Not every professional footballer follows the same path to success. Some pros, such as Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, are spotted by scouts at a young age and work their way through the youth ranks of a top club; while others, such as Everton’s Yannick Bolasie, start out at non-league level and climb their way up the ladder.
In the United States of America, it is quite common for top youth athletes to combine their sports training with an educational course such as a degree. In the US, players can be awarded scholarships to train and study at many major colleges and universities.
Víctor Muñoz became the first Spaniard in 2014 to be selected for the Draft history, an event where each year professional teams choose the best players from the university soccer leagues. After playing in the Real Madrid reserves, he decided to cross the Atlantic and begin his career at the famous UCLA (University California Los Angeles) where after a good performance the DC United chose him for the position as number 29.
This is one of the many examples of boys and girls who decide to bet on their sports passion without leaving behind their education or a good environment. In addition, scholarships offer the possibility of learning a new language, mature and face new challenges along the way.
Players from Europe and outside of the USA can qualify for such a funded program providing they have reached a certain level of sporting and academic ability. Our new tool lets you calculate your chances of being accepted on such a program.
If you have a good level of footballing ability and are interested in studying for a year (or more) in the United States, a soccer scholarship might offer the perfect solution.
A scholarship offers youngsters a once in a lifetime experience to develop their sporting skills and boost their academic knowledge in a multi-cultural environment. Non-native English speakers can also improve their language skills while continuing their higher education.
What are my chances of getting a scholarship?
To make it to the elite level in any sport takes a lot of hard work and dedication. And of course, you need to have the talent. To qualify for a scholarship, you must fulfil certain criteria at an academic and sporting level.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos
To find out your chances of being awarded a scholarship, we have designed a FUN CALCULATION TOOL. This tool is intended to give a rough guide to your chances of qualifying for a scholarship and should not be taken as any kind of guarantee. The final decision will always be made by the relevant organisation.
However, by creating this tool, we hope to give young players a better idea of the odds that they might be up against, and also provide them with some extra motivation and encouragement. Players with a low score can use the information to make decisions that could improve their chances, while players with a high score might be inspired to push on to the next level.
Here at Ertheo, our aim is to connect with young sportspersons from all over the world and to inspire them to be the best that they can. We want to use all the tools at our disposal to steer them onto the right path in order to achieve their goals.
Calculate your chances with our tool
Use our tool and calculate your chances of getting an scholarship at USA university.
How does the calculator work?
Calculating your chances of being accepted for a scholarship is not an exact science but through our knowledge of the US college system, we have created a tool that uses many of the base criteria to give a rough estimation.
You will be asked a series of questions and each answer you give will be used as a general indicator to calculate your chance of qualifying. Your overall probability will be adjusted after each question in order to arrive at the final score.
Some factors taken into consideration are your current level of Soccer, your age and sex, your preferred start date, your academic level and your English language level. In addition, you will be asked if you have ever been selected to play for a youth team at national level.
In some cases, players may have the required soccer level but they may fall short at an academic or language level, or vice versa. In these instances, players will be aware of the areas in which they need to improve. For this reason, it is often good to start exploring the possibility of a scholarship as early as possible. That way, young players can work to achieve the required level and boost their chances of being accepted.
For the academic questions, your current average grade levels are requested in order to calculate your chances.
How getting a US Soccer College scholarship can help
There are many factors that can influence a players chances of success, and high quality training in a new and exciting environment is one of them.
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The United States is famous for offering sports-minded students the chance to continue their higher education while still practising their favourite sport. The country is also blessed with some amazing sports facilities throughout its education network. What’s more, the US offers non-native English students the perfect environment to fine-tune their language skills.
Students from European countries, where the standard of football is very high, often have a much better chance of being awarded a US college sports scholarship. Studying in the US and learning English can open the door to many employment opportunities around the world. So even if a student does not pursue a sporting career, the overall experience could open many doors and help to shape their future.
What is also clear from past feedback from our students is that studying abroad, outside of their comfort zone, meeting new people from many different backgrounds and learning a new language, helps them to become more mature and responsible and to develop as individuals.
How can Ertheo help?
Having great academic and sporting ability is one thing but finding the right scholarship opportunity is another. Here at Ertheo, we have an in-depth knowledge of the best universities as well as the complex application processes that are involved.
As a professional agency, we can ensure that your application is seen by the right people. We can oversee every stage of the application, make sure that nothing is overlooked and that all time schedules are adhered to. In addition, we can save you valuable time and effort, and give you peace of mind that everything is being taken care of.
For more information about applying for a US Soccer College Scholarship, please visit our website or call us on (+34) 951 204 061.