Representation Agreement is made between:

  1. U.S Soccer Scholarships Ltd, a company incorporated under the Companies Acts (Registered Number 09035615) and having its registered office at 125 Dale Hall Lane, Ipswich, England, IP1 4LS (the “Company”); and (the “Client”)

Whereas

  1. The Company carries on business as a sports scholarship consultancy.
  2. The Client wishes to engage the Company to provide the Services (as defined below) on the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement

Now therefore the parties hereto have agreed and do hereby agree as follows:

1 Definitions and Interpretation:

1.1 For the purposes of this Agreement the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

“Amateur Athlete” is an individual (other than a Professional Athlete) who engages in a particular sport for the educational, physical, mental and social benefits derived therefrom, and for whom participation in that sport is an avocation;

“Appendix” means an appendix to this Agreement and “Appendices” shall be construed accordingly;

“Coach” means a sports coach affiliated, employed, engaged with or representing a College and having the authority to make an Offer of Scholarship to the Client on behalf of that College, and “Coaches” shall be construed accordingly;

“College” means a college or university based/located in the United States of America or Canada which competes under the governance of the NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA as a sporting governing body, and “Colleges” shall be construed accordingly;

“Commencement Date” means the last date of execution of this Agreement;

“Intellectual Property Rights” means all patents, copyrights, design rights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, know-how, database rights, other industrial or intellectual property and rights and all actual property and rights thereto (whether registered or unregistered) and all applications or rights to apply for the same, anywhere in the world, whether in existence at the Commencement Date or coming into being thereafter;

“Materials” means all materials and other works created by or on behalf of the Company (whether for the purpose of this Agreement or otherwise and in any format or media) and used by the Company in the course of the provision of the Services including without limitation all brochures, information packs, assessment reports, audio visual recordings and databases;

“NCAA” means the National Collegiate Athletic Association;

“NAIA” means National Association Intercollegiate Athletics;

“NJCAA” means the National Junior College Athletics Association;

“Offer of Scholarship” means any proposed, indicative or formal Scholarship offer, irrespective of its terms, conditions or financial value, made to the Client by any Coach or formal representative of any College and issued by any means of communication including verbal, written, electronic mail, letter or website interaction between a Coach and the Client, and “Offers of Scholarship” shall be construed accordingly;

“Professional Athlete” means is a sportsperson who is “paid to play”, in which case the performance of sports is one of his jobs;

“Services” means consultancy/representation services, which dependant on whether an athlete signs up to the Premier Athlete or Online Athlete package will include but is not limited to the calculation of an approximate grade point average, invitation to participate in company trial games and creation of player highlight video, the provision of SAT support and advice and NCAA clearinghouse advice, profile creation and production, and a meeting with a Company consultant, the release of promotional materials to identified Coaches, regular contact with interested Coaches, the provision of update releases to Coaches and Colleges regarding the Client, speaking with the Client to discuss progress, review and filing of all Client/Coach communication, review and advice regarding Offers of Scholarship and, in the event that Offer(s) of Scholarship are received, decision making assistance, assistance with all relevant application forms for university admission and Scholarship acceptance; and particularly the following:

  • The creation of a dedicated consultant managing file.
  • The calculation of an approximate GPA.
  • The creation of an online sporting & media profile.
  • Assistance with scholarship compliance, eligibility & clearing.
  • Assistance with the scholarship placement & clearing process.
  • Bespoke marketing & promotion.
  • Review of Scholarship offers.
  • Admissions assistance.
  • Assistance with the US Visa & SEVIS process
  • Transfer support if applicable

“Services Fee” means the sum of £2,250, payable to the Company by the Client pursuant to clause 4 for the provision of the Services for the Premier Athlete package. This is a one-off fee that can be paid in instalments and entitles our student-athletes to the U.S Sports Scholarships service that lasts for approximately 5 years; with the first year focused on securing suitable scholarship opportunities, and the years that follow providing aftercare support to the athlete during their time in America. Alternatively, for our Online Athletes package standard price is 1 month at £9.99 then following months are £24.99/month. Your pass will be debited in 1 or several instalments according to the terms of the specific offer. If the offer is for several instalments, your subscription will be monthly debited. After the initial period, your Pass will be automatically renewed for successive renewal terms of equal length at the full price. You may cancel this automatic renewal anytime from the ‘my account’ page. All prices are inclusive of VAT. In accordance with applicable laws, you have fourteen days from the purchase of your pass to exercise your right to end it.

