Anonymous

I am a soccer player playing for Brampton FC in Ontario Canada. How can i get to England or any youth academy in Europe since Canada is not a football nation and is hard to display your talent over here? Any suggestion?

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Yo Kass Profile
Yo Kass answered

Unfortunately, making it as a soccer player is tough, regardless of where you live.

The short answer is you have to play in front of scouts. And you have to impress those scouts.

Big soccer clubs have scouting networks all over the world, including North America. If you think performing well in Canada won't get you much attention, then the most viable option would be to move to the US.

Try to play in as many tournaments as possible, especially ones that have a high profile.

When I was about 12 or 13, at team I was playing for was invited to play at a prestigious soccer tournament in Liverpool. We were told that scouts would be there and that it was a big opportunity.

I wasn't allowed to go in the end (my parents wanted me to focus on studies, and I guess they weren't interested in me becoming a millionaire by the age of 25). But when my teammates returned, even the best players on the team hadn't been contacted by scouts... There were literally hundreds of other players there, and standing out was very difficult.

My point is, spending a lot of time and money doesn't necessarily pay off. Sometimes you are best causing a stir in your local scene, and climbing your way up. If you have the skills, you will turn heads naturally.

Good luck!

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Ray Dart
Ray Dart commented
I once had a long conversation with the youth team coach at Arsenal (they had 3 teams at a "summer camp", playing local teams at Shuttleworth College). Some weeks they get 300 mails from would-be players, asking for trials. Most weeks they'll get over 100 from managers of amateur teams recommending one or more of their players. They actually rely almost entirely on actual scouts and watching the more successful teams in the "amateur leagues" when looking for local (UK) talent.
Yo Kass
Yo Kass commented
Ah so you have an inside contact we could use ;)

Yeah I can imagine it being a demanding job watching all those amateur games day in day out, but also pretty exciting if you discover the next Messi or Ronaldo.
Would make an interesting documentary!

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