How does playing on a semi-professional soccer team get you into professional soccer?
They would have to be part of a pyramid league system and work their way into the league through promotion and fulfilling the criteria of membership of that league. Things like stadium capacity and safety, pitch quality, that sort of stuff.If you are talking about working your way up as a player then you need to be playing at the best level team you can and in a team that scouts will come and watch. Better to be a middling player in a good team than the best player in a poor one. Competition will always bring you on, help you improve.
To be a professional soccer player, should you play in college?
In the USA:If you are Female, then YES. Period. Essentially every member of the US women's national team (and many on other national teams, like Canada and Mexico) and many of the women's professional players, played College soccer to launch their career.For male players: In the USA there are the National Academy soccer programs (roughly 70 around the USA) and almost all of the MLS soccer teams are associated with at least one of those programs. Thus if you have aspirations of being a pro soccer player and you are growing up in the USA, then you try to get on one of those Academy teams as a teenager. The U16 boys and U17 men's national team players will be identified from those programs. Several of those players have gone directly into the MLS. However, the MLS has ~20 teams and maybe needs 50 new players per year, and half of those or more will come from international players. Therefore, most of the Academy players are aiming for a college soccer scholarship and to be student athletes. There are roughly 200 D-1 men's college soccer programs in the USA and each year over 800 new freshmen are brought to those teams, many on scholarships. If you are one of the top college players then you will be drafted by a MLS team and become a pro player. The better MLS US players are then "sold" to the top clubs in Europe. That is what happened to Tim Howard for example. So, if you are growing up in the USA, then to play Pro soccer you will aim towards a NCAA D-1 college soccer program and either be selected as a Pro on the way to college or after graduating from college.
What are the odds of becoming a professional tennis player?
I've played soccer all of my life, I'm a pretty athletic guy, I'm good at just about every sport. This year I decided to try something knew, and joined the tennis team at my school. I really really like it and over the 2 months I've played I've gotten a lot better. I'm a junior in high school, and my time is running out. I plan on playing with my friends and getting lessons over the summer. I really would like to become a professional tennis player, I've never had the drive in any other sport like I have in tennis? What are some tips, suggestions, you have for me? I really wish I had started out earlier, I feel like I have so much potential, my coach and my teammates are surprised with how much I've progressed over a 2 month period.