Get ready folks

[crush]

They also get room and board and a number of other benefits. I'd value that 65K at 80K. It will be above 100K in two years. The best situation would be to graduate college at 21 and start playing professionally during your 20's, with a degree to fall back on once retired, injured, tired of playing or replaced.

Or earn your degree online and play pro soccer when your body is still working. Pro girls' soccer is all over the world by the way. Yes, some sketchy places but I know many women who make a good living playing abroad. See the world, make friends and the best part, no debt and play the game you love. The wear & tear in college soccer is insane. All the games in three months, two times a week is calling for injury. Plus, the risk to having a bad coach, a coach who loves you but gets fired is very real or getting replaced from transfers.

 

[Zeke]

It makes you wonder if you could take any reasonably athletic player with size, homeshool them, and do 4+ hours a day of privates with whatever coach has connections into NWSL, spread crazy money around to open doors + get on a team.

People have tried. There are a ton of girls soccer homeschoolers. Despite all those extra private lessons, most of them just aren’t at that level.

 

[Jamisfoes]

Bunch of different arguments going on at once, not sure many people are disagreeing with each other. Yes - you can throw unlimited money (and what it buys) at an 11 year old, and if they have reasonable athleticism and reasonable size, that unlimited money will take them almost to the top of any sport we can list - other than the 2 called out (or ones very similar).

No doubt that American football has a surprising amount of funny business going on to identify and develop top prospects - but it's also a symptom of having billions and billions of dollars supporting the sport (and a huge, if unlikely, payout for those that make their way through). Basketball isn't much different.

If a kid needs private coaching to make it chances are he won’t be any good at it. He will be one of those guys making 50k a year. Do you think Neymar, Messi or Ronaldo can afford private coaching when they are 6-13? There are tons of YouTube videos out there, just pick one and go practice on your own.

 

[Carlsbad7]

People have tried. There are a ton of girls soccer homeschoolers. Despite all those extra private lessons, most of them just aren’t at that level.

There probably is parents like this. Ive met s few that are borderline. The money being spent on privates is 50/50. Half goes to actually training players and half goes to those same trainers opening doors to higher level play.

Ive heard that exclusive quarterback private trainers can hook players up with teams. So I guess this kind of relationship isn't exclusive to Soccer.

I cant wait for AI to take over identifying talent so all the nonsense goes away.