The students who have secured the top football scholarships in the UK

One of them played for Costa Rica

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Most footballers dream of going pro at 16 so when it doesn’t happen their lives are turned upside down.

Less than 10 per cent of players who play football for a Premiership academy will ever make it into the first team squad.

Some players will go into work and find a semi-pro team to play for, others will give up completely, but some take the challenging step and go to uni on football scholarships.

The players who choose to play football at uni know that this could be their last chance to play at an elite level.

We spoke to five footballers who are working hard to play the game they love and get a degree at the same time.


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Meet the footballers with scholarships to top unis

David Acuña, Centre Midfield, Business and Management, Masters

Nottingham’s season so far: P – 9, W – 2, D – 3, L – 4

David now plays for Nottingham after playing for Costa Rica

Before starting his Masters at Nottingham, David left his family in Costa Rica at 17 to pursue football and a better education in America.

“I earned a full scholarship at Monmouth so I didn’t need to pay for anything, which was the biggest reason I chose to leave my country. I left for a first world education and the soccer in the states can really set you up for success.”

David was part of the MLS (Major League Soccer) draft but suffered a severe injury beforehand, so he came to the UK looking for somewhere to settle down.

“When I came to Nottingham I was looking for a bit of stability. Nottingham is a great school academically – not everyone in my country gets the opportunity to study at such a good school.”

Since joining Nottingham, David’s training has been intense, on top of two training sessions and matches, he goes to the gym four days a week. He said: “I left my family, friends and home country at a young age so I have had to become very disciplined.”

Life would have been very different for David if he had stayed in Costa Rica.

He said: “When you sign youth contracts with clubs in Costa Rica, it’s hard to stay in school, I got close to quitting, but my parents wouldn’t let me drop out of school.”


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Cian Wade, Centre Back, Medicine, fifth year

Oxford’s season so far: P – 6, W – 4, D – 1, L – 1

Cian plays for Oxford’s first team

Cian grew up in Cardiff playing football since he was nine years old after a friend’s dad spotted him playing at a birthday party.

“I played for one of the Cardiff’s academies for three years up until I was 16. Then I went and played for a Welsh youth league team.”

As well as loving football, Cian grew up wanting to be a doctor and five years ago was accepted onto a Medicine course at Oxford, where he was awarded a scholarship. Cian’s scholarship was given to him for his drive and commitment, as he combines his incredible sporting achievements with the rigorous academics demanded of him.

“It’s a tough balance and requires a lot of organisation. You need to think ahead when you are playing every Wednesday afternoon. You need to spend a lot of time in the library working. I just don’t have a lot of time outside of Medicine and football.

“The scholarship has helped me a lot. There are so many things at Oxford you could get stressed about so the scholarship takes things off of your mind.

“We went to California last year which I could pay for due to the scholarship. You can buy all of the equipment you need. It’s been a great stress reliever.”


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Joe Hamblin, Right Back, English Literature, second year

Newcastle’s season so far: P – 5, W – 4, D – 0, L – 1

Joe (right) plays for Newcastle’s first team

Joe played for a few football teams in the north, including Hartlepool Academy for eight years before being released. So Joe chose to start studying at Newcastle.

“Having a serious football set-up was a big part of me choosing to come to Newcastle. I’ve always played a high standard of football and I wanted to continue at uni.

“The scholarship was a big reason for switching to uni football. At pro and semi-pro you get paid, so the scholarship made up for it and I get strength and conditioning sessions, physiotherapy and a lot of additional help with my performance.”

Joe was one of the only people out of his friends in Sunderland to go to uni. He said: “I haven’t got many friends who have gone to uni and those that did went because of football.

“Football is a massive part of my life, there’s nothing I could do that would compare to football.

“I don’t think I’ve got it in me to be the next Jamie Vardy so my career will definitely come first. I want to play as high a level as I can.”


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Callum Horn, Defensive Midfield, Marketing and Management, second year

Newcastle’s season so far: P – 5, W – 4, D – 0, L – 1

Callum playing for Newcastle’s first team

Callum spent a year in America during his gap year captaining an academy team out there. Now he’s a scholar at uni in Newcastle playing for the first team and studying Marketing and Management, which isn’t an easy balance with so much training.

“Our playing schedule is jam-packed. We play Wednesdays, Saturdays, train twice a week and the season runs throughout the year.

“I actually live six hours away on the other side of the country. The scholarship allows me to spend time in Newcastle during the holidays and it means I can carry on playing on Saturdays without having to work.”

Callum reckons sacrifice is what makes the most talented football players, he said: “It’s tempting to start going out with your mates all the time, being able to balance and say you can’t do that because you’ve got an important game in a few days is crucial.

“There are unwritten rules in the team that you never go out the night before a game and you need to be attending as many sessions as possible.”


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Andrew Drylie, Centre Midfield, Law, first year

Nottingham’s season so far: P – 9, W – 2, D – 3, L – 4

The list of Andrew’s footballing achievements is incredible for his age: he played in the top division of Irish football, a stint at Nottingham Forest and some school boy games for Northern Ireland.

Being such a talented footballer would have made it easy for Andrew to not pursue education and to continue playing in Northern Ireland, but it’s something he has always prioritised.

“It’s hard to make a living out of football in the Irish league. Education was important to me, I could of stayed in at home but I thought it would be a waste of my hard work in school.”

Balancing a Law degree and a three training sessions a week isn’t easy. Andrew said: “I find I am working most weekends and late at night on Saturdays. The early morning trainings on Monday and Friday can be a struggle too.”

Andrew had scholarship offers from colleges in America but felt like the degrees were too general, so he chose to study Law at Nottingham.

“I get the best of both worlds. Nottingham is the fourth best Law school in the UK and the football team play in Northern Premier.”


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