The dawning of 70 new professional sports careers will take place during the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer Draft on this Friday at 10:00 a.m. Following the draft, all teams will hold local area tryouts to complete their individual rosters of 22.
As hundreds of prospective athletes look to join one of the initial seven teams, a flooded pool of talent will leave many unselected. After falling short of a dream, these players begin a new journey.
For those selected, the journey leads to another season in a strong W-League. With a certainty of injuries at the higher levels of professional competition, this unofficial farm system gives the semi-pro standouts the opportunity to advance much sooner than imagined.
Working as coaches, teachers and youth soccer directors, these athletes may never reach a salary anywhere near six figures. However, their flexible schedules and exposure to WPS scouts lead to showcasing opportunities that are certainly worth the financial sacrifice.
In choosing to continue playing the game, the game will choose them.
For others, this journey changes the game’s role from a lifestyle to more of a hobby. For a woman in the business world, a semi-professional soccer season, with just the slight possibility of eventually becoming a professional career, is too much of a gamble. Since she may not be able to juggle both the game and her career, she trades her predators in for pumps and bids a final farewell to the game’s highest level.
In the 2009 inaugural season, it is with great financial sacrifice that many talented players will grace the field. Yet, it is with greater emotional sacrifice that other talented players will decide to leave it forever.
In the upcoming draft, all WPS hopefuls will respect a fate that the game will decide. If the game doesn’t choose them, how many of them will still choose the game?
With a new league and a new beginning, there will be difficult decisions all around; for the players—both drafted and undrafted—and for those who will decide their fates.
Mann can be reached at christa.mann@gmail.com.
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