Horsham exit for Rogers who is going Stateside for '˜incredible opportunity'

The youngster has been granted a university scholarship in America to play football along with his education and jumped at the chance.

That obviously means he will not be rejoining the Hornets this season as he embarks on a new adventure Stateside.

While Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola is gutted to see the popular forward leave, he believes it is an opportunity too good to turn down.

He said: “I love Alfie to bits. The university thing is an incredible opportunity, I wish it was something available when I was younger as I’d have been out there as well.

“America can offer a scholarship and a really high level of education as well as playing Division 1 football, it’s not really available to people in this country.

“It’s no surprise that with a few young lads here it’s the way it’s going; there are one or two from Lewes doing it as well.

“It’s a great opportunity to go out to America, get a good education at a top university and at the end of have a chance of going into the MLS or division below. If not, he will at least have a great education. We wish him all the best.”

As well as Rogers departing, both Henry Watson and Fintan Walsh have opted to move on next season to Burgess Hill and Whitehawk respectively.

Di Paola said: “We have lost a lot of the younger ones. Henry Watson is going to Burgess Hill and I am pretty disappointed about that one. His confidence was shot when he came to us from Worthing and he started doing well, so that’s a strange one. I’m a bit gutted with that.

“Fintan has an affiliation with Whitehawk, but again I am disappointed. I think we were the right club for him at this stage of his development.”