Aiden Pierce - Aged 13 - Trial for Sheffield United
American forward Aiden Pierce attended several UK Football Trials events in England and the USA, and was scouted by Sheffield United.
We first saw Aiden in June 2018 at our training camp in New Rochelle, New York, where he was one of the standout players and caught the eye of UKFT coach Ash Foyle, who is also the Head of Academy Recruitment at Sheffield United.
As Aiden holds a dual UK/US citizenship, Ash was able to arrange a trial in England.
Aiden spent a week with Sheffield United’s Academy in August, shortly after attending our 5 Day Training and Trial Camp in the UK.
Aiden recently sent us a short testimonial video, revealing his thoughts on UK Football Trials and the opportunities it has provided him so far.
“I’m a US and UK dual citizen and a striker born in 2005, from Portland, Oregon,” said Aiden.
“Recently I attended a UK Football Trials event in New York and in the UK. It was an honour and privilege to play alongside a diverse pool of players from 42 countries. I made friends with players from all around the world.
“As a result of my performances I received an offer to tryout for a pro club academy and was also offered a scholarship for a football college and boarding school in the UK.”
Aiden continued: “The UK Football Trials coaches and staff were very encouraging throughout the camps and trials, and were positive and supportive when critiquing players. The level of skill and competition ensured that everyone played to their highest ability.
“The classroom instruction was relevant to an academy level of play. The sports psychologist provided me with helpful feedback for optimizing my mind-set for playing and remaining coachable.
“This was the most impactful football training and evaluation that I’ve ever experienced. The attitude, knowledge and skills that I developed at the UK Football Trials have stayed with me and elevated my level of play.
“I look forward to returning to further development and scouting and strongly recommend their programmes if you’re serious about football.”