FIRSTPOINT USA, the world’s leading international sports scholarship agency, has appointed Michelle Evans in the new role of Head of Player Care as it strengthens the support offered to student-athletes.
Michelle moved to FirstPoint from Scottish Premiership football club St Mirren – where she served as head of club wellbeing and personal development – and is best known for her long spell at PFA Scotland where her remit was the welfare of member professional football players.
With an extensive background in communications, most notably at Real Radio, Michelle was recruited by FirstPoint USA to enhance the player care offering to current and prospective student-athletes, working closely with the company’s football partners such as League Football Education and ESPFA, while developing opportunities for young female footballers heading to the States.
Michelle said: “I’m hugely excited to have joined FirstPoint USA and add to what is a really talented and growing team following the recent phase of very impressive appointments. I’ve always been very passionate about playing a part in ensuring sports men and women benefit from bespoke programmes focussed on their wellbeing and welfare and nowhere is this more important than at the start of a scholarship journey. I look forward to working alongside athletes, parents, coaches, colleagues, clubs and partners as we strengthen FirstPoint’s work in this area in the months and years ahead.”
Michelle’s career has spanned two different strands of sport, combining strong media and communications experience with her most recent roles in player wellbeing. After a spell covering St Mirren FC with the Paisley Daily Express, Michelle became a presenter and broadcaster with Real Radio, and she maintained her passion for sport by becoming press officer with Partick Thistle, before taking on a similar role at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. A return to football beckoned with a move to FirstPoint USA partners, PFA Scotland, followed by her return to work at St Mirren leading the club’s wellbeing and player development programme.
Andrew Kean, founder and CEO of FirstPoint USA, said: “Michelle’s appointment is a very important one at FirstPoint as we commit to ensure the quality of player care we provide continues to meet the needs of our student-athletes, at a time when our client base continues to expand. Michelle’s credentials speak for themselves and we have a number of exciting initiatives we will introduce, driven by Michelle, throughout the course of this and next year.
“It has been a really exciting period of key appointments for FirstPoint with Michelle joining John, Laura, Stuart and a number of others as we continue to strengthen our unique offering for young and talented sportspeople who wish to pursue a lifechanging scholarship opportunity.”
FirstPoint’s portfolio of former football clients include England striker Jamie Vardy, current Rangers Women’s captain Kathryn Hill and LA Galaxy defender Liam Doyle, as well as ex-Rangers and current Crystal Palace midfielder Kirsten Reilly. FirstPoint USA are also official partners of PFA Scotland, League Football Education in England and sponsors of Partick Thistle FC.
Michelle is the latest new addition to FirstPoint’s senior management team, following former Scotland captain John Barclay as Director of Rugby, Northern Irish track and field coach Laura Kerr as Associate Director of Athletics, and ex Scotland youth football captain Stuart McCaffrey as Director of Football.
To find out more about playing and studying in the USA, visit firstpointusa.com
