First Point USA assessment

[WhyNotDuckie]

Hi. My DS, 15, recently went for an assessment with First Point USA. (It's a company which assesses kids in various different sports and says whether they're good enough to be put forward for a sports scholarship in an American college)

We've just had an email to say that he was successful.

Has anyone had any experience of this company?

Given that you have to pay for them to 'advertise' the child's skills to the various colleges, is it a scam?

I would be really grateful for any advice from anyone with any contact with this company.

Thank you!

Hi Mummabear4

All going well so far thank you. Because he's so young they're just telling him to focus on his GCSEs for now. They are coming out to film him in a match soon.

What has your experience been?

Similar to others on here, interested to know how good First Point are and if they are a genuine company looking to help. However, when parting with nearly £3K I'm very skeptical.

What has given me a red flag is when you look at their accounts on company house, Andrew Alexander Kean has been a director of First Point USA which has now been liquidated, but has opened up a new company called First Point International in 2016. When looking at his previous history he has owned numerous companies called similar companies that have been liquidated or dissolved. There could be a genuine reason as to why they have been dissolved, but I'm not to sure.

Links are below for you to view and make your own conclusions. I'd be interested to hear other peoples thoughts.

FirstPoint USA Liquidated
beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC359417

FirstPoint Europe Dissolved
beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC215763

FirstPoint International - Active but only incorporated in 2016 and filed their accounts very late and had a strike off pending for late filing
beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10043018

Andrew Kean - Companies hes been a director of
beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/4C0Qd0In1KH52stmP3bBrace228/appointments

My son played to a high level of football here in the U.K. and wanted to go to the states to do an Economics degree and play footie (college football over there is fab). After handing over 3k to Firstpoint it was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish. Don’t know where to begin really. Long and short of it was they promised and didn’t deliver. Yes he got offered places, but they were measley scholarships at sub-standard Uni’s (he got good A-level grades so didn’t want to sell himself short). They take your money on the basis you will be offered - and as he was offered there was no recourse. It works I think for kids that don’t care where they are placed, and what degree they do, and with parents that don’t mind stumping up for it. After paying Firstpoint and ACT tuition (very different exams to ours in UK which the US students study for years to gain a good grade in) I found myself 4K out of pocket! So he is here in the UK now at a good Uni, playing footie, and gaining a solid degree (hopefully!) - and very happy. Good luck x

Mummabear, out of interest, your son got offered which is great but at a poor college which is not good. Was the college fees you was offeered places at crazy too? More than the UK fees?

Hi Kidsfirst10,

For an example the offers would be a chunk off each year, say 10k, which would leave about 20k left to find annually (although uni fees differ at different institutions in the States - but all are still high, hence the US parents start ‘college funds’ when their kids are small! ). Uni’s in the U.K. charge 9k a year and then you have accommodation to pay for so it’s still a fair amount of money - but in the UK they have a student loan to help them (and us parents), which obviously you aren’t privy to in the States. On balance, to answer your question, it worked out more for my son to study abroad than to study here. Now, I have heard of kids (well two actually) that got offered a bigger Scholarship than said - but they weren’t places I would have wanted my son to have attended (for political, geographical and reputational reasons). Firstpoint talked the talk, oh boy they sold my son his dream - they told him everything he wanted to hear - and they failed monumentally on every single level, and left him absolutely shattered for quite some time. My advice to you would be to do your research with all the different agencies, and be very clear about what your (realistic) expectations are before you hand over money. Hope this is of some hep.

Mummabear

That's great and helps lots. As you can tell from my original post, I'm very skeptical and I think its a very clever sales ploy and not something I'm going to do, however I'm keen to know more so I can manage my sons expectations and let him down in a controlled way rather than me come across like the boring sensible parent and the one who is ruining his life!!!

Thanks again

DD has a friend who is in a tennis scholarship in the USA. She was playing at a regional/ national level by the age of 14 and was scouted.

Thanks for this everyone. Still early days for us but interesting to see what others have said. GCSEs taking priority for now, and then SATs next year (alongside A levels of course!!) I'll keep updating as we go forwards.

