Prolly not, but expertly manage to hoodwink hundreds of gullible aussies year after year.

Have you ever bothered to ask him why he isn't a registered licenced player's agent?

Agree with the majority of the abvove, Silvergale. Why i called it sham is as follows and i'll make it as short as possible. My son's club, along with other state league clubs, were notified by the particular organisation that they were conducted trials for gaining US scholarships.

We turned up to these trails with numerous other youth league players, went through about an hour of games for outfield players and shooting at goal to test keepers. Very minimal stuff.

Directly following the trial, players and parents were told that those deemed suitable for a scholarship, if any, would be notified by phone within 24 hours to arrange an interview. We were called that night and an interview time was arranged for the following afternoon.

We turned up for the interview and noticed a couple of other players and their parents also waiting for an interview. We went through the 'interview' (of which I'll speak more of shortly) and then noticed more and more players/parents turning up, all being players i was familiar with having attended youth league matches regularly.

The majority of the players arriving (ended up being every player from the trials)were average players, many were well below average (for that level)and a handful were stand outs. I was later informed of the obvious, that all were called for an interview, regardless of the level of ability displayed at the trial. Why, become clear after the interview.

This was interesting. We were only then informed, after a deal of prompting for an explanation as to what part they played in the scholarships, that informed us they were in fact an agency for placement of sporting youth into scholarship positions in the US. That they sign youth onto their agency list and add them to their website for a fee.

More detail was given (too long to go into) before i was able to get the fee figure from them after a very hard sell with a warning that it was a one off opportunity because they won't be in the region again for another year, that they had trials in other regions to attend and that 'today' was the last chance to sign for an opportunity of a lifetime. (reminded many of us of a car salesmen and his 'special deal for today only' sales spin)

The fee to them, the agency, was from memory, around $5,000. With no guarantee of placement or the level of scholarship if any were to materialise. I'm told it's increased quite a deal in the years since? It was obvious that many of the players at the interviews would struggle to retain a future spot in the youth league, let alone gain a sporting scholarship at a US college.

All the parents told a similar story re their interviews, after which it was also agreed the agency was attempting to sign every player present that day, regardless of ability and chance of success.

None were informed prior to the interview that the organisation were in reality an independent agency, we were all led to believe the trials were to choose players of stand out ability only and of course, we weren't informed of payments being involved.

It was agreed by all parents, excepting the one, that from the very start the operation was simply the methodology used to get as many young, pre HSC age players as possible to a interview and conduct a slick, hard sell to convince the parents to part with a very large sum of money. We all went in blind and that was played upon. That's the sham. As you say, do your homework or risk getting fleeced.

Btw, the parents of one player signed. He eventually attended uni in Australia while playing 3rd division seniors.

Edited by skeptic: 12/12/2011 02:41:02 PM

I think in general the problem lays with parents, we all think our kids are better than they really are. Is it then gullible or are we not opening our eyes wide enough?

If it looks too goood to be true then its usually not as it seems, should be everyones standard take on things.

I still look at my Girl, I then watch the W-League and think she could do that, you talk to people and they say she has potential which could be there polite way of them saying I dont think so. So were does that leave you? "Wondering" should be the minimal answer.

Shes going because she is good (above average at least), good enough well only time will tell, but as we have the cash to educate her and add this into a great experince then to me we are doing a great thing.

Like I said people need to add value to this choice and make sure they are doing it for an education as well. Then it becomes OK.

Not all, but certainly most.

As I've consistently said here (over and over) parents are terrible judges of their own kid's true sporting abilities. Emotion swamps reality.

Orgs like NSR know this (as do other half-arsed parties e.g. sockah skools, akademies etc) and know which buttons to push to get their grubby hands on the booty.

As for the possibility of any educational/academic upside abroad? Let me ask you; would you consider any of these US institutions to be offering a better education than what you might find in, say, Sydney?

