THE end of the season will signal the end of the road for some. New paths can be taken and new avenues opened, though.

For youngsters up and down the country, it will be a summer of uncertainty as clubs begin their yearly purge of players.

It is a situation Chris Ewing knows well. He didn’t realise his dreams at Motherwell but now he is helping a new generation achieve their own goals.

He has seen his Edusport Academy flourish in recent years and they will field a side in Lowland League next term after winning promotion up the pyramid system.

After starting out in Motherwell and Hamilton, the organisation now operates out of Glasgow and Edinburgh as players take the next steps in their careers and their education in the shadow of the National Stadium and at Ainslie Park.

Edusport will hold an open day at Hampden this Saturday and Ewing hopes it will be the start of a new journey for those that come on board.

“The first thing for me is that guys when they are freed go through a difficult period and I don’t think they are equipped for it,” Ewing said.

“It is the first major disappointment that most of them have to overcome in their lives at the age of 18, 19, 20 and I don’t think they are prepared for it. I don’t know if the clubs do enough, if the federation does enough.

“What we are trying to do is offer training to players that have been freed from clubs in Club Academy Scotland.

“Just because you have been freed from a club, that doesn’t mean you can’t progress.

“It is an opportunity to continue their development and we deal with the mental aspect of being released. That is something we need to look at.

“Guys go from being a full-time footballer and have the kudos that goes with that to training a couple of times a week if they join a part-time club. So they have a huge void there.

“Rather than training on a Monday morning, you are down the gym and then watching Jeremy Kyle. That is the cliché but it does happen.

“We are trying to address that and make them realise that being freed isn’t the end of the world. It could be the best thing that ever happened to them if they ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”

Those big quandaries and big calls can define careers or lives as players look to recover from an early setback and rekindle their love of the game.

Ewing initially established Edusport as a residential academy that offered French players a route into both the Scottish football and education systems and the success stories off the park have been matched on it as the newly formed club have risen through the ranks.

Former Scotland midfielder Colin Cameron and Ricky Waddell, who is now a coach at Rangers, are part of the Edusport team and Ewing is proud of their efforts to date.

He said: “A lot of people say to me ‘what is your success rate?’ and by that they mean how many have come through the Academy and signed pro?

“Edusport isn’t here to make professional footballers, it is about improving people academically and as players. In that regard, our success rate is 100 per cent because everyone that comes through the Academy is benefitting as a person, a student, a footballer.

“I take as much satisfaction from seeing someone come to Scotland and learning to speak English as someone signing a professional contract.

“It is all about development and having a desire to improve. You have to work for it.”

After being crowned South of Scotland League champions last month, Edusport are now preparing for a bright future.

For players that have been forced to take a step back, a trip to Hampden could offer them a chance to take one forward.

Ewing said: “People might say ‘I don’t want to play in the Lowland League’ and that is their prerogative, that is fine. But I would say to guys to keep it as an option.

“If they get a club at a higher level, great, or if they get into university or get an apprenticeship, great. What we offer them is an opportunity to train and play with a squad of guys who are in the same position.

“We have got great coaches but also guys that take a great pride in developing individuals.

"One of the objectives is to ensure the player retention and that we don't lose players from game due to the disappointment of being freed.

“I would like players to come along and have a chat and if they feel we suit them and we feel they suit us then they are welcome to come in with us.”

For more information on the Edusport open day, email info@edusportacademy.com.