THE look of alarm, perhaps even horror, on the face of my school team's coach when I told him I had no desire to become a footballer still lives with me.

My head was full of Star Wars, daleks and Flash Gordon. From memory, I told him I would much rather be an astronaut when I grew up, unaware my eventual career path would still bring me into contact with as many space cadets as any training course at Cape Canaveral.

Perhaps my obsession with the cosmos was inspired by our red blaes pitch, rutted and undulating in a way the surface of Mars could only dream of.

The coach should really have taken the hint from my self-appointed role of launching a succession of Mitre Mouldmasters into orbit from the centre of defence on a Saturday morning but, on reflection, his disappointment over my refusal to see organised football as more than just an amusing excuse to rough people up was understandable.

Every young boy should want to be a footballer, shouldn't they? It is the way to fame and fortune. On parks around the nation, one can witness the pushy parents shouting at their young children with their Cristiano Ronaldo haircuts and luminous boots.

Football is, of course, a fine game to direct your little darlings, male and female, towards. It forms lasting friendships, promotes concepts of fitness, teamwork and discipline and brings you into contact with all manner of different people from different backgrounds.

It is, first and foremost, a game, though. If this past week has shown anything, it is not to be treated as a realistic career option worth basing a life's ambition around.

Few people make it into the higher ranks of the trade. Even those who do are finding that it is no promised land.

At Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld today, a number of young men thrown on the scrapheap by their previous clubs will, with the help of the Professional Footballers' Association, attempt to catch the eye of a new team in a trial match.

The best most can hope for is a part-time contract in the lower leagues. Even established players, given the state of the sport in Scotland, are finding jobs outside the game to supplement their income.

Guiding your children towards a life in football is to be approached with caution. Alan Campbell's study into the failings of the Pro-Youth system in this week's Herald has been eye-opening.

It takes kids away from school and community clubs at the age of 10 and seems to chew most of them up before spitting them out. It is failing to hit targets, treating children like cattle, and looks, in some cases, like little more than an opportunity to get grubby paws on public money.

Parents must be aware of this. They must be aware of the need to make sure their children, even if they are uniquely skilled, do not put all their eggs in one basket.

Being in love with football is a delicate thing. For many, chasing the dream of working in it has been a damaging experience.