Missouri switch for scholarship is dream come true for talent Jack
Talented Perth footballer Jack Ridley is getting set for his own American dream.
The 17-year-old certainly has an exciting year ahead after earning a scholarship in the midwestern state of Missouri.
Currently an S5 pupil at Perth High School, Jack will be switching his skills and studies to East Central College in August.
Football has always been his passion and he still remembers the days of attending weekly community sessions with Saints down at McDiarmid Park.
He is a member of Jeanfield Swifts’under-20 squad and is the captain of the school football team. Prior to this,
Jack had played with various youth clubs including Breadalbane, Scone and LethamTangerines.
Making the move Stateside has been on the radar for quite a while now and recent fundraising efforts have helped make the dream become reality.
A JustGiving page was set-up to raise funds to help with the cost of moving country and taking up the opportunity. Kind-hearted locals have been digging deep and already the total stands at more than £1000.
Jack has been offered the scholarship chance through Youth Dreams Project, a charity based near London.
They have teamed up with Scottish coaches to find local talent.
It goes without saying that Jack is extremely excited to begin his new adventure.
“To be able to take up such a great opportunity is a dream,”he told the Perthshire Advertiser this week.
“I have been playing football since I started primary one and progressed over the years.
“It’s overwhelming to have been given the chance to go to America and experience the student athlete lifestyle which most young athletes aspire towards.
“This is a new exciting chapter in my life which will be dominated by the sport I love.”
To view the fundraising page, head online and search www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/sara-baillie-3