember the first couple of months in America being a real eye opener for me. You notice the difference in the culture and you instantly begin making new friends with people all around the world that you would never had the chance of meeting before. We trained basically every single day at a high standard and during my time with Genesee with reached the pinnacle of making the national tournament and even being ranked number 1 in the country for most of the season.

“I Kept in contact with my agency throughout my time and at the end of my second year they helped me choose where my next adventure would be, and this turned out to be in West Virginia with Concord University. It instantly hit me how changing your location in the US could change your experience, as I noticed changes in how people acted in New York compared to West Virginia. I always thought that “Southern Hospitality” was a myth, but it certainly wasn’t! Here I experienced things I never did in Ireland when it came to soccer, including professional analysing our own individual performance and team performance after games through video analysis, the use of our full time Athletic Trainer in order to recover quickly for games and to assess any injuries we had.

“The schooling is also of the upmost importance. When I left for the US I wasn’t too sure what it was I wanted to study, and that’s completely normal. I decided with the advice from my agency to study Sports Management and I haven’t looked back. The athletic side of the colleges I attended did their upmost to support me as ultimately you go to college to achieve your degree.

“I couldn’t be any happier that I had the opportunity to not only study and play soccer in the US, but the fact that I had the chance to meet so many people from all corners of the world and to take in their cultures. I believe that it’s a unique opportunity and one that shouldn’t be passed up if you are passionate about sport and want to further yourself educationally.”