To be fair, soccer is also a sport in Canada (indoor as well as outdoor) that many parents sign their kids up for because hockey is just too expensive. Yes, you pay to play on a club, but it's also a fraction of the cost of the equipment and registration that hockey adds up to.
Growing up playing minor soccer, there really wasn't a clear vision or path to success that was obvious for amateur players coming up in the system in the 1990's and early 2000s. Basically you just hoped you could get a scholarship at a university, which a couple of people I know did, but that was as far as they went.
I was just happy I played for my high school, where you earned your way onto a "club" haha.
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