“Scholarship” is the award to the Client of a place on an academic or educational course at a College which may include an award for full or partial financial assistance; and

“Sports Agent” means any person who, directly or indirectly, recruits or solicits, an athlete to enter into any agent contract, endorsement contract, financial services contract, professional sports services contract or similar arrangement, or for compensation procures, offers, promises, attempts or negotiates to obtain employment for any person with a professional sports team or organisation or as a Professional Athlete.

1.2 For the purposes of this Agreement:

1.2.1 References to clauses and sub-clauses shall be to clauses and sub-clauses of this Agreement.

1.2.2 References to appendices shall be to the Appendices to this Agreement.

1.2.3 Unless the context otherwise requires, the singular number shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa and the masculine gender shall be deemed to include the feminine and neuter genders.

1.2.4 References in this Agreement to any statutory or legislative provisions, or to the rules and regulations of any governing body, are to those provisions as amended, extended or re-enacted from time to time and shall include any regulations made thereunder.

1.2.5 The clause headings in this Agreement are for convenience and reference only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation hereof.

1.2.6 References to persons in this Agreement include, partnerships, bodies’ corporate and unincorporated bodies.

1.2.7 Any phrase introduced by the words “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression is to be construed as illustrative only and is not to be construed as limiting the generality of any preceding words.

1.2.8 This Agreement will be duly executed only if it is executed in such manner as meets the requirements of Section 3 of the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995.

1.2.9 The Appendices to this Agreement shall be deemed to form part of this Agreement as if set out in the body of this Agreement and any reference to this Agreement includes its Appendices.

2 Term

2.1 This Agreement will commence on the Commencement Date and may be terminated as follows.

2.1.1 The Client may terminate this Agreement if the Company has breached this Agreement in a serious manner and has not rectified that breach within a period of four (4) weeks of having been notified in writing of that breach by the Client, or that breach is not capable of rectification. In such an event the Client shall be entitled to a full refund of the Services Fee in full satisfaction of all liability of the Company to the Client, except that which may not be limited under law.

2.1.2 The Client may terminate this Agreement if the Client has following the Commencement Date suffered a serious injury which prevents them on an ongoing basis from participating in the sport for which a scholarship is sought. The presence of a serious injury of the nature described shall be determined by the Company, acting reasonably. In this event the whole of the Service Fee shall be refunded. For the purposes of this clause the Client shall not be entitled to rely upon an injury in existence at the Commencement Date.

2.1.3 The Client may terminate this Agreement, or the Company may terminate this Agreement, at any time by notice in writing to the other and for whatever reason. In such an event the Client shall be entitled to a refund of the Services Fee as follows:

a) If the Company gives or receives notice of termination within fourteen (14) days of the Commencement Date, the whole of the Services Fee.

b) If the Company gives or receives notice of termination following expiry of this period but within fifty (50) days of the Commencement Date, half of the Services Fee.

(c) If the Company gives or receives notice of termination thereafter, no part of the Services Fee shall be refunded.

2.1.4 The Company may terminate this Agreement if the Client has breached this Agreement in a serious manner and has not rectified that breach within a period of four (4) weeks of having been notified in writing of that breach by the Company, or that breach is not capable of rectification. Additionally, the Company may suspend the performance of its obligations under this Agreement where the Client is in breach of this Agreement. In such an event the Client shall be not be entitled to a refund of any of the Services Fee.

2.1.5 The Company may terminate this Agreement if it becomes unlawful for the Company to perform this Agreement, or any substantial part of it, or if the rules of any governing body state that the Company is not entitled to perform this Agreement or any substantial part of it. In such an event the Client shall be not be entitled to a refund of any of the Services Fee.

2.2 On expiry of a period of twenty four (24) months following the Commencement Date, or on acceptance by the Client of an Offer of Scholarship, this Agreement shall automatically terminate. In such an event the Client shall not be entitled to a refund of any of the Services Fee.

2.3 The Client acknowledges the rights of termination set down in this clause are reasonable in the circumstances given the time and effort expended, and costs and expenses incurred, by the Company to enable the Company to provide the Services, and in providing the Services throughout the period of this Agreement.

3 Services

3.1 The Company will provide the Services subject to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

3.2 The Client is advised to, and acknowledges that it has, read the ‘Frequently Asked Questions” concerning the Services and its rights and obligations under this Agreement as set out in the Appendix.

