How to Become A Professional Soccer Player In South Africa

A Professional Soccer Players play soccer for a living. As a Professional Soccer Player, you undergo a few hours of physical training at least five days a week.

What makes you a professional athlete?

Professional athletes are people with natural talent, stamina, and competitive drive. They have excellent reflexes and coordination and are well disciplined when it comes to rigorous practice and training. Most professional athletes have risen from the ranks of fine amateur athletes.

What is the sport that makes the most money?

Basketball

It is not surprising that basketball is the world’s highest paid sport. As well as earning millions per year in salary, the NBA’s best basketball players earn a huge amount of money from their various endorsements and sponsorships, more so than any other sport.

What is professional Soccer Player?

Professional Soccer Players play soccer for a living. As a Professional Soccer Player, you undergo a few hours of physical training at least five days a week. Running for endurance, weight training, and other exercises render your body capable of withstanding the challenges of the field.

Below are steps to Become A Professional Soccer Player In South Africa

Step 1: Become A Winner

In order to compete with the very best, you have to adopt a mindset that is focused on winning.

Whatever you do, do it with purpose and always aim high, even during practice you should be willing to win every game, every duel, every race, and every drill.

Be a competitor in everything you do but also remember these key things:

Be a team player, even if your teammates suck. As a leader, it is your job to show them how it’s done and lift them up.

Eat healthily! Your performances greatly rely on your physical condition, even at a very young age.

Practice every day and everything. You want to be as complete as possible, technically, tactically and physically.

Have a strong will and be humble.

Step 2: Know Everything About Soccer

Football tactics, rules, secrets, and skills; you need to know everything inside out. Do not hesitate to seek guidance from your coach; he will tell you where you can find educational material on the subject.

Read books, rematch games and analyze them from different perspectives while taking notes. This will sharpen your analytical mind and will also help your game vision on the field.

You want to replicate what works and what is efficient while avoiding the bad plays and mistakes that you have noticed.

Step 3: Stay Motivated

Becoming a professional soccer player is hard. And let me tell you right away that if you’re only in it for the money, you won’t last long. 

You need passion and absolute love for the game for this project to be viable in the long run.

This passion will fuel your determination and your motivation, every step of the way and will allow you to overcome all the pressure, the stress and the bad moments you will encounter in your career.

Let me give you an example: If I had the chance to play for a big European team like the Real Madrid, Manchester United or FC Bayern Munich, I would not care at all about how much money I am getting.

The mere fact that I would be playing at a top level, with fantastic players, training in state of the art facilities, and playing every weekend in front of big crowds in legendary stadiums would be worth all the money in the world.

Step 4: Practice, Practice, And Practice

Scientists have proven on numerous occasions and on countless studies that in order to be successful in any field, practicing was the critical element.

They even came up with a number: 10 000 hours. That’s what it takes for anyone to become a master. You need to practice 10 000 hours, that’s roughly 5.5 hours a day for 5 years.

Training, both your physical abilities as well as your mental ones, will allow you to improve at a fast rate while gaining confidence. Always make time for practice, this game is amazing, and there are millions of other players like you that have the same dream.

What are the chances of becoming a professional soccer player in South Africa?

What are the chances of becoming a professional soccer player? Often, the chances may be low for many players. Overall, 1.4 to 1.7 percent play professional football after getting scholarships. However, it is essential to be interested in the game first.

Can you become a professional footballer at 18 In South Africa?

The only age requirement for professional football contracts is that the player must be 16 or older. So yes, at the age of 26 you can sign a contract.

Can I become a professional footballer at 15 In South Africa?

From 11 – 15 years old, players can either continue to play on smaller local youth teams without residences, or they can join larger youth teams at more successful football clubs that have residence options.

What is the best age to start football In South Africa?

The best time for a child to start playing football is between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. The easiest and most convenient way to teach them skills in football is to play the game at home with your child.

Is 13 too late to become a footballer In South Africa?

Simply put, there isn’t a standard time for when it’s too late to become a professional player in the soccer world. However, considering that soccer is a sport that requires one to develop through different stages, it’s, generally, too late to become a professional player when you’re past 23 years old.

Can I become a pro footballer In South Africa?

To become a professional footballer, you need to live and breathe the game. The journey won’t be all smooth sailing, but your passion will help you to power through the negative and challenging moments. If you want to be a professional athlete in today’s market, you need to be 100% committed.

Is it hard to become a footballer In South Africa?

Becoming a professional footballer is an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish and there are many things that a player must master to be successful. Everyone has a different football journey, it is unique to each player and the most important thing is to enjoy it.