New partnership to help young players explore US college scholarship options
Young players who seek football opportunities through college scholarships in the United States will benefit from a new partnership announced by the RH3 Football Academy.
Founder Ricki Herbert said the academy had formed a partnership with Wagner & Woolf, an international agency that specialises in helping young sportspeople find the right scholarship opportunity in the United States.
“It’s a natural extension of what we’re doing as an academy,” Herbert said.
“The college pathway has become an increasingly attractive option for young players who want to combine their education with the chance to develop their football career in a well-supported environment.”
Herbert said Wagner & Woolf were a logical choice of partner as they had a good track record of helping players from Australia and New Zealand.
Co-founder Dylan Murphy was an Australian youth footballer with the Newcastle Jets who had taken the opportunity of a scholarship with Division 1 powerhouse UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Murphy’s team won the Big West conference and a year later, he graduated with a degree in Political Science and Government.
Murphy says he’s pleased to form the partnership with Herbert and the team at RH3 Football Academy.
“The academy has offered quality pathways for its players over an extended period of time, and we look forward to assisting players to explore the college pathway in the United States,” he said.
Wagner & Woolf success stories
New Zealand players who have successfully gained US College scholarships include some of the country’s best emerging players.
Amy Hislop, who enjoyed a scholarship at the University of Texas Ri Grande Valley, has returned to New Zealand to become a leading striker in the Women’s National League, playing in the 2023 Grand Final for Southern United.
Wellington Phoenix reserves player Blake Driehuis was placed with Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, while New Zealand U-17 international Kieran Richards, from Melville United, was helped into a scholarship with East Tennessee State University.
Dylan Hobson, from Birkenhead United, has a scholarship at Colorado Mesa University.
