A Dale In The Community Sports Trust coach is departing for the USA to begin a soccer scholarship.
Daniel Licata, who has worked for the Trust for the last two years, is also a graduate of the Trust’s Futsal BTEC Scholarship.
He will begin his scholarship at Northeast Community College in Nebraska in August, and says he would not have the opportunity had he not enrolled on the Futsal course.
“I’m so glad I did it,” said Daniel. “I was 16 when I joined the course. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school, when Keith Hicks came to do a presentation on the course.
“I didn’t know too much about Futsal, but I thought it was a bit different and looked interesting. I thought I’d give it a go, and I haven’t regretted it.”
“The education has helped me, as it has helped me decide what I want to do, which has helped me to get the scholarship.”
The Futsal course gave Daniel different options for what he wanted to progress into, and he joined the Sports Trust on an apprenticeship as a coach.
“The course widened the options on what I wanted to learn, and it helped me go down the route of coaching.
“I’ve now got my Level 1 coaching badge, refereeing badges, an apprenticeship qualification and my qualification from the college course, where I earned the highest distinctions.”
Now he will study for a degree in Health, Sports & Recreation, whilst playing for the college football team.
“I had to attend trials, where I was accepted, and I had to go to a second lot. They made a short video of us invididually, which they sent to the college in America, who saw it and were interested.
“I could get picked up over there to play professionally, or I could continue onto University to complete a further two years of the scholarship.”
Rochdale AFC Futsal are holding their final trials for their Sports BTEC Scholarship on Thursday 24th May, 5.30pm-7pm.
For more details click HERE.