Why a scholarship may be the greatest opportunity in football...even for very good players.
Many Academies are naturally geared towards getting players into pro football, but with so many academy players destined for disappointment if that's their only goal (or perceived pathway in life), maybe right from the younger ages scholarships should be highlighted much more clearly as a great pathway...
In previous articles, I have highlighted quite a few examples of misconceptions that academy players may hold, especially around the relatively small number of spaces available in the professional game in comparison to the numbers trying to get in. By contrast, I would argue there is a massive underestimation of what opportunities are available through academic scholarships.
In recent years, it’s been great to see more universities in South Africa offering scholarships in both men's and women’s football, with the Varsity Cup really helping stimulate an appetite for such scholarships. In the USA, there are more than 1,400 universities/colleges with men’s 'soccer' programs & 1,500 female 'soccer' programs, many of which offer scholarship opportunities.
With all these opportunities available, why are we not seeing more young South African footballers pursue this pathway? Let’s look at a few potential reasons:
Pursuing a scholarship may be seen to be giving up on the professional dream, or choosing a less ambitious route in life. There is certainly some level of truth that by taking up a scholarship opportunity, for a period of time professional football will not necessarily be central to the short-term and medium-term goals. But if we consider that players in the PSL are not starting games regularly until 23 or 24 years of age, then there is a case to say that even some of the top players coming out of academies could consider getting a top (free) education in the late teens to early twenties (provided the program has highly reputable training/facilities), as they may not have seen much playing action anyway while pursuing pro football.
I would suspect another reason that scholarships are not pursued is purely down to a lack of knowledge or awareness of how to get a scholarship. It’s not an easy process; however, the rewards for persisting with the process can lead to ‘full-ride’ scholarships up to the value of $50-60,000 (R750,000-R900,000) a year!
In the book DUAL DREAM, there is a very helpful case study highlighting U20 South Africa International and Ubuntu Football Academy graduate Vuszumzi Plamana’s story. He shares why he chose a scholarship pathway ahead of professional contract offers at age 18. There’s also quite an extensive guide and overview of how scholarships work, and what someone must do if they are interested in pursuing this route - co-written by USA scholarship expert and colleague Casey Prince!