As for the possibility of any educational/academic upside abroad? Let me ask you; would you consider any of these US institutions to be offering a better education than what you might find in, say, Sydney?[/quote]

For the price I get much more, the experience, the education and the soccer. The two girls I mentioned that have gone before my girl, one came home because shes the mummies girl type and the other one is having the time of her life. Experincing the culture, different weather (snow etc)and just so much more

I also like the idea of breaking the close contact with both of my kids so they expeirence life and grow up to be responsible (well I hope) as quick as they can. This is hard line but my view on life.
My boy striaght from School joined the army and he is standing strong and doing great, hope it works for the girl as well.

That's were the problem lay. Slick, experienced operators are well aware of this and prey on it. They know what a parent wants to hear, how to appeal to those parental instincts, how to divert apprehensions and even how to apply subtle guilt. I'm a sceptic by nature so I smell bullshit coming from next week, but most are trusting and meat on the bone.

The website of a particular agency gives a hint of the hard sell. It was appreciably amplified in the privacy of an interview.



And this part contains claims that are either highly questionable or incorrect.

Fair enough, and each to their own.

It's just a pity that some dodgy org gets to pocket some money in the process.

Bear Grylls once said don't destroy the man by crushing the boy, he went on to say never tell boys to be brave like a man let them grow into it.
I think it is the same for girls, but every parent raises children their own way.

What experience do you have with the college scholarship system?

Would I send my son to the USA for a footballing scholarship? No

Would I send my son to the USA on a footballing scholarship which includes a uni degree in his chosen field? I surely would.

In the end it's your call to make as a parent and best of luck for your kids. I agree that you as a parent should make sure you thoroughly investigate everything you can before making final decisions.

Good luck.

Edited by Aussiesrus: 13/12/2011 02:29:40 AM

A lot.

A close relative has done part of one.

A big problem is doing the course of choice in the USA.

A second problem is there is such a disparity between universities in America in academic programmes. They have the best in the world and plenty of the worst.

The Americans are also too ethnocentric and heliocentric. I'll qualify this comment by saying I've met a plethora of charming Americans all over the world and in America. A few educated Americans I've met, and read books written by, are very concerned that innumerable Americans know so little about the rest of the world.

This extrapolates to their football programmes. They are often based on grid iron - a sport nobody else plays. They use archaic practices on the training track - heaps of superfluous weight lifting and running without the ball. Quantity over quality. They also play a lot of direct, overly physical football.

The ethnocentricism and heliocentricism also transfers to their academic knowledge about the rest of the world. They are often so blissfully ignorant.

Edited by Decentric: 13/12/2011 10:26:09 AM

Some pretty wise words there,

The choice you make must be based on what you can see in the boy or girl. Again, eyes need to be open in your parental assessment of your children. We have moved all around the country and I have no doubt the boy would adapt and the same with the Girl moving forward.

I think thre is so much mis conception with the USA choices a new thread might be a good thing.
Got another offer last night, one which I wont persue but if you had the money and were confident of the location what an experience it could be. Kings College, New York. The college is actually in the empire state building!!

Yes.

The $2500 cost of doing the course in a city where he is not based.

He works very closely with three other licenced agents.

Peanuts, with a short payback period, that is if he had any genuine belief in his own ability.

Bought the scripted sales pitch from NSR that "your kid has tons of ability" and got done hook, line and sinker.

Classic naivety.

Took me less than 2 minutes researching this college, and the alarm bells were ringing. Sketchy accreditation and seemingly handing out scholarships like M&M's. FFS do yer research. Much safer, from an academic POV, to get educated here and thereafter think about the O/S folly.

I worked for a USA based technology company here in Australia for roughly 7 years. The academic training was constant and outstanding. So based on my experience with this company from an academic point of view it was leading edge and world class. No hype no BS and they had a way of cutting through the BS to make even the most complex of learning really easy. I use to train new employees most fresh out of uni here and the first thing I would tell them is take everything you have learned from uni and flush it down the toilet. It's over 5 years out of date and obsolete. You cannot beat a leading edge degree from the USA. Australian uni's are many years behind leading edge USA uni's.

As for their footballing educational services, They don't rate in the world of football. They are the only country in the world that holds a competition for only the USA and calls it a world series *gag*

Yes, like I said one which I wont be persuing. They are entering teams for the first time and are only Division 3 which dont offer athletic scholarships, only academic so they need to throw scholarships around to attact interest.