3.3 The Company may remove from the Services any part thereof if it becomes unlawful for the Company to perform that part of the Services, or if the rules of any governing body state that the Company is not entitled to perform that part of the Services. In such an event the Client shall be not be entitled to a refund of any of the Services Fee.

4 Fees and Expenses:

4.1 In consideration of the provision of the Services by the Company the Client shall pay to the Company the Services Fee in full within fourteen (14) days of the Commencement Date.

4.2 The Client shall be solely responsible to meet (and the Company shall not be bound in any manner to meet) all costs and fees or other charges of third parties connected with the Scholarship (including obtaining the same) and / or attending the College at which the Scholarship is to be provided, including any costs or expenses relating to any examination or registration requirements or visas, travel expenses, and any costs and expenses relating to health and travel insurance.

4.3 If the Client fails to pay the Services Fee in full within 14 days of the Commencement Date, the Company shall be entitled, without limiting any other right it may have, to charge interest on the outstanding amount (both before and after any decree or judgement) at the rate of 5% above the base lending rate from time to time of the Bank of England. Interest shall run from day to day, shall accrue before and after any decree and shall be compounded monthly on the overdue amount until payment is made in full.

5 Duties/Responsibilities of the Client:

5.1 The Client agrees to provide such information, including that relating to his sporting, academic and personal background, as the Company may request to enable it to provide the Services and / or to properly conduct its business (for the purposes of this clause the rights of the Company shall expressly include the right to require from the Client such information as the Company’s service providers (including insurers) may require to enable them to provide services to the Company). The Client warrants that all such information will be accurate, complete and not misleading. Furthermore the Client undertakes (i) to act in good faith throughout the period of the Agreement, and (ii) notify the Company without delay of any change of circumstances which may affect the matters addressed by this Agreement, including but not limited to anything which may render any information previously given untrue, incomplete or misleading in any respect, and anything that may affect the Client’s eligibility for any Scholarship or admission being considered by or offered to the Client (including without limitation any change to the Client’s status as an Amateur Athlete).

5.2 The Client acknowledges that the Client’s eligibility for any Scholarship is conditional upon the Client:

5.2.1 being at all times during the period of this Agreement (and at all times having been) an Amateur Athlete (and the Client hereby warrants that the Client is and has at all times been an Amateur Athlete);

5.2.2 not having ever engaged, nor engaging during the period of this Agreement, a Sports Agent (whether such Sports Agent is regulated to act as such or not) to represent or act for the Client (and the Client hereby warrants and undertakes that the Client has not at any time so engaged a Sports Agent, and shall not do so during the period of this Agreement);

5.2.3 at all times during the period of this Agreement maintaining consistent performance and appropriate fitness/skill levels to the best of the Client’s ability and not engaging in any criminal or illegal behaviour or any behaviour likely to bring the Company or any College into disrepute;

5.2.4 being successful in gaining and retaining at all times during the period of this Agreement the appropriate United States of America or Canadian visa to permit travel to, study in and continued occupation in the United States of America or Canada (as appropriate), to enable the Client’s participation in a Scholarship; and

5.2.5 complying with all of the rules and regulations imposed by NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA or such other regulatory bodies governing the conduct of the relevant College or the sport in which the Client participates.

For the avoidance of doubt, the breach of any of the conditions contained in this clause 5.2 shall be deemed to be a serious breach of the Agreement not capable of rectification and the Company shall be entitled to immediately terminate this Agreement in accordance with its terms.

5.3 The Client is solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable legal requirements (including all immigration requirements and for obtaining and paying for necessary visas) adherence to which is required to allow it to obtain and enjoy the benefit of any Scholarship (including by way of attending the relevant College).

5.4 The Client is solely responsible for obtaining and paying for any mandatory or recommended health and travel insurance relating to any Scholarship or the obtaining thereof, and / or their participation in sports. The Company does not provide advice with regard to insurance coverage or selection of any insurance company.

5.5 The Client undertakes to contact the Company at least every four (4) weeks to update the Company on the Client’s activities and continued interest.

5.6 THE CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE COMPANY HAS ADVISED THE CLIENT OF THEIR RIGHTS TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON THE CONTENTS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND HAS GIVEN THEM EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE SUCH ADVICE AND THE CLIENT WARRANTS THAT THEY HAVE READ AND FULLY UNDERSTOOD ALL OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

6 Warranties & Liability

6.1 In consideration of the payment of the Services Fee, the Company warrants that the Services will be provided using reasonable care and skill. The Company shall have no liability for breach of this warranty if the full amount of the Service Fee has not been received by the Company in accordance with this Agreement.

