Road to Europe as a Professional Player
Since my last contribution I was approached about understanding the pathway to the professional world of soccer in Europe. First and foremost parents need to understand that FIFA decided in 2009 to ban the transfer of players under the age of 18, with three exceptions (as laid down in Article 19 of FIFA’s International Transfer Regulations); that the child’s parents change countries for reasons unrelated to football; that the transfer takes place between countries of the EU or the European Economic Area, the player being between 16 and 18 years of age; or that the player and the club of destination belong to countries no more than 50 kilometers from the border.
The good news is some European countries are more friendly for various reasons to Canadians such as such as Holland, Belgium, and Germany. With Alphonso Davies now with Bayern Munich there is a big demand by German Clubs to find the next Canadian talent and therefore the following is an opportunity to understand the German Soccer landscape. In Germany there are 2 main U19 boys’ leagues the U19 Bundesliga (highest youth level) and the U19 Regional league.
The entire German professional league(s) is called the Bundesliga. The u19 Bundesliga is a central hub for players from around the world who are the elite of the elite and trying to break into the various teams, not clubs in the first division. The Bu19 Bundesliga are split into 3 main regions: North, West, and South with 60 clubs registered. Each Region (North, South and West) has 20 professional clubs. In this league ONLY the elite players are competing in the top youth level of soccer.
The u19 Bundesliga have the elite youth players ages u16 to u19 from Germany along with the top international u19 players playing for their respective National team from around the world. E.g. U16, u17, u18, u29 Canadian National Team.
The three Bu19 Regional Leagues are the second-best soccer league for young dedicated and professionally oriented soccer players in Germany. This an ideal level of play for many players to enter and showcase their abilities, strengths, coachability, Soccer IQ and the ability to retain the information being coached. This level will allow the entire coaching staff to assess if you really want and can be a professional player. It’s a job not a sport in such an environment.
- The regional league is one level below the Bu19 Bundesliga
- The player with potential and having already proven their quality in their first year in the u19 Regional League do get approached by professional u19 scouts, representing the Bu19 Bundesliga clubs or are recommended by licensed professional coaches, scouts and agents. (Licensed is key here – very strict rules)
International players at age u17 & u18 trying to make it into the u19 clubs in the regional league is extremely difficult as 1000’s of players are trying to secure themselves a roster position. Trials usually take place before the pre-season training when the final squads even come together. Players on trials are given 1-to-2-week max timeline to showcase their potential.
To provide you with more in depth of the structure of soccer in Germany and the difficulty of making the level necessary, here are some major facts to compare it against North America.
- In 2023 7.36 million soccer players in Germany
- 475,075 youth players between the ages of U15-u18
- 13,658 clubs in Germany
So, what can a u17 or u18 player do to increase their chances of being selected into a professional German Club.
- Ensure your development skills and fitness levels are at the appropriate level for competition.
- Develop a mindset to understand you are interviewing for a job as a soccer professional and attempting to earn a roster position by outperforming another.
- Create a video of 3 full games to be sent to German Clubs or agents who can represent and open doors.
- Gain German practical experience by going on trials with German Clubs (Training and Game Time).
- Your first 3 trials might not work out. Some players have gone to 10 different clubs before being given an opportunity.
- To become acquainted with the soccer culture, physically and mentally.
- Using opportunities available for extra training with individuals who have played at the professional level not people who are just going to train you. (Ex. U19 Bundesliga)
- Learning the language of any country even at the introductory level.
- Coaching staff do not take into consideration the fact that international youth players have a language barrier.
- It is always advisable for all foreign players to visit a language course before going on trials.
Playing Professional in the Men’s League
Signing a contract in Germany as a professional soccer player begins in the 4th division which is the Regional Men’s League. This is above the Bu19 level of competition.
Regional Men’s League is divided into five main regions in Germany with over 100 semi-professional clubs.
- North (21 Clubs)
- Northeast (20 Clubs)
- West (20 Clubs)
- Southwest (20 Clubs)
- Bavaria (20 Clubs)
- 99% of all Bu19 Bundesliga players sign a contract with a club in the Regional Men’s League which is made up of semi-professional clubs.
The Regional Men’s League is considered a professional development league for young adult soccer players between the ages of 19 and 22, which allows them to compete against men. This includes attributes in Physical, Tactical, Technical, Fundamentals and most importantly game time experience to showcase what you are learning.
International players playing in a 2nd division club outside of Germany also use the Regional Men’s League as a platform to showcase their quality with an expectation to be scouted, recruited, and signed into the higher divisions such as the Bundesliga 3rd division all the way to the Bundesliga 1st division.
The objective of playing in the 4th division is to:
- Create an identity for yourself to be observed and scouted in real competitive meaningful games.
- Gain practical professional experience both in a training and game environment.
- Develop a thorough understanding of how to play the game against men which is a completely different game than playing youth soccer at u18.
- Becoming acquainted in the soccer culture, physically and mentally in the region you are playing
- Use the opportunity to train harder in a semi-professional environment so the jump to a full-time professional environment is easier to do. Every level up is more demanding than the last as the difference between the quality of the players becomes marginal and it is the will to train which allows you to stay on the roster let alone to start which is another level to attain.
The obstacles playing in Germany’s 4th Division Regional League is that you’re playing against seasoned ex-professionals (30-35) who have played at the 2nd and 3rd divisions of the Bundesliga. Scouts and coaches from the Bundesliga teams watch 100% of the games every week trying to discover young talented players from the Regional Men’s League.
The interesting fact of the 4th division all Clubs from the Bundesliga 1st and 2nd divisions have their own 2nd team (called the reserves) playing in the same league. E.g. German Clubs such as FC Bayern Muchen have their 2nd team called FC Bayern Muchen u23 consisting of players who are 19 to 22 years of age. They are not the only club doing this. This is why the games are all scouted by the 1st and 2nd division clubs as they are competing for the same championships with their reserve teams.
What are the salaries in the 4th division?
Each team has its own budget. The total amount allocated to each club’s budget depends on the ownership, investors, and sponsorship deals in place. Obviously, the more money invested the higher the salaries are. Player salaries vary in net income from 500 Euros to a maximum of 4,000 Euros per month (Approx $5,845/month) = $70K /year). Bonuses such as wins, minutes played, goals, and clean sheets are not included. These are all extras added to the basic monthly salary.