The city of Edmonton has a wide array of significant athletic talent, with soccer particularly thriving with an abundance of inspired players, parents, and coaches pushing one another to improve week in and week out.
That being said, many players and parents hit a point of ‘woah .. what am I investing in? What am I working towards? What’s the pathway here?’
The ‘pathway’ to playing at the ‘next level’ isn’t exactly clear for players and parents, and many are left uneducated when it comes to opportunities outside our local club and community soccer.
By next level I mean playing in a professional club environment (either as an academy or full-time player) or as a university/college student-athlete.
This article will address the journey I, Francesco Saporito, experienced as an Edmonton kid who went on to reach his dream of playing full-time soccer in Europe and the step-by-step pathway I took as a player.
Read till the end so you don’t miss a detail, and so you can find out what I learnt after 20 years of playing this beautiful game.
Note: there is no right, wrong, or set pathway for players to sign their first full-time professional contract – this article merely addresses one of the possible paths to full-time football, and marks the track I took.
Club & Community (4 - 14 Years old) - Edmonton, Canada
I grew up playing in Edmonton, Canada, and just like the hundreds of players today played for the local community and club soccer teams.
I played for Edmonton Internazionale from the ages of 9 through 14, with your typical schedule of training on the field 3-4 times per week and playing once on the weekend.
At the age of 12, I encountered ‘select’ soccer for the first time with the Alberta Soccer Provincial Team, where the best local players came together to try out for a spot on a team travelling for tournaments.
I was selected for the under-13 team both years, followed by the under-15 team in the summer after grade 8 as an under-aged player.
The under-15 team travelled across the country to play in the National competition in against the other provinces, where we showed well and earned a bronze medal.
This is where I was scouted for the first time for the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Professional Academy in BC, where I would go on and sign my first youth contract.
Vancouver Whitecaps (14 - 18 Years Old) - Vancouver, Canada
At the age of 14, I moved away from home without my family to join one of the top football academies in North America.
I lived with one of the resident families the club found for all the non-local players and completed my grade 9 through grade 12 schooling years in Vancouver.
This is where things changed – I went from the standard ‘pay to play’ local club soccer, to a fully funded program that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for kids to train, compete, and live.
All expenses were paid, including flights, transportation, living accommodation, you name it.
What did this mean? It means the demand to perform exponentially increased, with expectations on a 14-year-old that not many will ever experience.
We trained, travelled, and competed like full-blown professionals, playing matches every other week for 11 months of the year in the likes of California, Washington, Indiana, and Florida.
In addition, I was selected for Canada on several occasions from under 15 through under 19 to compete internationally, which opened my eyes to football worldwide.
Now, I want to put this out there right now before anyone questions it – I was not selected for the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy or Canada because the club knew my parents, my Edmonton coaches, or I had a ‘connection.’
I was selected based solely on my skill – so if someone tells you that you need to ‘know someone’ or ‘it’s all politics’ to make it into an academy system, please respectfully ignore them.
If you’re good enough, you’re good enough. End of story.
NCAA Division 1 (18 - 22 Years Old) - Milwaukee, USA
I had decisions to make at the age of 18 on whether to try and play professionally or to move on to a university/college soccer program.
I opted for the latter and earned a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and for those that don’t know, NCAA Division 1 is generally the highest level of amateur soccer in North America, with a few exceptions that we won’t get into here.
This opportunity became available after showcase tournaments with the Whitecaps, sending a lot of emails, and talking on the phone to a lot of coaches and programs.
I signed my letter of intent and off I went 3 weeks after my final Whitecaps season finished.
Yet again, another significant change.
Vancouver, albeit highly demanding, had an academy emphasis and the development of each player was the priority for the club and coaches.
Whereas college soccer is truly about winning games, regardless of how that’s done.
Coaches and faculty have their jobs on the line, and with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship funding thrown at young adults to compete, the pressure again increased rampantly.
University soccer is split up into two separate seasons, with a competitive fall season from August through December with 1-2 games every week and a championship on the line, and a spring season which isn’t competitive and includes heavy training in the gym and on the field, as well as friendly matches against other programs and clubs.
Four years flew by, and after earning my four-year degree I had to figure out ‘what next?’ yet again.
Semi-Pro and Full-Time Soccer (23-24 years old) - Austria, Europe
After several discussions with my parents, agents, and coaches, I found my way into a trial overseas in Austria, Europe with a club in the third division.
My university graduation took place on a Monday, and I was in Austria 3 days later on Thursday morning preparing for the 10-day try out.
Finally, after 20 years in the making, I signed a contract and was paid to play this magnificent game in Europe. It was truly a remarkable feeling.
The next 10 months were an emotional rollercoaster competing in Europe, which humbled, educated, and fulfilled me.
I signed with a second club after the first 5 months, which was a fully paid environment with living and transportation covered, in addition to a weekly salary.
After COVID hit in March 2020, I finalized my playing career and began my own soccer training business, which many of our locals know as SAP Training Systems, followed by the creation of Pitch Side Blog.
What I’ve Learnt
After 20 years of playing football, here’s what I’ve learnt:
- Most players can’t fathom the work and discipline it takes to sign a full-time contract
- Sacrificing is not an option to be successful
- Your skill will take you so much further than any connection will
- You MUST push HARDER when times are LOW
- My best friends and relationships came through football
- Everyone’s path is different – stay optimistic and keep working hard
- Distractions outside of football will be the death of many players career’s
- Anyone can do it
These are a few of the hundreds things football has taught me throughout the many years.
A couple of points I want to reiterate:
1) ANYONE CAN DO IT
None of this ‘politics’ junk – do you want to play in a professional academy? Do you want to earn a university scholarship? Do you want to play professionally? Then go out and work for it. Ignore the complaints from everyone, put your head down and work for it. Excuses are for those that don’t want to put in the work and want to pass off the responsibility.
2) If you have questions, ASK THEM
You must go out of your way to ask questions you have about opportunities outside club soccer – if you have a question, chances are 10 other players and parents have the same one.
3) Don’t wait, INVEST NOW
By investment, I don’t just mean money – I also mean time and energy. If you’re questioning if you’re doing enough as a player to achieve your dreams, chances are you probably aren’t doing enough. Train more NOW, educate yourself more NOW, and take your development seriously NOW!