6.2 Where the Company supplies, in connection with the provision of the Services, any information or materials supplied by a third party (for example a College), the Company does not give any warranty, guarantee, representation or similar undertaking as to the quality, fitness for purpose or otherwise of such information or materials, but shall, where it is reasonably able, use its reasonable endeavours to assign to the Client, in so far as it is entitled, the benefit of any warranty, guarantee, representation or similar undertaking given by the person supplying the information or materials to the Company.

6.3 The Client acknowledges that:

6.3.1 the Company is not a Scholarship provider and the entire responsibility for deciding whether or not a Scholarship is offered to the Client is within the authority of the relevant College (subject to the rules of relevant regulatory bodies);

6.3.2 the Company gives no warranty, guarantee, representation or assurance of whatever nature that any Offer of Scholarship offered will be acceptable to the Client;

6.3.3 the Company shall have no liability, and accepts no responsibility, for statements, actions or decisions made by third parties including without limitation Colleges, the NCAA, the NAIA or the NJCAA, regarding the eligibility or status of the Client to compete for or qualify for a Scholarship; and

6.3.4 the Company will have no further responsibilities to the Client once this Agreement has terminated, other than those responsibilities which cannot be avoided under law.

6.4 NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT TO THE CONTRARY, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE TO THE CLIENT FOR ANY LOSS, COST, EXPENSE OR DAMAGE WHICH WOULD NOT NORMALLY BE EXPECTED TO ARISE IN THE EVENT OF A BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT AT THE COMMENCEMENT DATE, ANY INDIRECT, SECONDARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS, COST, EXPENSE OR DAMAGE, OR ANY LOSS OF USE, PROFIT, ANTICIPATED PROFIT OR REVENUE, TRAVEL EXPENSES, ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES, TUITION EXPENSES, OR LOSS ARISING FROM THE TERMINATION OF ANY EMPLOYMENT.

6.5 SAVE FOR LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE COMPANY, ITS SERVANTS OR AGENTS, WHICH IS UNLIMITED, THE COMPANY’S ENTIRE LIABILITY TO THE CLIENT SHALL LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT OF THE SERVICES FEE PAID TO THE COMPANY BY THE CLIENT.

6.6 THE COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO THE CLIENT OR BE DEEMED TO BE IN BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT BY REASON OF ANY DELAY IN PERFORMING, OR ANY FAILURE TO PERFORM, ANY OF THE COMPANY’S OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, IF THE DELAY OR FAILURE WAS DUE TO ANY CAUSE BEYOND THE COMPANY’S REASONABLE CONTROL.

7 Data Protection

7.1 All personal data held by the Company relating to the Client shall (save with the prior consent of the Client) be used for the purposes and in accordance with the terms set out in this Agreement only, and the Client hereby consents to such use (including the use described in Clause 7.3).

7.2 The Company confirms that it shall process the Client’s personal data in accordance with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 (as amended from time to time).

7.3 The Client acknowledges that in order for the Company to provide the Services and conduct its business it will be necessary for the Company (i) to provide all or part of the Client’s personal data to those officials and Coaches that have been contacted by the Company or have contacted the Company seeking further information in respect of sportspersons dealt with by the Company and (ii) to provide all or part of the Client’s personal data to its insurers, and that such officials and Coaches are ordinarily located, and such insurers or their data storage facilities may be located, out with the European Economic Area and that these persons may not have entered into a written agreement with the Company concerning their use of that personal data.

7.4 THE CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE COMPANY SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO THE CLIENT FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, COSTS, EXPENSES OR OTHER CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION ARISING FROM THE USE OR DISCLOSURE, AS PERMITTED HEREUNDER, OF ANY MATERIALS OR INFORMATION (OF WHATEVER NATURE) SUPPLIED TO THE COMPANY BY THE CLIENT, INCLUDING BUT WITHOUT LIMITATION INFORMATION CONCERNING HIS BACKGROUND, STATUS AND ELIGIBILITY.