There's a lot of 'agents' around in Australia who aren't actually licensed by the FFA - for some (Bernie Mandic comes to mind) it's because they can't pass the exam, for others (Buddy Farah for example) it's because they don't see the point of giving the FFA a shed load of money when the regulations state that you don't need accreditation so long as your business partner is a licensed agent and/or solicitor. End of the day accreditation only means that you know the rules, not that you follow them.

For the record - license in Australia, $2,500 - license in UK, approx $800. And the UK agents are watched far more carefully by the authorities than the Aussie ones.

On the subject of US scholarships - as stated by others, if the college has a good reputation and offers a good degree course, then jump at it. If, on the other hand, it's a Mickey Mouse uni, RUN in the other direction. Judy's advice is perfect - do your research.

A mate of mine has a degree in botany.

He is a tree breeder. In his field he knows two guys with Australian doctorates.

He said that both have had work interactions with Americans in their field. Both said that the Americans considered their Aussie PHDs as not having the depth required in the USA.

Conversely, when a relative went on a US soccer scholarship, they started marking her work at masters level in her first year. She found it ridiculously easy, Yet she was only a student between the 80th and 98th percentile in Australia at pre-tertiary level depending on the subject.

It seems to be a question of which institution one attends.

Edited by Decentric: 13/12/2011 06:49:32 PM

Is this the cost for simply sitting for the exam?

By my calcs that's about a 2000% increase since formation of the FFA.

Someone should point out to decentric that these "archaic practices" have produced the most successful nation in FIFA Women's World Cup history.

How about that. :lol:

It appears my critical questioning of highly unethical practices in this country by sporting scholarship agencies, practices perhaps crossing the line of legality, has been 'overlooked' in favour of the pros and cons of a US scholarship education.

The problem i speak of and my criticism along with it, is intensified by the fact 'agencies' I've experienced in the process of questionable practice, are or have been endorsed by some, if not most state federations on official federation websites and as a result, federation endorsements are used as primary promotional material on 'agency' websites.

I have no idea if there are 'arrangements' for endorsement, financial or otherwise.

Again, I have no issue with the personal choice of an education in Australia, the US or a Buddhist monastery in Tibet and this has absolutely no relevance to the above.

It is despite their development system not because of it. The USA has the greatest reserves of footballers training at professional level than any the country in the world , particularly women's. They literally have millions playing in the college systems to augment their professional leagues. In Australia we may have only under 1000 players training at this level for both genders.

My relative, returning from the USA, could not believe that Galaxy were no better than Victory, given all their reserves. She observed the game with incredulity.

If one goes to Europe then a player at least enters countries with a football culture.

Coaching in Europe at pro or semi-pro level should, but not always in practice, be superior to college coaching.

Well how's that for unbridled arrogance.



Did you bother to tell your relative that this game was the most meaningless of all meaningless exhibition games ever played in this country?

Why was it meaningless?

34,000 attended a Football match on a Tuesday night.

MV got a nice big cheque which will go nicely on the balance sheet i'm sure

Football/MV/A-League/FFA got massive media exposure locally and internationally on print,radio, internet and TV

MV/A-League played another match involving an A-League team was broadcast around the world.

A heap of youngsters got a run with the senior team, albeit in friendly conditions but still a priceless opportunity for the likes pf Jeggo, Thomas and co.

How many thousands of people were exposed to the A-League that hadn't been previousy.

Indeed it was so meaningless MV have announced they would like to play more of these games.

I'm sure sure MV's sponsors are devastated by the meaningless friendly.

I'm sure there are more positives

That's the cost of sitting the exam - and it's non-refundable if you fail the exam (although I believe they give you a discount if you re-sit).

Similar situation with coaching courses. A friend of mine did his B-license in Singapore because it was cheaper to fly up there twice and pay the SFA fees, than to fly down to Sydney and pay the FFA fees.

I understand the FFA are in the process of making renewal courses compulsory, another neat little money spinner - although I can't confirm that this is 100% accurate.