My son has been accepted by First Point for rugby. We are Irish and he is due to do his Leaving Certificate in June 2019 and will be ready for university in August 2019. We are at the contract signing stage and about to pay the €3150 fee (Stg.£2850) A friends daughter got a soccer scholarship in Atlanta last year and she is getting on great and loves it. Any rugby scholarship feedback please? Cheers

I was offered a contract by this company after a successful trial and interview. Their service is good but it costs £2.75k and there's no guarantee of a scholarship. If you're going to risk it, do it early so you're paying for service over two, three years they'll be assessing and promoting you to coaches in America.

hi, a year on did you go for this? we are in the same position at the moment. My son passed his practical and then the academic he isn't 16 until sept. They have asked for money upfront, although he wouldn't attend for another 3 years?

Hi my son has just been given an ‘interview’ and we are looking for an honest opinion and advice from anyone who has been through this with first point usa please?xx

Hi, we were in the same position last month. 15 year old son successful and we had to find nearly £3000..... we haven’t done it. If you look on companies house the owner of the business who is 36 has gone into administration every few years. Our kids can’t go til they have turned 18 so the chances of the next 2/3 years of them going bump again is quite high for me. Plus anything can happen.... leg injury etc.... I’ve also read that their offer bad uni’s that people don’t want to go to and that’s their clause to not give u the money back as you have been offered a place! We are going to keep him focused and let him try again nearer the time and see what if out there then x

Hi we are just beginning this process (got through trial and has the interview next week) do you have any advice and how has your son got on with them? Thanks in advance

Given the Hype, advertisement and promises that is made by first point my son was extremely keen to apply for a rugby scholarship but following his trial game I am somewhat dissapointed to say the least.
The day started by us turning up to the location in Leeds with the Becket University reception looking extremely confused when I explained what we were there for, only to receive another e-mail 15 mins before the start time informing us that the previous location was wrong and to go to another location some 20 mins drive out of the centre - not the best start!
Arrived at the second location to find a packed reception area where we firstly had to pay the £20 and no refund was available for the 4 hour parking charge we had just waisted at the wrong venue, we had to fill out registration paperwork on our knees. Running an hour over we (about 80 kids with parents) were then ushered into a small room which sat about 30 - the rest had to cram in the best they could and as you would expect was not the best environment for a presentation which they couldn't get the projector to work so to rub salt in the wound was very poorly delivered by lecture alone.
So at last the kids could now get out and show there talent - not on your life, one assessor would assess over 50 kids split into 3 age groups and the only thing they did was running / passing drills and a little tag rugby which they called the game. No tackling, rucking or other key technical elements of the game were assessed. At the end of the session to sum how bad the experience was my son who lives for rugby turned around and appologised for waisting £20 and 4 hours of my time! need i say more.
The following week my son received a mail saying that he had shown the required skill etc in the trial game and that he was required for an interview to progress - and no doubt sign a contract and pay over the next somewhat larger installment of cash (which I have found out that they can offer monthly payments to assist the cost). I can with hand on heart say that no more money or time will be spent on this outfit and to say people put the welfare of their children in this lots hands.

Whynotduckie
How did you get on with first sports usa please 😊

How did everyone get on with first point usa please 😊

Hi I'm also interested in finding out how you're doing so far with first point WhyNotDuckie my son had his trial last week at Leeds Beckett university and has had an email about an interview this Thursday or Friday at the Marriott in Leeds. He personally doesn't think he did that great.

My son was there on Thursday too and going to meeting Thursday he also thinks the same is it just a money making thing because I really hope they picked them because they did play good if not what is that doing to children's dreams xxx

Liverpool40
I didn't pick a timeslot quick enough so they've offered Wednesday 30th don't think he is going he's looking into 6th forms offering football along side education instead. Hope your sons interview goes well and you get the info you want/need xxx

On way now I want my son to do the same go to college here along side with football but let you know what go on today I think its all about money but we will see
Thank you

Things went well and yes great opportunity but could be very costly we are going to think about it or he maybe go to college her alongside football and try the USA scholarship again in a few years
Thank you