A calm, sunny morning heralded the 7th Annual Sports Recruiting USA (SRUSA) Showcase event, which took place this year at Boldmere St Michaels FC in Sutton Coldfield, on their state of the art 3G pitch.
With players travelling from throughout the UK, there was a lot of excitement within the SRUSA team to see this talented group of players express themselves on the pitch. That keen anticipation turned into a palpable feeling of nervous excitement as the players and coaching team prepared for what was to be a memorable, and potentially life-changing day.
The travel restrictions in place due to Covid-19 meant that this year’s showcase had a slightly different feel to it, with coaches watching the live stream of the action from the comfort of their own homes across the pond, in the USA. Cheers Mate Productions did an outstanding job on the day supplying top-level real-time footage, replays of key moments, and a full personalised commentary.
The showcase event is always the pinnacle of the year for SRUSA’s prospective student athletes. The occasion this year provided the players with the opportunity to play in front of over 150 USA Soccer coaches via the big screen. With four squads of 12 players taking to the field, and two guest teams from SRUSA partners ‘This Girl Kicks’, the promise of exciting competition was matched by the excellent product on the pitch.
The group of players performing ranged from youth internationals and WSL development players, to players currently involved with grassroots clubs.
The day itself was led by UEFA qualified coaches who were supported by current student athletes Jade Butcher, Taylor Scully and Demi McCalliog. All three players have been through the scholarship process with SRUSA and were able to pass on their invaluable experiences as student athletes, to the players in attendance.
As always, all players received a magazine on behalf of our official partners, She Kicks – the leading online women’s soccer magazine/platform in the UK – both SRUSA and the team at She Kicks are proud to work together, with the welfare of players and the best interests of the women’s game of paramount importance to all involved.
The day was split into two parts with two SRUSA teams and one This Girl Kicks team competing in the morning session, and the same in the afternoon. The quality on display on the day was exceptional.
Given the challenges presented by the Covid-19 virus, everyone at SRUSA was extremely pleased and proud of the attitude shown by every player involved. The tempo was superb throughout with some outstanding goals, great technique, superb goalkeeping, and top-drawer defending – all contributing towards a great day’s soccer.
The feedback received by the SRUSA team, from on-looking coaches, was universally positive:
“Although it was impossible for them to make it in person, the professionalism and quality of the footage fortunately meant that our friends in the USA were still able to clearly see the quality on offer.
“We now look forward to 2021 and providing even more opportunities for female footballers throughout the UK to pursue the dream of a soccer scholarship in the USA.”
SRUSA have two further events coming up in early 2021, one in January in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and the second in Uxbridge, London in February.
If you are interested in finding out more information about these events, you can sign up via the links below:
Rotherham Trial Event – Saturday 23rd January 2021
Uxbridge Trial Event – Saturday 13th February 2021
And finally a message from all of the SRUSA team: “We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2021. It promises to be another great year for women’s and girl’s football.”
