No wait they are all Professional players even the National league have all professional teams - I watched semi pro league players thinking he could play in Division one or even the Championship league - I spoke to one of our best defenders in the old Unibond league - he had been approached many times by professional teams - he turned them down - he was then on £80 per week in the 1990s - he had a high paid job permanent as a surveyor = good steady high income - he told me - not worth it - as no guarantee of a massive income in the lower league to give his steady job for - too much to gamble - he just treated it as a well paid hobby - in a FA CUP game round 2 he marked a league player out of the game their big signing - the professional club were all over him like a rash after the game - the wages were very good , but too much of a gamble ! for his future...
I watched Barry Hales of Stevenage - He made it in the prem with Fulham - he scored against us - there have been a few Vardy etc but you can count them on one hand who take the chance to give up their career in a well paid job -
Even the league of Wales have professional teams - We need to build a young fast side with only a bit of experience players in it - shipping good prospects out on loan in leagues were the referring is poorer - they are liable to get bad injuries - Harrison Armstrong would benefit a season around the team on the bench & cameo roles for us - than to be farmed out again - if we get injuries he is a good back up IMO!
Thats all well and good mate.....but they are still closer to semi-pro level, that Premier league standard.
Thats just the reality of the size of the gap.
Mansfield most valuable player was playing semi-pro footy 4 years ago....and he is 28!!!
I watch lots of semi-pro myself...I go to watch a few League 1 games too...and some of the players in that league 1 have or still do play semi-pro level on loan...and or have come from that level.
Semi-pro is still full of very good players.....above amateur / grass roots and WAY above sunday pub leagues.
The only reason the NL is fully professional now is just down to the amount of money in the leagues with massive clubs going down and getting large crowds...its not in any way because they are closer to prem level players, the gap is even bigger.
Im not dissing semi-pro level, I have a son that struggled to get a sniff in it, after spending 4/5 years in or around academies.
