England is home to some of the top ballers in the world. The likes of Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Rachel Daly, the list goes on. But something else unites many of these players, a third in fact. Just like Jess Bharma from Bend it like Beckham, they have turned down offers of pro contracts in England to instead venture overseas and play for an American University.
While there is unprecedented growth of the women’s game in England, many young players still choose to developed in the USA for a number of reasons. American Universities are a prominent development pathway for young female footballers, with many universities offering sport scholarships in the USA. Sport scholarships are when the university pays all or some of their tuition fees and costs. These are given to elite athletes who can demonstrate their potential to compete at the highest level. Around 1,700 Universities in the US have a women’s soccer team, and the competition is divided into five levels to suit each player’s level of talent and commitment to the game.
This particularly resonates with England’s Alessia Russo: perhaps best known for being part of the legendary Lionesses who brought it home in the summer Euros (and especially that renowned back-heel finish in the semi-finals). Russo spent an impressive three years at Manchester United; However, Russo signed a new deal with Arsenal for the 2023/2024 season and beyond. But her journey didn’t start with the Women’s Super League teams, her football journey kicked off abroad. Russo was one of many players who ventured overseas to play for an American university, starring for North Carolina Tar Heels.
For young female footballers like Russo, American universities are an exciting prospect, and are paving the way for young women in sport. Here are some of the most prominent reasons why:
Sport Scholarships and education
The European model of youth football separates athletics from academics. For footballers, this balance of both playing and studying at a high standard is almost impossible to achieve, with many feeling the need to choose one or the other. This explains the large drop-off rate for UK players, in their late teens and early twenties, The US model, on the other hand, incorporates sport and education to ensure players get the best of both worlds. There is nowhere else in the word where you can develop as a player at the same rate, alongside earning a degree.
In perspective, football is a short career, with female players usually retiring in the mid to late thirties. American Universities invest into the long-term futures of their players by ensuring that they receive a high-quality education alongside football, setting them up for life after sports. While many players intend to stay in the realm of football after retiring, for instance going into coaching or management, being able to study something outside of football and receive a degree is crucial. It gives athletes something to focus on when sport is not going their way, and gives players the safety net of a plan B, if anything was to jeopardize their playing career.
For Alessia Russo, the high standard of education was the biggest pull-factor in coming to play in America, as opposed to taking up offers of professional contracts back in the UK. In England, balancing an education on top of football would mean many hours of travel back and forth each day, and much less human interaction, with many classes taken online. At North Carolina, these are quite literally side-by-side, saving so much time which allows players to study, recover and have a thriving social life. Russo described these college years as ‘invaluable’, being able to play at such a high level whilst also having an education plus many other experiences.
Adapting to New Challenges
The challenge of playing in a completely different culture is extremely attractive to many young footballers. Being able to play with players from all across the globe who each bring different styles of play exposes them to new challenges and allows them to become more dynamic in their game.
American universities look to recruit foreign talent for this very reason, in particular British players, who bring a different perspective of the game. For instance, American players pride themselves on their physicality on the pitch, whilst English players are typically more technically advanced.
Living abroad at such a young age, regardless of sport, is an incredibly daunting, yet unmatched experience. Being away from home builds adaptability to a new way of living, and makes it easier to play abroad later in their career, already having that experience of living away under their belt. It goes without saying that these skills learnt off the pitch can then be translated on the pitch- these ballers will play with more resistance and confidence as a result.
US universities bring a balance of not just sport but also a social life. It allows these young people to have the personal development that university brings, which they would miss out on by going pro straight away, For Alessia Russo, this character-building was fundamental in developing into the player that she is today. The underpinning intention at North Carolina was to instil core values into their players, helping them on and off the pitch as they learn to be as successful as they can. She explained that ‘you get to meet new people, travel, and experience so much’. Because of this, Russo returned to the WSL as a thriving, experienced player, still having her best years ahead of her.
The Success of the US Women’s National Team
It comes as no surprise that the US Women’s National Team is often a large pull-factor for players looking to develop elsewhere. With four Olympic gold medals and four World Cups, they are home to some of the greatest talents in the world. The majority of these star players started through college football, and ballers from all over the world regardless of nationality will be eager to follow in their footsteps.
The US Women’s National who lifted the World Cup in 1999 in their home country, are affectionately known as the ‘99ers and played a huge role in bringing women’s football into American mainstream. Having been at the forefront of women’s football for such a long duration, they unarguably created a model of success for football in the US for women, one that appeals to players worldwide.
In 2002, the US women’s national team reached an agreement which pledged for equal pay for the men’s and women’s teams across all competitions, after firing a discrimination lawsuit in 2019. To play in a country that so heavily demands for better and is showing their commitment to the next generation of women in sport, puts young players at the cutting edge of the game.
The Standard of Football
In the UK, university football lacks popularity and is rarely marketed. However in the US, university football is much more sought after and is often televised. This level of popularity ensures greater investment into facilities for players, giving them everything they need to develop into the best ballers that they can. For example, many pitches have drainage systems and are well-lit, which some may take for granted, but they have a huge impact on the standard of the game. Having a larger following and playing in stadiums holding up to 40,000 fans is certainly an appeal to jump the pond as well.
In contrast, in the UK, the most prestigious sporting educational institution is Loughborough University- which only classified women’s football as an elite performance sport ahead of the 2020/21 season. Only a handful of players receive scholarships, and training is usually just twice per week.
The more competitive nature of US university teams certainly drives the standard of their football. Universities in the highest level compete in the NCAA Division Women’s Soccer Championship. Historically, Russo’s side North Carolina Tar Heels have been the most successful, claiming 22 National Championships in 31 competitions. The desire to maintain this title and stay on top is an appealing challenge to many young English players, and they can certainly take this mentality with them- Russo, for example, becoming one of the Euro-winning lionesses last summer.
Greater Rules on Equality
Due to gender equality rules, women’s US university teams can actually give out more scholarships then their men’s team. In the top division, women’s teams can hand out a maximum of 14 scholarships annually, as opposed to average 9.9 for men. In other words, for football the ratio of female high school players to available college scholarships is 40 to 1. For men, it is 68 to1.
According to North Carolina Coach Anson Dorrance, the US system of University development pathways for female athletes are undervalued. People look at the European model because of the success on the men’s side, however the women’s side in America has proven highly successful in creating soccer stars. For young female athletes, this focus on pushing women’s sport into the spotlight and giving as many players as possible these opportunities, is an exciting prospect.
While sport scholarships in the USA are a popular route for young international ballers to develop, it is by no means perfect. Particularly for English players, it can be hard to build a profile back home when you are playing halfway across the world in a different time zone. Nevertheless, it’s a challenge that sets up players for a successful career in the game, meaning they can return to the UK a changed player. And this is why America is such a determinant in producing some of the best stars in the modern game.
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