Sporting Opportunity Of A Lifetime For Uk Students

Austin, Texas: July 17th, 2025: 219 Sports is taking UK students on the trip of a lifetime to the United States to play soccer at some of the most impressive stadiums in the world against elite players and with coaching from the best of the best.

The eight-day Showcase Tour in October will give 17-19 year-olds the chance to join a squad of UK players to compete against colleges across the Sunshine State of Florida.
The squad will experience the US lifestyle and go behind the scenes of world-class sporting facilities, while networking and playing in front of American college coaches and exploring the world-famous beaches, theme parks and entertainment Florida offers.

Merseyside-born Tom Baker, Managing Director at Educational Consultants 219 Sports, said: “The sporting facilities in the US are mind blowing and the coaches are the best I’ve ever worked with. This tour is such an adventure for young athletes to be able to experience the very best stadiums, facilities, coaches, players and get the opportunity to make contacts that could help them in their sporting/academic futures.

“The US really is premier league stuff, the support system is top notch and the opportunities for women in soccer is off the scale, compared to the UK. Universities in the US are elite sporting institutions. Eight out of 10 of the largest capacity stadiums in the world are university stadiums in America. The University of Texas, for example, holds 104,000 people and is full every week.

“I can’t wait to share this top of the game experience with the talented youngsters on the trip,” he adds.

But Tom, originally from Liverpool but now based in Austin, Texas, says this trip of a lifetime is more than simply a football tour. Student athletes not already signed with 219 Sports will be automatically enrolled onto its ‘Express’ platform. This means they will not only play in front of coaches but also start building their recruiting profiles for their future success.

219 Sports offers a service to help talented UK athletes, whatever their background, earn scholarships to study and play in the United States. It has 60 young athletes going on scholarships in 2025/26 and they even steer students through the visa process to enter the USA.

Tom said: “The US wants the very best athletes and the best academics to build a strong economy. 219 Sports have become an established and credible organisation working with leading universities across USE to help elite athletes to gain scholarships.”

About 219 Sports
Tom Baker, who was born in Liverpool and whose family still live in the City Region, founded 219 Sports in 2020 to change the way talented UK athletes earn scholarships in the United States. He wanted to offer a service that puts UK students first, not just an agency where they become a numbers game.

After four years of studying and playing soccer at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, Tom saw the size and scale of sporting environments in the US and how life-changing the opportunity can be. However, he also knew from his own personal experience that it lacked the vital ongoing support. Tom has picked out the good bits that other firms offer and added knowledge from his own experience to ensure that 219 Sports provides an unbeatable service.

So far, it has placed more than 200 student athletes across 30 plus American states, securing more than $5million worth of funding.

For more information on 219 Sports go to: www.219sports.co.uk
Tom Baker — tom.baker@219sports.co.uk

Media Contact: Paul Smith — paul@paulsmithassociates,co.uk

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
19th July 2025