How South Africans can be recruited to play soccer in the USA and UK

By Tyler Hollingsworth, Business Director: Study Abroad Sports Recruitment, Sable International 

A sports scholarship to an international college or university is the goal for many South African athletes. It’s a dream that combines top tier education and performing on an international stage. Realistically, the competition is fierce, and only the most skilled and motivated players are likely to succeed.

Whether you call it soccer, football, or “diski”, globally, it’s referred to as “the beautiful game”, and has an estimated fan base of 3.5 billion. The sport’s popularity and growing demand for diverse, skilled players have seen US and UK colleges and universities actively looking to recruit international talent.

The US college system works

The college system has produced Premier League superstars like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Jack Harrison. On the women’s side, former US National team captain, Alex Morgan and Mia Hamm played college soccer before turning pro.

There’s definitely an appetite for international students in the US, as they enhance a college’s reputation by helping to build competitive teams. However, thousands of talented athletes worldwide are competing for a limited number of spots, and only a small percentage of players on each team receive scholarships.

An opportunity for South African soccer players to be recruited by international colleges

To give South African players a chance of being recruited, Sable International has organised a soccer recruitment camp and invited top university coaches from the UK and the USA who will scout for talent for college roster spots.

The Study Abroad Soccer Showcase, taking place from 5 January to 8 January 2025, is a four-day camp in Pretoria, and a unique