2025-08-17, 08:10 PM - Word count:
The following is a recounting of my experiences becoming an academy player and my feelings going into each of the sim leagues I currently take part.
To start painting the picture I am currently a member of the SHL and ISFL (both affiliates to this league). I made the foolish mistake of signing up for both of them at the same time approximately 6 weeks ago at 3 am on a sleepless night. This was right before I left on a short road trip with my fiancée. Little did I know that both drafts were right around the corner and "scouting" was a foreign concept to me. This created a whirlwind of DMs, friend requests and at times mundane questionnaires for the next few days. Since then I have become involved in the SHL Head Office and Deep Dives Grading as well as expected to take over as a DSFL GM (developmental league for ISFL). Clearly it took hold and I am interested deeply for the immediate future.
Now why is this important? I didn't feel the same way coming into the SSL.
One major glaring reason is that I'm just not as interested in soccer (sorry futbol). I already had a vested interest in hockey (go leafs go) and football through fantasy sports. Even basketball and baseball (ugh) would pique my interest more to watch if it was offered. Beyond playing soccer in house league as a child and watching Welcome to Wrexham I can't say I'm at all familiar with anything the sport has to offer.
I joined the SSL one night while chatting with a new friend I'd made in the other leagues. Together we whipped up a character premise and I basically followed instructions on how to start with my TPE. There was little of my own personal input on that last part both because I had no idea where to start and also because I just didn't have the right intention going in. I vowed to continue hitting my ACs and completing PTs (like writing this article) so as not to be useless to whatever team I ended up on and also deeply hoped I would be drafted by my friend(s). This went so far as to telling some scouts that I was unavailable and wanted to go to a particular team, which felt highly unfair and I did change my tune as more scouts came around.
The scouts however didn't come buzzing around like I've seen on the other leagues. Was this because I was uninvolved and not present on the discord? Or my character hadn't seen a TPE update since creation? Was I just too late to the party? Did the first scouts share with the others about my team requests? All of the above are possible to be sure.
All of this is to say in one grand way that I am so far NOT interested in the SSL. I am also NOT UNinterested in the SSL. I will continue to perform my activity checks weekly and write an article or simply post affiliate links when necessary. I will make my predictions (and likely be very wrong) and I will do all these things for the team that drafted Grimace. That team is not the one I told people I wanted to be on. This GM reached out to me at the eleventh hour and I proceeded to tell them I was not currently paying attention to my player or the league. I was paying so little attention I didn't answer a question and proceeded to ghost them right up until they invited me to the locker room. They still took a chance on me with another player available at the same position, one I had previously extrapolated was in fact a better player than mine however somehow even less active. Guess who the other team eventually took to replace me?
Grimace is a member of Schwarzwalder FV. I am Grimace. I am a member of Schwarzwalder FV. I am not in love with the SSL. I will be there for my team.
To start painting the picture I am currently a member of the SHL and ISFL (both affiliates to this league). I made the foolish mistake of signing up for both of them at the same time approximately 6 weeks ago at 3 am on a sleepless night. This was right before I left on a short road trip with my fiancée. Little did I know that both drafts were right around the corner and "scouting" was a foreign concept to me. This created a whirlwind of DMs, friend requests and at times mundane questionnaires for the next few days. Since then I have become involved in the SHL Head Office and Deep Dives Grading as well as expected to take over as a DSFL GM (developmental league for ISFL). Clearly it took hold and I am interested deeply for the immediate future.
Now why is this important? I didn't feel the same way coming into the SSL.
One major glaring reason is that I'm just not as interested in soccer (sorry futbol). I already had a vested interest in hockey (go leafs go) and football through fantasy sports. Even basketball and baseball (ugh) would pique my interest more to watch if it was offered. Beyond playing soccer in house league as a child and watching Welcome to Wrexham I can't say I'm at all familiar with anything the sport has to offer.
I joined the SSL one night while chatting with a new friend I'd made in the other leagues. Together we whipped up a character premise and I basically followed instructions on how to start with my TPE. There was little of my own personal input on that last part both because I had no idea where to start and also because I just didn't have the right intention going in. I vowed to continue hitting my ACs and completing PTs (like writing this article) so as not to be useless to whatever team I ended up on and also deeply hoped I would be drafted by my friend(s). This went so far as to telling some scouts that I was unavailable and wanted to go to a particular team, which felt highly unfair and I did change my tune as more scouts came around.
The scouts however didn't come buzzing around like I've seen on the other leagues. Was this because I was uninvolved and not present on the discord? Or my character hadn't seen a TPE update since creation? Was I just too late to the party? Did the first scouts share with the others about my team requests? All of the above are possible to be sure.
All of this is to say in one grand way that I am so far NOT interested in the SSL. I am also NOT UNinterested in the SSL. I will continue to perform my activity checks weekly and write an article or simply post affiliate links when necessary. I will make my predictions (and likely be very wrong) and I will do all these things for the team that drafted Grimace. That team is not the one I told people I wanted to be on. This GM reached out to me at the eleventh hour and I proceeded to tell them I was not currently paying attention to my player or the league. I was paying so little attention I didn't answer a question and proceeded to ghost them right up until they invited me to the locker room. They still took a chance on me with another player available at the same position, one I had previously extrapolated was in fact a better player than mine however somehow even less active. Guess who the other team eventually took to replace me?
Grimace is a member of Schwarzwalder FV. I am Grimace. I am a member of Schwarzwalder FV. I am not in love with the SSL. I will be there for my team.
