A star of US college soccer has made his way to Liverpool Hope University - and is on a trailblazing new sport science postgraduate degree.
Fernando Negrete won admirers playing as a striker during a football scholarship at historic Mount Marty University in South Dakota, America.
His goal-scoring exploits even caught the eye of the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan local newspaper.
But now Fernando, 23, has swapped the land of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Badlands National Park, and the Missouri River for the bright lights of Merseyside.
And Fernando has joined the brand new Master’s degree in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health at Hope, which aims to equip graduates with skills covering sports injury prevention and management, biomechanics, health and physical activity and exercise anatomy & physiology.
He said: “I had a great time playing soccer in college. It was an amazing experience.
“And while I’m no longer playing for a team here in the UK, I’m relishing the chance to study in Liverpool.
“I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and join a programme that’s new and innovative. I looked at Master’s degrees across Europe and this was the one that really got my attention.
“When I spoke with the academics here at Hope, and when I realised I would be among the first ever cohort of students on the MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health, I was even more motivated. We can be trailblazers and help usher-in even more people to this field of study.
“And, of course, it helps that I’m also a Liverpool FC fan.”
Fernando, from the Arizonan town of San Luis, on the US-Mexico border, originally studied for an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Mount Marty University, located in Yankton.
He’s also a certified medical assistant.
And when it comes to the Master’s degree he’s chosen, Fernando says a key factor was knowing just how well qualified his lecturers are.
He adds: “What I like the most is that all of my professors at Hope have Doctoral degrees. I felt safe knowing that the quality of teaching would be really high.
“We’re also going to be doing lots of hands-on stuff, we’ll be engaged in lots of research, and our dissertations will also be fascinating.”
Fernando has a particular interest in cardio-respiratory health among different ethnicities, and plans to focus-in on that during his dissertation.
And when it comes to ultimate ambitions, Fernando plans to head home to the States after leaving Hope and pursue a PhD in either chiropractic sports or physical therapy and sports rehabilitation - combining the knowledge he’s gained from playing the game with this academic expertise.
Meanwhile underpinning Hope’s new MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health is a commitment to ‘improving health through exercise combined with the assessment and evidence-based management of sports and musculoskeletal injury.’
Professor Omid Khaiyat, Associate Dean of the School of Health and Sport Sciences, adds: “We’re really excited to be able to offer the new MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health, which is a reflection of the academic strength the School has consistently displayed in recent years when it comes to the development of sport science.
“This Master’s degree is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of sports and exercise medicine, principles of musculoskeletal injury management and rehabilitation, the vital role of physical activity in promoting health and prevention of musculoskeletal and chronic disease, and fundamental aspects of exercise physiology linked to clinical conditions.
We have been delighted to see that the course has generated a great interest among international applicants. A key strength of the course is the diverse background of the students providing a viable and interactive environment for knowledge exchange.
“And this will develop students’ future career potential in many areas including elite sports, a broad range of sports and musculoskeletal settings, exercise prescription services, and public health services.”