8 Confidentiality

Except as required by law both parties shall procure that all confidential information disclosed by one party to the other in accordance with this Agreement or which may at any time until termination of this Agreement come into the other party’s knowledge, possession or control shall not be used for any purposes other than those required or permitted by this Agreement and shall remain confidential and shall not be disclosed to any third party except insofar as this may be permitted hereunder or required for the proper operation of this Agreement. For the purposes of this Agreement information relating to the business of the Company, its business systems, business processes, business affairs and databases and / or client and supplier lists are hereby deemed to be confidential information. These obligations of confidentiality shall cease to apply to any particular item of confidential information once it becomes public knowledge other than by any unauthorised act or default of either party.

9 Intellectual Property

9.1 The Client agrees that all Intellectual Property Rights in all Materials (whether created before or after the Commencement Date) shall belong to the Company.

9.2 The Client undertakes that:

9.2.1 they shall not copy or make available to others any of the Materials without the prior written consent of the Company; and

9.2.2 immediately following termination of this Agreement (howsoever arising) the Client shall on demand return to the Company all Materials (and all copies thereof) in the possession or under the control of the Client.

10 Consequences of Termination

10.1 Any termination of this Agreement shall not affect the entry into force or continuance in force of any provision of this Agreement which is intended by the parties to either enter into force or continue in force notwithstanding termination.

10.2 The parties agree that to the provisions of Clauses 1, 4, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 7.1, 7.3, 7.4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

10.3 Termination of this Agreement shall not affect the rights and liabilities of the parties accrued at termination.

11 Notices

11.1 Any notice or other document required or permitted to be given or served hereunder may be given or served (i) personally or (ii) by leaving the same at or (iii) sending the same by first class recorded delivery post to the registered office of the Company for the time being or the address of the Client as stated in this Agreement or such other addresses as either party may have notified to the other in accordance with the provisions for the giving of notice set down in this clause.

11.2 Any notice or other document required or permitted to be given or served hereunder shall be given in writing.

11.3 Any notice or other document required or permitted to be given or served hereunder shall be deemed to have been served:

11.3.1 if delivered personally or left, at the time of delivery; or

11.3.2 if posted, at the expiration of 48 hours after posting.

11.4 In proving service pursuant to this clause 11 it shall be sufficient to prove that delivery was made or that the envelope containing such notice or document was properly addressed (in accordance with clause 11.1 above) and posted as a pre-paid first class recorded delivery letter.

12 Whole Agreement, Variation and Waiver

12.1 This Agreement and any documents referred to in it, constitute the whole agreement between the parties and supersedes any arrangements, understandings, previous agreements, representations or warranties related to its subject matter.

12.2 The Company shall be entitled to vary the terms of this Agreement by notice to the Client. Notice for the purposes of this clause shall include the posting of an updated version of this Agreement on the website of the Company. Otherwise, any variation of this Agreement must be in writing and signed by or on behalf of both parties.

12.3 Any waiver of any right or remedy under or relating to this Agreement is only effective if it is in writing and it applies only to the party to whom the waiver is addressed and the circumstances for which it is given and will not prevent the party who has given the waiver from subsequently relying on the right or remedy it has waived.

12.4 No failure to exercise or delay in exercising any right or remedy provided under this Agreement or by law constitutes a waiver of such right or remedy or will prevent any future exercise in whole or in part thereof.

12.5 No single or partial exercise of any right or remedy under this Agreement shall preclude or restrict the further exercise of any such right or remedy.

12.6 Unless specifically provided otherwise, rights arising under this Agreement are cumulative and do not exclude rights provided by law.

13 Severance

13.1 If any provision of this Agreement (or part of a provision) is found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, the other provisions will remain in force.

13.2 If any invalid, unenforceable or illegal provision would be valid, enforceable or legal if some part of it were deleted, the provision will apply with whatever modification is necessary to give effect to the commercial intention of the parties.

14 Governing Law:

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and each of the parties to this Agreement hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts in relation to the determination of any disputes connected with this Agreement.

NCAA Compliance Schedule

Appendix 1

U.S Soccer Scholarships Ltd is an international athletic consultancy company, providing services to both international student athletes and member institutions. The services that U.S Soccer Scholarships provides are consistent with the following NCAA definition (April 1, 2011):

“The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that a recruiting or scouting service includes any individual, organization, entity or segment of an entity that is primarily involved in providing information about prospective student-athletes. This definition includes, but is not limited to any service that provides information only to paid subscribers, any service that is only available to a select group of individuals (e.g., coaches), regardless of whether there is a charge associated with the service, and any service that provides information to the public free of charge; however, this definition does not include any individual, organization or entity or segment of an entity that provides information about prospective student-athletes incidental to its primary purpose and is generally available to the public (e.g. news media).”

