A few years ago I was involved in presenting a coaching clinic at the WAGS Tournament (in the Washington DC area).  It is probably the most prestigious female tournament in the United States. 

We were up bright and early arranging the coaching clinic area with banners, flags, erecting small-sided goals and marking the practice areas for the coaches' clinic later that day. 

Not a player was to be seen as the games were not to start until 9.00 a.m., but there was one lady pacing up and down chain smoking.  I got talking to her and asked what she was doing here so early.  She told me her daughter was playing a 10.30 a.m. game and this was her (daughter's) big chance to show her abilities in front of the many college coaches who attend the WAGS tournament each year.  She was obviously under great stress and not having seen much of that kind of situation first-hand it made a lasting impression on me. 

The article below first appeared on-line in Soccer America's Soccer College Reporter and should bring a sense of perspective, but I think not.  We all can dream. 

Soccer scholarship chase: fact & fiction

Tuesday, Apr 8, 2008 10:00 AM ET

SOCCER PLAYERS AND THEIR FAMILIES spend thousands of dollars each year on youth soccer in pursuit of athletic scholarships, but just what are the odds? According to NCAA figures released recently by the New York Times, there is 1.4 women's scholarships for every 100 high school players and half that - 0.7 scholarships for every 100 high school players - on the men's side.

The figures show that $78.2 million in women's soccer scholarships was awarded in 2003-04 - the last year information is available - putting soccer third among all women's sports behind only basketball and track & field. The value of a women's soccer scholarship - how much each player earned on average - was $8,404, putting soccer 13th among all women's sports.

As for men's soccer, it ranked fifth among all men's sports with $51.6 million spent on athletic scholarships but it was far behind the two giants, football ($367.3 million!) and basketball ($126 million). The value of a men's soccer scholarship was slightly higher than a women's scholarship - $8,523 vs. $8,404 - and ranked eighth among all men's sports.

"The youth sports culture is overly aggressive, and while the opportunity for an athletic scholarship is not trivial, it's easy for the opportunity to be over exaggerated by parents and advisers," NCAA President Miles Brand told the New York Times. "That can skew behavior and, based on the numbers, lead to unrealistic expectations."