The ‘SuperDraft’ is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the US and Canada, such as LA Galaxy and David Beckham’s new franchise, Inter Miami, and is used by teams to select talented players who have graduated from college, a typical route for athletes in team sports in the US.
The draft is scheduled to take place tomorrow on www.mlssoccer.com at 7pm GMT and features 175 student athletes vying to get on the roster of 27 MLS clubs. Bickley has made the list after a record-breaking goal-scoring season in his senior year at Wilmington University in Delaware before graduating in 2019.
The striker spent over three years at the D2 college and was named D2 National Player of the Year in his last season. He is one of only seven D2 players to have made the list, all others coming from D1 colleges and universities.
In a social-media post, Bickley expressed his delight at being listed but downplayed his prospects of being selected in the draft, saying: ‘Fully not expecting much to happen from this but I am absolutely chuffed to have made it on this list. This is every Student Athletes dream. Big thanks to @WilmUMsoccer and my teammates from 2019-19 for helping making this happen.’
Since graduating, the former De La Salle pupil has been looking to forge a professional football career in England. Trials at Hartlepool United in March of last year were severely hampered by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and in the summer Bickley moved to non-league giants Kettering Town, where he scored on his debut in an FA Cup win over Chelmsford City.
The Poppies, who are owned by another Jerseyman, businessman Ritchie Jeaune, currently lie in 15th place in the Vanarama National League North, three points above the relegation zone.