U.S Soccer Scholarships’ service is fully compliant with NCAA rule 13.14.3 “Recruiting or Scouting Services”, and U.S Soccer Scholarships will ensure that its service:

(a) Is made available to all institutions desiring to subscribe and at the same fee rate for all subscribers;

(b) Publicly identifies all applicable rates;

(c) Disseminates information (e.g., reports, profiles) about prospective student-athletes at least four times per calendar year;

(d) Publicly identifies the geographical scope of the service (e.g., local, regional, national) and reflects broad-based coverage of the geographical area in the information it disseminates;

(e) Provides individual analysis beyond demographic information or rankings for each prospective student-athlete in the information it disseminates;

(f) Provides access to samples or previews of the information it disseminates before purchase of a subscription; and

(g) Provides video that is restricted to regularly scheduled (regular-season) high school, preparatory school or two-year college contests and for which the institution made no prior arrangements for recording.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Appendix 2

“Why do U.S Soccer Scholarships charge a fee before a scholarship has been offered to me?” U.S Soccer Scholarships’ fee is for the provision of assistance and consultancy services including, but not exclusive to, assessing and consulting on the academic & athletic eligibility of its clients and guiding them through the scholarship application process. We are not permitted to charge a fee for our services based on scholarship offers secured for our clients, As such, our fee is charged in advance of our services commencing. (See NCAA rule 12.3 Use of Agents’, available at www.ncaa.org).

“Why can’t U.S Soccer Scholarships guarantee me a scholarship offer?” NCAA rules prohibit any company or individual from guaranteeing your successful placement at an American college or university with an athletic scholarship. NCAA rules state, “A prospective student-athlete may allow a scouting service or agent to distribute personal information to member institutions without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, provided the fee paid to such an agent is not based on placing the prospective student-athlete in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid.” (see NCAA rule 12.3.3.1 ‘Talent Evaluation Services & Agents’, available at www.ncaa.org).

“Do I get a refund from U.S Soccer Scholarships if I fail to receive the scholarship offer to the college I want?” U.S Soccer Scholarships’s role is to assess and consult on your eligibility for receiving a sports scholarship, then guide you through the recruitment process with suitable American colleges and universities. We are not permitted to charge a fee for our services based on successfully placing clients at American colleges with suitable sports scholarships. As a result, we will not provide a refund where scholarships offered to clients were deemed ‘unsuitable’ by the client, or where scholarships are not offered at all. NCAA rules state, “A prospective student-athlete may allow a scouting service or agent to distribute personal information to member institutions without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, provided the fee paid to such an agent is not based on placing the prospective student-athlete in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid.” (see NCAA rule 12.3.3.1 ‘Talent Evaluation Services & Agents’, available at www.ncaa.org).

“Are U.S Soccer Scholarships sports agents?” No. Having a professional agent is against NCAA rules (see NCAA rule 12.3.1 ‘Use of Agents’, available at www.ncaa.org) and having one could make you ineligible to compete in college sports. U.S Soccer Scholarships does not provide services to professional athletes nor do we charge a fee based on the level or type of scholarship you receive, or indeed whether you receive a scholarship at all. U.S Soccer Scholarships’s fees are solely for the guidance and advice we provide in connection with the scholarship application process.

“Will I receive a ‘full scholarship’?” Foreseeing the monetary value of the scholarship that could be offered to you is something that is almost impossible to do. In addition to academic results, SAT test scores, timing, available budgets, and the coaches’ perspective upon an individual’s sporting ability (the college coach is the only one who could say to a prospective student athlete that they will receive ‘a full scholarship’) all have an impact. U.S Soccer Scholarships cannot and do not guarantee the ultimate level of scholarship awards made to our clients or indeed that a scholarship offer will be made at all.

“What does a ‘full scholarship’ cover?” You should expect that a ‘full’ or ‘100%’ scholarship would cover the cost of tuition, room, board, books and sports related clothing & equipment. However, the terms of any offer should be reviewed as every offer has exclusions.

“What should I budget for the year?” Should you be successful in seeking a scholarship offer, it is highly likely that you will still be required to contribute towards your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years’ costs at university in the US or Canada. As a result, it would be worthwhile to consider what, if any, level of financial contribution you could potentially afford to make towards any costs not covered within any scholarship.