Stuart McCaffrey is leaning on his own playing experience in his new role as director of football at sports scholarship agency FirstPoint USA.
Former Caley Thistle defender McCaffrey has undertaken his latest venture since hanging up his boots in 2012.
In his new role, McCaffrey will co-ordinate scholarship opportunities for young athletes looking for an opportunity in the United States.
McCaffrey faced early uncertainty in his own career, during his two-year spell as a youth player at Aberdeen.
After suffering from osteitis pubis – an inflammation of the pubic bone – McCaffrey spent more than a year on the sidelines and feared for his future in the game.
He would eventually move to Caley Thistle, where he established himself as a key player and helped the Highlanders win promotion to the top flight in 2004.
McCaffrey is keen to encourage youngsters to combine sport and education in their teenage years.
McCaffrey said: “When I talk to young people and families, I try and relate to them at the stage they are at.
“I wanted to be a professional player from a young age. I left school in fifth year, and didn’t go to university at that point.
“I went in full-time at Hibs and I was on a very steep upward curve, making my debut at 17.
“I got a really nice move to Aberdeen when I was 19 and I got picked for Scotland under-21s, so everything was going great.
“Before I could even go away with the under-21s I had a horrendous period with injury at Aberdeen. I was pretty much 13 months on the treatment table, and a couple of operations.
“All of a sudden the destination I thought I was going in, I suddenly dropped off a cliff.
“I was very close to having to retire through that injury.
“I try to paint that picture for young people – that it was the first time in my life I wished I had gone to university, as many of my friends had.”
Defender has made his way in business side of football
Although he had completed his UEFA A licence two years prior to retiring, McCaffrey’s move into the role as chairman of PFA Scotland signalled his interest in the business side of the game.
McCaffrey subsequently became the chief operating officer for the Scottish Football Partnership and Trust, and completed a management in football diploma at Napier University in 2020.
McCaffrey says the need for qualifications was never more apparent than at the tail end of his career.
He added: “I did get the chance to go to Inverness and play, and start to recover from that injury. I had a nice spell at the club, and at St Johnstone, before becoming club captain at Morton.
“I thought everything was going OK, the team was top of the league. I then ripped a bit in my foot aged 32, and my career was over.
“I had experienced a lot of good things in the game, and I had a lot of good times.
“But if you surveyed most players at that point of their career, a number of them would say they wish they were better prepared for that phase they are at in their life.
“For me, that is the real difference in the pathway we talk about.”
Knox provides the perfect case study
Among FirstPoint’s most notable alumni is Inverness-born golfer Russell Knox, who secured a scholarship at Jacksonville University in 2003.
He went on to turn professional four years later, and is now a long-serving member of the PGA Tour.
In a twist of fate, McCaffrey recalls Knox being part of Caley Thistle’s youth setup prior to focusing on his golf career.
McCaffrey says the 37-year-old is a shining example of what can be achieved through the scholarship route.
McCaffrey added: “Not many people remember, but Russell was in our academy at Inverness many years ago.
“He’s a good bit younger than me, but Charlie Christie was looking after him in his role heading up the youth side of things, before he chose to focus on his golf.
“You have to want to go over to the States and essentially be a full-time student and a full-time athlete. It’s really full on, we paint quite a strong picture of student life.
“It’s early rises, in the gym and working hard in class. If you are not in class, you are not eligible to play.
“It’s a great experience that really will set these kids up for life.”
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