Semi-professional soccer is considered men's soccer and pays less than a living wage. This is not correct. In most semi-professional leagues, such as the New England Football League, it is against league rules to refund players in any way. This means that no one makes money playing semi-professional football.
The New England Football League Vermont Ice Storm freshman team was made up of players who loved soccer so much they paid the price to play semi-pro soccer. In fact, all Vermont Ice Storm players must purchase their own football kit, pay a player fee (to ensure they don't have to pay extra for team uniforms), and must also pay for transportation to all practices and all games away from home. . Over the course of a season, the financial burden can be significant.
Professional soccer developed in Pennsylvania in the 1890s when local sports clubs competed in intense competition. In November 1892, the Allegheny Athletic Association signed former Yale football star William "Pudge" Heffelfinger to play against its rival, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, becoming the first professional football player in history. By 1896, the Allegheny Athletic Association consisted entirely of paying players. As soccer became more popular, local semi-professional and professional teams were organized throughout the country. Semi-professional soccer is the predecessor of professional soccer. Why did they come up with the name semi-professional football? When we look at the history of this level of soccer, it tells us that we need names to differentiate this type of soccer from high school, college, and professional soccer. A few marauding gamers scour the country looking for games they can play, paying them a small amount (often under the table) to make the local small town team look their best and win.
Professional football in the 1910s proved a viable spectator sport with the formation of the Ohio League. Canton was the first team to field legendary decathlete and soccer star Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was an international star who took football to new heights. In 1912 he won the gold medal in the Stockholm decathlon. Thorpe and Canton drew crowds and created a market for professional soccer in Ohio State and beyond.
At the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the Watertown Red and Black football team was mentioned as "the first professional football team in America." Therefore, Watertown is the first paying football team. Today, Watertown Red and Black is a strong semi-pro team with a rich history behind it. He is a member of the Empire Football League, and the Vermont Icestorm is one of his rivals.
So "semi-professional" soccer is "amateur soccer" in the truest sense. Adults who play the sport, from 18-year-olds to "casuals," have enjoyed it so much after high school and/or college that they feel they still haven't gotten soccer out of their system.
