Christopher Ball from London has a good amount of pedigree when it comes to the “sports” that he loves and a Firstpoint USA Sport Scholarship sounded perfect for him. Christopher had soccer trials with three of London’s premium sides, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and QPR between 2013 and 2015. This is as well as playing for AFC Wimbledon and Fulham a few years before that. What is interesting is that Christopher isn’t intending to go to the States to play soccer, but to play rugby union!

[caption id="attachment_11042" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Christopher Ball.[/caption]

“The opportunity to play a sport which I am passionate about in a country where this sport is relatively new and which I know “the Americans” will love"

Christopher has a wide range of sporting inspirations who he talked to us about. The first icon he mentioned was the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was not only one, if not the best boxer of all but had a huge influence in the civil rights act which Christopher acknowledged. Secondly was the late and great Jonah Lomu. His uniqueness on the field as well as his leadership qualities are something that Christopher admired.

Finally there is the mercurial talent that is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho. The Brazilian legend who had stints at several of Europe's top clubs such as Barcelona, Milan and PSG is regarded as one of the best players of all time. As such, Christopher admired several aspects of his game such as his passing and set piece ability.

[caption id="attachment_11036" align="aligncenter" width="625"] One of Christopher's idols, Ronaldinho.[/caption]

Something we ask our athletes very early on at FirstPoint USA is why they want to go and study in the USA and this was Christopher's response...

"I think it would give me the opportunity to acquire my desired qualification in a country where technology is quite advanced whilst giving me the access to the best resources available which I anticipate to be a good platform for a career I hope to embark on". 

The amount of investment in college facilities is absolutely staggering as you can read from a previous blog on our site. We are confident that wherever Christopher goes that he will have everything provided to him to help him reach his potential.

In ten years time, Christopher sees himself as "a professional sports person who has achieved their desired academic qualification". He also said that once he's hung up his boots he would love to "give back to sport on a grass roots level whilst doing the job that I love".

We will keep you updated on Christopher's progress!