Local Player Conquers America
18 year old achieves glory on the global stage
Jack Sharman-Dodd (18) has returned home for the Christmas holidays after an incredible four months at Genesee Community College (GCC) in New York State, USA.
Jack said “2017 has been a massive dream year for me and it’s hard to believe how much I’ve achieved. I’m really grateful to those who have helped me and would encourage other young players to always try their best and pursue their dreams”.
The former MK Dons SET Scholar was offered a scholarship to study for a Degree in Sports Management and play for the successful GCC Cougars in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association soccer league. Not only did the Cougars win the NY State Conference Championship, they also hosted and won the Regional Finals to progress to the National Finals.
The Nationals featured 8 teams competing against each other from across the whole of North America, and Genesee came from behind to win its first ever National title by beating the reigning champions and top seeded Richland College (from Dallas, Texas) 2-1, in a match that was televised across the globe.
Jack scored four goals in his first season and was praised by his coach, who said: “Jack is a wonderful lad and very popular with his team mates.”
The Nationals featured 8 teams competing against each other from across the whole of North America, and Genesee came from behind to win its first ever National title by beating the reigning champions and top seeded Richland College (from Dallas, Texas) 2-1, in a match that was televised across the globe.
Jack scored four goals in his first season and was praised by his coach, who said: “Jack is a wonderful lad and very popular with his team mates.”
Jack previously played for Cranfield Colts for over ten years (Bedfordshire Youth Saturday League), and played in the inaugural Copa Del Beds Competition before the start of the 2016/17 season, which was organised by the Bedfordshire FA, to enable a link between youth and adult football. This led to Jack playing for Cranfield United Reserves last season, where he scored 9 goals, played in the County Cup Final and was named their Young Player of the Year. He made his debut for the Cranfield First team before the close of season, and played in the Beds County Sunday League for Houghton.