A FORMER Darlington FC hopeful has turned his passion for football in to a business.

Adam Clark's dreams of becoming a professional footballer were on track after he completed a foundation degree in Sports Coaching at Sunderland College and was handed a year's trial with Darlington FC. But it wasn't to be and he decided to take another route into sport.

He returned to his studies and is now in his third year of a degree in Sport and Exercise Development. In February he launched his company Soccer Central UK to teach the footballers of the future. He is now urging other young people in the region to follow in his footsteps.

His comments come ahead of this year's Global Enterprise Week (GEW), which runs from November 14 to 20 and encourages people to start their own business.

"There are so many people out there going after the same jobs that starting my own business seemed the logical thing to do," said Mr Clark, 20 who comes from New Silksworth, Wearside. "I'm using my education and my passion for football to earn a living, and I'm enjoying every minute.

"I'd really recommend that other students seriously think about starting their own business."

Angela O'Donoghue, principal of Sunderland College said: "It's an incredibly tough marketplace for young people searching for a job and it's fantastic that Adam, and students like him have the confidence and skills to set up their own businesses."

For more information on GEW 2011 visit www.gew.org.uk.