FOR a state that has more than 100,000 kids on its football register, playing regular, well organised competitions with the benefit of facilities that next year will host the national youth championships, Indiana hasn't exactly been buzzing with news of the arrival of Bolton Wanderers.

Sam Allardyce and his players could not have received a warmer or more enthusiastic welcome, it has to be said, from those directly involved in the tour, which has been arranged and sponsored by Soccer Services.

Nothing is too much trouble and the people can't do enough to cater to their needs.

But on Friday, when they checked in at the impressive Indianapolis Athletic Club, their arrival didn't warrant even a mention in the Star, the local paper which has its head office just round the corner.

Not that Indianapolis isn't interested in sport. It is, when all's said and done, the home of 'The 500' - arguably the most famous motor racing event in the world.

And you didn't have to look any further than Friday's front page to get an idea of where sport stands in the scheme of things in this Midwest city of 1.2 million. The appointment of Isiah Thomas as head coach of the Indiana Pacers relegated the touch-and-go Middle East summit at Camp David to page three!

But then this is the spiritual home of basketball and the Pacers are one of the top teams in the National Basketball Association. Big enough, in fact, to be able to entice Thomas, who had a glittering 13-year career at Detroit Pistons, with a four year contract worth a staggering 20 million dollars!

And if further proof was needed of the feeling here for a sport that struggles for recognition in the UK, the women's team, Indiana Fever, played in front of a crowd of more than 19,000 at Washington last week.

Wanderers haven't been totally ignored though on this, the club's first official visit to the US.

They were the centre of attention yesterday afternoon when they held their first training session on the warm-up pitch alongside the Kuntz Stadium, which was hosting the 28th annual Peace Games between the sister cities of Indianapolis and Scarborough, Toronto - 90 soccer mad kids from Under 12s through to Under 16s showing a competitive approach not always in keeping with the title and the intended spirit of the event!

The American and Canadian youngsters clearly enjoyed seeing the professionals in action and the autograph session that followed was a good bit of PR to get the ball rolling.

"It's great that the guys are taking time out with the kids," referee Randy Cobb enthused. "They are a long way from home and we know they are here to train - professionals doing their jobs - but I can tell you that giving their time up for the kids like they have done is really appreciated.

"Bolton don't have to do this kind of thing but it sure helps us promote the game over here."

You just have to take your hat off to the people who continue to promote football - soccer, I should say - in the US. They've been trying since Frank Worthington, Willie Morgan and Allardyce himself played in the old NASL in the late 70s and 80s.

The Indoor League enjoyed a measure of success but both foundered because they relied predominantly on imported players and, at that time, there was a distinct lack of interest and certainly no organisation at grass roots level.

Soccer is never going to challenge the big-hitters of Baseball, Basketball and American Football. They are sports weaved into the fabric of a nation which simply can't be doing with a tied result, never mind a scoreless draw. A nation, incidentally, that only shows an interest in track and field once every four years when there are medals to be collected at the Olympic Games - despite the fact that they dominate world athletics.

But there are signs that latterly, on the back of the supremely well-organised and successfully marketed 1994 World Cup, United States Soccer has the makings at the professional level with the MLS (Major League Soccer) and the A League while the famous 'Soccer Moms' with their enthusiasm and their handy space wagons and 4 x 4s will ensure their sons and daughters will at least grow up knowing an offside when they see one.

And, in fairness, there has been a ripple of interest in Wanderers' visit. Enough to persuade one soccer mad office worker, who picked up a message on his company's e-mail, to book a flight from Pittsburg to take in next Sunday's 'showdown', as the posters put it, between Bolton Wanderers (UK) and the USA U-23 team.

And enough for the organisers to charge 12 dollars a seat for the privilege.

But then again Washington Redskins fans are paying 10 dollars a head and 10 dollars to park their cars just to watch their gridiron stars train!