Edgar
What does it take to become a professional soccer player ?
I am asking this because its my favorite sport and is something that me and my dad have done for many years so i can become better and succeed later on when trying to go to professional soccer. #manager #coach #soccerplayer
2 answers
Monica Anderson Young
Monica Anderson’s Answer
Dear Edgar,
While I'm not a professional athlete, I've had several close friends who have been in the professional sports world. It's a tough industry to make it and an industry with a short shelf life for the professional athletes who make it to the ultimate elite levels. Therefore, as you know, it will take a lot of discipline mentally and physically.
However, I think you probably know that. What I would like to encourage you to do is to think beyond what happens as a soccer player. As you can see, I work in insurance and consider education as the best insurance there is. So, as you pursue your athletic career, make sure you are as diligent about your academics, too.
How could you take your professional athletic earnings and turn them into revenue to support you once soccer ends? Where will you invest? What will you do when you no longer play? My cousin's husband was drafted into major league baseball before he finished his college degree. He ended up with a career-ending injury before his career had even started. He returned to school, became a CPA (accountant) and now has a thriving career, one he didn't quite anticipate when on the fast track to become a pitcher.
Another friend played basketball in the U.S. NBA and in Italy, even playing on the US Olympic team. While in the NBA, he was also earning his master's degree in business administration, setting himself up to be a business man once his sports career ended. Now he is a school administrator, doing what he loves because he funded his future with his initial revenue. My final example is a young man who plays for football for the Tennessee Titans. I met Derrick Morgan at an event in Atlanta, Georgia. Morgan, also pursuing his MBA while a professional athlete, is one of the owners of Huddle Ventures, a venture capital group that invests in technology and start-ups with other athletes. He also invests in young people -- read more here:
http://www.blackenterprise.com/be-next/be-next-technology/huddle-ventures-100-students-sxsw/
So wherever soccer takes you, my advice is to make sure you've prepped for what happens off of the field during and after, too. As you can probably tell, I'm a mom and really do care!!
Best,
Monica Young
good practical advice for what is a tough career to be successful in
Jerry Moloney
Jyotishman Sharma
Jyotishman’s Answer
Soccer is my favorite sport too and am a huge fan! From my very very limited knowledge, it feels like if you are serious about a career in soccer then Europe is the place to be. Most large clubs in Europe have football academies where kids essentially live and continue their education while getting trained as a professional. The exceptional talent from this pool of kids can later go on to play in the first-teams of those major clubs OR look for other clubs that may want to hire them.
Depending on where you are in life, it can be a major decision to pursue it. So best path forward would to talk to people in your area who are involved in soccer - either local leagues or MLS, and ask for advice and understand the price it takes to become a pro. Since soccer is not as big in the US as in Europe, it will be relatively easier to talk to MLS coaches/staff or even players and ask them for advice. Maybe if you can find someone at FC Dallas (in Frisco) and ask for a chat. Finding people who have gone through the experience is very important. Only then, you will be able to truly understand if you really want to pursue soccer as a career or not.