After 11 years, Leanne Clines is giving up playing for her beloved Wentworth Falls Warriors. Next month, she heads to Kansas to play under a college football scholarship program.
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Clines, 18, secured a scholarship, starting with a year at a community college in Kansas playing for Garden City Community College and then transferring to a university, probably in South Carolina, for the four-year American degree program.
“I will be really sad to not play in my orange jersey. I’m going to switch to a white jersey … but I’m really excited,” she said.
Clines is one of more than 200 NSW soccer players heading overseas for the program this year. She was selected after trialling for National Scouting Report (NSR), an American scouting agency, through Football NSW back in 2012.
She said she was nervous before trying out – and for good reason. The then 14-year-old had broken her foot two days beforehand, and had to wrap it up in thick socks and bandages in borrowed bigger boots and play on it for three hours.
“It was so painful,” she said.
The scouts have followed her progress through regular videos – and she was relieved to still have a place after a tough tackle in the Under 16s led to knee surgery.
According to the Football NSW website, NSR enters its 11th year of operation in Australia in 2016.
In August, one month of intensive full-time pre-season training starts for midfielder Clines.
“I’m ready for the intensive training, working together and getting to know the team,” she said. “I know it’s going to be really hard. I’m expected to get really good grades and do the best I can.”
Clines was offered two other placements under the program, including starting at the University of South Carolina, but said she chose Kansas because she wanted to be in a smaller town and not feel like a tourist.
“I wanted something smaller, it’s supposed to be a bit like Katoomba,”
At the end of the four years she will finish with a degree in primary teaching.
In partnership with Football NSW, NSR hosts trials each year to find potential American college soccer prospects who have the ability to play full time soccer. The lucky athletes have the chance to ply their trade in the extremely professional American College Soccer Leagues whilst studying for the degree of their choice.
Latest Football NSW website statistics showed that in 2013, 283 players travelled to the USA in August 2013 for the program – up from 187 players in 2011.
Clines leaves Australia on July 28.