Eighteen year old Maysie Cogdell won the LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant

Maysie Cogdell, a teenager from Roehampton, has won the 2019 LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant, a university scholarship in partnership with LGT Vestra US and NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars.

The grant, which was created to provide development pathways for underprivileged students in the UK American Football community, was awarded to Maysie after overcoming enormous personal adversities to excel in school and at sport.

18-year-old Maysie, battled through several traumatic experiences throughout her childhood. At the age of 10 she had to deal with the devastating loss of her Mum to cancer. Just six years later in December 2018, she went through a second family tragedy as her older brother, Ryan suddenly passed away.

She said: “Losing my mum at 10 was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life. I was just about old enough to understand what was going on and it really affected me. To then lose my older brother Ryan, was really hard. He was like a father figure to me and taught me so much. I miss him every day.”

As a result of her mum's passing Maysie really struggled through the first four years of secondary school. However, following her brother’s death she took inspiration from him to turn things around.

“My brother said if you want to get far in life you have to try hard from the beginning, so I started working harder, studying harder to get the grades that I wanted, and I did.” Maysie went on to explain how sport was a big part of her extraordinary story: “I’ve always loved sport, it’s a break from reality and a chance to release your problems. Ryan got me into boxing, and it was something I really thought we could enjoy together. Although he’s gone, I’m still boxing because he would have wanted that.”

She also played JagTag at school, the Jacksonville Jaguars American Football grassroots programme, which is where she found out about the LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant. Thanks to Maysie’s incredible outlook on life and support from the LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant, she has now transformed her life, and is in her first week at Portsmouth University, studying for an undergraduate degree in Sports Science.

“Because of the grant the future is looking really bright. I’ve learnt to never give up, no matter what happened in the past it shouldn’t taint your future” said Mayise.

Paul Nixon, CEO of LGT Vestra US, the official UK founding Partner of Jacksonville Jaguars said: “It is stories like Maysie’s that is what the LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant is all about - being able to reward individuals who demonstrate a real commitment to the community around them. The opportunity to give something back to the American football community within the UK and have a tangible impact on the winning candidates is a true privilege”.

Hussain Naqi, Senior Vice President of International Development of the Jacksonville Jaguars, said: “The Gridiron Grant is a fantastic way to give back to our Jaguars community in the UK.
“We had so many strong and deserving applicants this year with some truly inspiring stories to tell but Maysie really blew us away with her extraordinary work ethic that none of us could quite believe. We wish her the best of luck and the university.”

To be eligible for the grant, applicants must have participated in the Jacksonville Jaguars, JagTag programme or played in American Football in the UK. To find out more about the LGT Vestra US Gridiron Grant, visit www.Jaguars.co.uk

October 3, 2019