Making the Move…
We managed to catch up with Breyden who made the huge decision to move to the UK from the USA to enrol at one of our specialist football programme boarding schools.
We first met Breyden back in July 2020 when he attended the 5-day residential football camp of our sister company, UK Football Trials. Breyden mentioned after his camp experience that the standards of the English football game were very different to what he was used to back home in the USA.
Breyden and his family realised that to really improve Breyden’s current football ability, he would need to come to the UK, in order to benefit from the high standards of coaching and training that are found at the top football boarding schools here.
We asked Breyden some questions on various topics to do with his experience of schooling, football training and also how his UK Football Schools Mentorship programme is currently going.
Here is what we asked Breyden, and his responses…
1.How has your experience in a UK football boarding school been so far? “My experience at my UK boarding school has been very good so far, and I have seen already where I am in terms of the level of my football ability.”
2. Is the school you attend and the football programme as you expected, or is it different in any way? “The school and football programme are pretty much what I expected, and the school and resident tutors treat us very well.”
3. How is the coaching in the English school’s system going for you? And how is this different from the coaching you received back home in the US? “The coaching system is going really well, and I feel like the coaches want to get the very best out of me. One of the differences between the US and the UK coaching styles is the tactical side of the game compared to the technical side of the game. In the US they tend to work more on the technical aspects of your game rather than the tactical aspects as they do here in the UK.”
4. Do you feel you are improving as a player in the private boarding school environment and the coaching you receive in the football academy? “Yes, I definitely feel that every day I am improving physically in my football skills and also mentally in my football understanding.”
5. What other opportunities have you had to showcase your ability since attending a UK football boarding school? “I first attended a UK Football Trials 5-day football camp in the summer of this year, and then more recently a 1 day football trial, again with UK Football Trials. It was an excellent all-round experience, and I got to find out what I need to improve on with the help of the coach’s feedback.”
6. You are also one of our UK Football Schools Mentorship Programme players. How has this been for you so far in terms of support and feedback? “The feedback has been great and really helpful. I feel they give you honest feedback and don’t just tell you what you want to hear. They genuinely try to help and guide you towards being a professional footballer.”
7. Would you recommend your experience in both UK football boarding schools and mentorship to others? And why? “I would most definitely recommend my experience to others, because it gives you a lot of strength mentally and overall makes you a better person both on and off the pitch. The level of football coaching I receive is also great and I think will help anyone improve almost immediately.”
So, there we have it. It’s not an easy decision to make to move half way across the world for football and education purposes, but as you will see from Breyden’s responses, choosing the right school, and with the right advice and guidance, makes such a big move much more seamless and successful.
If you might be interested, and for more information on how we can advise you to choose the right pathway into the UK boarding school football system, please get in touch with us and we would be delighted to help.
