THE Toryglen football facility on the South Side of Glasgow this lunchtime will witness some 60 aspiring footballers taking the first steps on their American dream. With between ten and 20 coaches from US collegiate soccer programmes having made the transatlantic journey to scout them in person, and countless others settling for being passed the showreel DVD, a tournament organised by United Sports USA will provide the perfect platform for these young players from all over the UK, aged between 15 and 18, to press their case for a place at their institution of choice. It is an altogether far more pleasurable application process than filling out the myriad sub sections on an UCAS form.

The high point of a year which has seen around 30 or 35 assessment games being played, those featuring in this year's tournament include Scotland schools internationalist Peter Mackay and Elgin City Pro Youth Academy player Robbie Bruce. While some will feel a professional career - be it in the MLS, Europe or back here in Scotland - is an achievable career goal, it won't be for everyone. Of equal importance for parents and switched-on students alike is the opportunity to hedge your bets by putting yourself through a bachelor's degree of your choice and gaining valuable life experience on the other side of the pond.

If Rangers assistant manager David Weir, an alumnus of University of Evansville who was scouted at a similar festival in Lincolnshire, is the poster boy for this kind of route into the game, perhaps the biggest surprise is that more young Scots aren't prepared to think outside the box, particularly amid the confusion and frustration of the SFA's current Club Academy Scotland system. One man who went through this system and is still playing out in the States is midfielder Nicki Paterson, formerly of Hamilton but now playing for Indy Eleven of the North American Soccer League.

"The thing that frustrates me with the clubs, and it was the same when I played, is that there is no real exit strategy for the kids," says Andy Newman, director of sport at United Sports USA, a talented footballer himself who was on the books at Hibs as a youngster.

"When I started playing, clubs were looking at you in your early teens," he added. "Now they are taking them in at five, six, seven, and that is fair enough in one way, as they are getting them early and trying to develop them early. But what happens if you get to 16, and told you are not good enough? There is no real support mechanism. You are very fortunate if you get anything.

"What we are trying to say is 'okay, you have not been chosen at this time for a professional career at Scotland but your career is not over'. This way you can get four years of full time football in America, combining it with a bachelor's degree and life experience. Even if they don't go onto become professional - and a fair amount of them will - then they will still get an education, get to experience the culture.

"I would have done it in a heartbeat - but people just aren't aware of it. There is no money in Scottish football right now, so it is a massive gamble for a young Scottish player to try to make a career in it. Kids at Airdrie, Dumbarton etc, are getting paid petrol money and that is about it. But if they are good enough to access full funding, they can be looking at 50,000 dollars a year, using their skill or their hobby to broaden their career. With a chance to stay on and live in America if they want to stay involved in sport."

To this end, parents pay in the region of £2,000 to the company to do leg work like organising entrance exams, converting grades, and promoting their abilities to potential institutions, with colleges ultimately making their scholarship decisions based upon the potential which they see in their student-to-be. The ideal scenario is a full scholarship at an NCAA Division 1 institution where every whim can expect to be catered for.

It isn't just football, or soccer, where United Sports USA feel they have a decent strike rate. They also take aspiring young golfers across the pond, with star pupil Meghan MacLaren, of England, having teed off in her first professional event in Dubai only two days ago. The daughter of David, the head of the European Senior Tour, she already plays off plus four and has blossomed since serving a scholarship at Florida International University.

"All in all we will probably have about 75 soccer players going out this year, 25 golfers, and the odd minority sport like swimming," said Newman. "We place all the kids we work with, the staff are all ex-collegiate athletes themselves. They are in a great position to educate the kids and the families."

As for the facilities, perhaps there was a glimpse into the future this week at Manchester City's Etihad Campus, where class rooms and lecture theatres sit adjacent to state of the art training grounds, gyms and even the academy has a brand new 5,000 seater stadium. Even in golf, Newman believes his approach is still battling a parochial mindset, even though Luke Donald made it from Northwestern University all the way to World No 1.

"You walk out to an NCAA division 1 campus and it is like walking into a Commonwealth Games," said Newman. "I was out at Ohio State recently, whose American football stadium holds 108,000, with a full size indoor practice field. The Scottish Golf Union don't want the kids leaving Scotland because it is seen to reflect poorly on them. But collegiate golf is so strong. They should be saying 'let's send our best kids to America, we will get them back in four years anyway'."