Aspirational young footballers from Suffolk are making great strides to realising those dreams after securing spots to play in America.
Morgan Reddington, 18 from Ipswich and Iola Vanharen, 18 from Lowestoft, will go to Chicago and Iowa respectively to study while also playing football on sports scholarships.
The duo have just completed a business course at Suffolk New College, and while studying, they trained and played with the Ipswich Town Foundation.
Through that link they were put in touch with an organisation called US Sports Scholarships, meaning they can play football alongside their studies.
Morgan, who is heading to Morton Community College in Chicago, said: "I’ve wanted to do this for years as I want to experience a different place and meet new people.
"We might be playing on TV in front of thousands of people. It’s exciting. The aim is to go as far as I can in the game."
Morgan also appeared in a Barclays advert last year alongside England and Arsenal legend Ian Wright and former England Women star Kelly Smith.
Iola, who will be going to North Iowa Community College, said: "I play as a striker and as a centre back and I’m looking forward to the attention I get.
"I’ll probably be one of the only British people at the college. I hope to make it as a professional but if I don’t, I’d like to be a coach."
Iola has previously played at Portman Road and Charlton Athletic's ground The Valley.
She continued: "I really believe there's always a way to make it."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel