Camp Information and Academic Literature

Prior to September 1st of your Junior Year in high school, there is only one way that a Division I or II college soccer program can communicate with you. They can only send you general information.

And there are only two types of information they are allowed to send you.

1. They can send you information about their summer soccer camps.
2. They can send you literature regarding their school’s academic information. This would come in the form of a packet of some sort, that any potential student could pick up on their own while visiting the school.

Prior to September 1st of your Junior Year, they cannot send you any type of recruiting material.

Important to Note: These rules apply only to Division I and Division II. Division III college coaches are in fact allowed to send you recruiting information prior to your Junior Year.

Recruiting Information

Let’s first define recruiting information.

Recruiting Information is any material whatsoever that states a school’s interest in you as a soccer player. When a school sends you camp or academic information, as stated above, this will be general literature and will not address you as a player. Recruiting information, on the other hand, will do just that.

Also, this type of information can only come via mail or email.

When can you expect to begin receiving recruiting information?

A Division I or II college soccer coach can begin sending you recruiting information on September 1st at the start of your Junior year in high school. They are not allowed by NCAA rules to address you as a prospect any sooner than this date.

A Division III college soccer coach, however, can send you recruiting information at any point during the recruiting process. They are not restricted to any date by the NCAA.

Important to Note: Many players will receive written interest during their freshman or sophomore year in high school from Division III schools only. As a result, these players will start to think that they will not be able to play Division I or II soccer because only Division III coaches are contacting them. This is because Division I and II coaches are not allowed to send you recruiting information prior to September 1st of your Junior Year.

Phone Calls

The following are the rules regarding when a college coach can contact you by phone during the recruiting process.

• The NCAA states that a Division I college coach cannot make a phone call to a soccer prospect any sooner than July 1st going into their Senior Year.
• A Division II college coach cannot make a phone call any sooner than June 15th going into their Senior Year. Following these dates, both Division I and II coaches can only call a recruit once per week.
• A Division III coach, again, has no set date as to when they can begin making phone calls to prospects.

Personal Contact

There are two types of personal contact that a coach can have with a player, on campus contact and off campus contact.

On Campus Contact – On campus contact refers to a meeting between a college soccer coach and a prospect on the campus of the coach’s school. The rule for this type of contact is the same for every Division and that is that there is no rule. A coach can meet with a prospect at anytime during the recruiting process as long as that meeting is on campus. This is very important to know, and we will explain why in a bit.

Off Campus Contact / Evaluations – While reading the rules below, keep in mind there are two types of Off Campus Contact, personal meetings and evaluations. A personal meeting would be when a coach meets with a player off campus to discuss the potential of coming to their school. An evaluation would be when a coach travels off campus to watch and evaluate a player’s play.

The following are the rules related to Off Campus Contact for Coaches:

• Division I, II, and III coaches are allowed an unlimited number of evaluations prior to your senior year.
• After the date of July 1st going into your Senior Year, Division I coaches can only have a total of 7 Off Campus Contacts with a prospect. These contacts can be made up of a maximum of 3 personal meetings, while the remainder of the 7 Off Campus Contacts can be evaluations.
• After the date of June 15th going into your Senior Year, Division II coaches can have a maximum of 3 personal meetings with a prospect (the same as Division I), however, they are not limited to the number of times that they can evaluate a prospect after this date.
• Division III coaches are not restricted to the number of meetings or evaluations, however, they cannot have a personal meeting with you until after your Junior Year has ended. This is one of very few restrictions placed on Division III coaches.

Building Relationships & Your Advantage

As you may have noticed, the rules for when, where, and how a college coach can contact you are pretty strict. And to be clear, the list above only includes what rules are pertinent for you to know. The full NCAA list is much longer and more detailed. For example, there are even rules about the size and color of the mailings that can be sent out to recruits regarding the camp information and academic literature discussed above.

The point is this: The coaches have a number rules that they need to follow when contacting you.

Because most prospects are completely unaware of these rules, there is a huge advantage for anyone who is aware. And that means you.

So what is your advantage?

You have NO rules to follow!

Many of you may still be wondering how this helps, and so here goes.

Building Relationships with Coaches –

Because the coaches cannot contact you prior to the dates specified above, does not mean that you cannot contact them.

I’m sure you have heard of players committing to schools early. Well, this can often happen prior to the a player’s Senior or even Junior Year.

So how can a player commit to a school as a sophomore if a coach is not allowed to send them recruiting information or call them prior to the dates above?

The answer is that the players themselves were allowed to, and did contact the coaches themselves.

Important to Note: These scenarios typically occur when a club or high school coach communicate with a college coach about a player, and then the club or high school coach let the player know that they should call the college coach because that coach is seriously interested.

You see, you are allowed to call a college coach up while you are still in elementary school! And the coach is allowed to answer the phone and talk to you! We are not suggesting you do this, but hopefully you get the point.

The sooner you begin building relationships with coaches the better, and there are no restrictions on how soon you can contact them in regards to your interest in the school.

Now, as discussed above, the coach cannot return your call or send you recruiting mail or emails, but you can send them mail, email, and call them as many times as it takes to get in touch with them. As long as they are answering the phone, no rules have been broken.

If you are diligent enough, and effective enough in the manner that you communicate, you can make all of the NCAA rules discussed above insignificant. In order to do this, however, you need to fully embrace the the following…

It is Your Responsibility to Communicate

There were two choices we had for the title of this article:

“Making Sense of the Coach’s Communication,” and “Making Sense of the Coach’s Response”

Why did we choose Response over Communication ?

Because to have success with this process, you need to plan on initiating all communication with the college coaches. And that would mean that all communication coming from the coach, would be in Response to the correspondence that you already sent them.

If a coach contacts you first, then great. However, this is never an event that you should depend on.

Summary

There are two ways to approach the recruiting process:

1. You can anxiously wait for a coach to hopefully find and contact you. Or…

2. You can confidently contact the coaches that you are interested in, and make them pay attention.

In the previous article we discussed the best ways to initiate contact with the coaches. In this article we discussed the ways that a coach is able to respond, so that you can better understand what happens on the other end once you have sent your initial contact. In the next article, we will discuss the best ways to follow up with the coaches so that you can maintain communication, knowing now that it is your responsibility to do so.

If you are a player that needs an arm around a shoulder to be the best you can be, and you find that the coach you are researching does nothing but light fires under players, you may have to question if it is a good fit.

And if you are thinking to yourself that the coaching style doesn’t matter, and that as long as you’re playing soccer, you will be happy… think again.

There have been college teams that have seen multiple players quit their team during the same year because of serious conflicts of personality between them and their coach.

Maybe it was just a bad soccer team so they weren’t having fun anyway?

No. Many players have quit their team at successful programs.

Maybe there was something wrong with the coach?

Not necessarily. Many players on these same teams really got along well with the coach.

The players who quit, however, did not.

The point is this.

In the end, your experience can often be in the hands of the coach. For that reason, you absolutely need to research the coaching staff at each school and their ability to positively motivate you as a player.

Feedback From College Players

It is actually quite difficult to accurately research the coaching staff at a college. However, there are a few ways of doing this.

Let’s discuss those ways.

First off, many players will ask current college players about their coach. This will typically be one of your more accurate resources because players who have already played for the coaching staff, certainly have keen insights into what it might be like to play for them.

However, there are a couple of things you will want to be aware of when asking a college player about their coach.

• Many times, when you hear positive feedback about a coach, from a player, it is because that player knows this feedback will get back to the coach. This is especially the case if the coach put you in touch with the player, on a recruiting trip for example.

• If you do happen to hear negative press about the coach from a player, many times it will be because that player isn’t getting the playing time that they want. The idea that “players only love you (the coach) when they’re playing” is a very true statement.

With that being said, if you know a player personally and they are willing to give you their honest assessment, this can certainly be a great resource for learning about the coaches.

Feedback From Other Coaches

There are certainly both high school coaches as well as club coaches that can give you excellent feedback. However, to make certain that you are finding the best answers, you should again, ask, ask, ask, as many coaches as possible.

The more coaches you talk to about a college coach, the more you will begin to discover patterns.

One coach might not mention a characteristic about a particular college coach, but if you hear it from 3 or 4 out of the 5 coaches you ask, then most likely that coach will have that characteristic.

Do your best to try and learn the overall voice of feedback about a coach.

Your Own Research

You are the only person who truly knows what type of coaching staff will best motivate you as a player. Your own research, therefore, is going to be very important in providing these answers.

Your own research: There are two ways that you can find answers about a coaching staff during your own research. And these answers should carry a great deal of weight in your decision.

1. Watch the coaching staff in action -

Earlier in the course we discussed watching college soccer. While at these games, it would be wise to pay attention to the coaching staff for at least part of the game to see how they interact with their players. College coaches are typically much more intense than high school or club, and are not afraid to push their players. It would be wise to to see this first hand so that you can begin to prepare.

Also, if you attend the game of a school that you are interested in attending, make sure to pay attention to that particular coaching staff and see if you can picture yourself working with them, and being properly motivated.

2. Ask the coaching staff directly –

Most coaches are very honest about their coaching style and so make sure to ask them about it when you get the chance.

Why are they honest?

Well, being honest in the coaching world is certainly good practice. But more importantly, because coaches do no want to recruit players that they cannot work with in a productive way.

And if they are up front with players about their coaching style, the better the chance of them finding players that are a good “fit” for them as a coach.

Again, this is a question you should definitely ask on a campus visit during your meeting with the coach, but if you have the chance to ask earlier that would be even better. The sooner you can find out whether the coaching staff is one that you would want to work with the better.

Style of Play

Style of play is very closely connected to the coaching variable as it is the coach that creates the culture on and off the field.

The style of play is important for you as a player as you may want to know if the style is suited to your strengths.

If you are a small technically gifted midfield player you may not be suited to a direct method of play, whereas if you are a big target player who is great in the air, it may be perfect for your game.

One concern might be that you choose a school because the style of play suits you perfectly, and then the school hires a new coach.

In this case it is important to note that if there is a new coach, he or she is unlikely to change the style much at first as the new coach only has the players who were already at the school to work with.

And typically these players are custom to playing a certain way, and so the new coach will usually continue with this style until he or she recruits new players and can change the system.

The Career of a Soccer Coach

We have mentioned a couple of times now that the coaches who recruited you might not be the same coaches that will be there when you graduate. As a result, it might be valuable to take a look at how long the coaching staff at a program will be around for.

So… How can you know how long a coaching staff will be around?

First, take into account the direction of the program. A coach going fast one way or the other may not be around long. If they are having great success there is a good chance they will be looking for a better job, hoping to advance their career. And if they are having no success at all, there is a great chance that the school will be looking for a new coach, one that can turn things around.

Second, take a look at the division and the school. Typically Division III and Ivy League coaches have a longer tenure, and in some cases will stick around for many years, even if their success rate is low. Division I coaches, however, are more likely to be replaced if they are not improving the soccer program.

Summary

It should go without saying that the coaching staff at a school should not be a decisive factor by itself, especially when considering that the coaching staff may eventually change.

However, your role on a team, your motivation to play, and your overall enjoyment of the game can be completely altered one way or the other depending on how well you “fit” with the coaching staff.

So make sure to pay close attention while watching them coach. And be sure to ask them directly how they motivate their players. And lastly, take a close look at their style of play, and find out how you might fit in with that style.

The easiest way to effectively prepare for your meeting with coach is to do so in the same manner that one would prepare for a job interview. Unfortunately, because this meeting pertains to playing soccer, and because the coaches are usually laid back about these meetings, prospects typically approach this opportunity with a less than professional attitude.

Now that doesn’t mean that you need to wear a shirt and tie. But, it does mean that you should dress and carry yourself with a professional attitude.

It is also important to understand that an interview is a two-way street.

That means that both you and the coach are going to be learning from each other. You will want to learn as much as you can about the coach, the soccer program, and the school as possible. And the coach will want to learn as much as they can about you.

And in the same fashion that two people learn from each other in an interview, you will do so by asking and receiving questions.

Your Questions for the Coach

Your meeting with the coach will be a two-way street. You will need to prepare questions to ask the coach, and you need to prepare to give great answers to the questions that they might ask you.

Let’s start with your questions.

Here is a list of questions that you might want to ask the coach.

“Where do you think I fit into your recruiting class?”

This is a question that you would ask if the coach has already seen you play. Typically you would probably know whether a coach had seen you play or not, but there are also many circumstances where you wouldn’t know. If that is the case, then you can certainly start this question off by asking “Have you seen me play?”

“What is the best way to get evaluated by your staff?”

If the coach has not seen you play, then this is certainly a great opportunity to find out what might be the best way for you to get evaluated by the coaching staff. After all, the end goal of your communication with each coach should really be to get evaluated. It is extremely difficult for a coach to give a player a shot if they have never seen them play. As a result, if you haven’t been evaluated yet, then this question is a must.

“How would you describe your coaching style?”

As we discussed in the article “Knowing the Coaches and Style of Play,” one of the best ways to learn about a coaching staff is to ask them yourself. This would be a great opportunity to do just that. They will almost always be honest about their coaching preferences, and this will be invaluable information to learn. It will be difficult to decide whether or not a coach would be a good fit for you without asking this question.

“Do the soccer players typically live together, or in the same area?”

This question would offer two things. First, it would show your interest in the camaraderie of the team, which is certainly important. But more importantly, it would provide you with some good insight into what your freshman year might look like. It is a nice benefit, for most players, to be able to live close to their teammates. This helps them build strong bonds early on in their college career.

“Is there any type of support from admissions that could be offered to a player in my academic situation?”

This can be a critical question for players who may be unsure of their ability to get into a school. It is also a very important question to ask the coach because, depending on the school, the coach may have a good relationship with the admissions office. As a result, there is a good chance that they would know wether or not you could receive any support from the admission office.

Keep in mind that this question should typically only be asked if you have already built up a solid relationship with a coach, and perhaps they have already evaluated you.

“Given my situation, are there any opportunities for financial aid?”

Again, this question might be more suitable for a prospect who has already built a decent relationship with the coach. However, if your decision will depend entirely on whether or not there would be an opportunity for financial aid, then this would certainly be an important question to ask.

“What does the typical day of a player on your team look like? When does the team train and when do most of the players have classes?”

This is a fairly common question, but is definitely a useful one. The coach’s response to this question should help you to paint a clearer picture of what your overall experience would be like at their school as a student-athlete.

These are some examples, but there are many questions that you could ask. Remember from the last article that you took the campus tour and visited academic departments for a reason.

If there are any pertinent questions that you had from those experiences be sure to ask them.

The Coach’s Questions for You

You can be sure that if you put in the effort to get one on one time with the coach, that they are going to want to find out more about you.

Remember, coaches want players who really want to be at their school and playing for their program. If you show sincere interest, which you have by meeting with them and asking great questions, they are going to want to find out if there is any chance of you helping their team.

Here is a list of questions that the coach might ask you, and how you might answer them.

“What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?”

This is a great question, but difficult to answer. One of the best ways to talk about your strengths is to frame your answer from the perspective of your current coaches.

For example: “Well, my coaches tell me that I am really strong on the ball and a physical presence in the midfield.” This way you can say great things about yourself without sounding arrogant. It also shows that your coaches think highly of you, which offers some credibility.

We also suggest that you be honest about your weaknesses. However, if possible, use your weaknesses as a strength.

For example: “A weakness might be that I’m not the most creative player on the field, but I believe this helps me because I am always clear on what my role is. I will always make the smart and simple pass to help keep possession for my team.”

This is a similar tactic used in job interviews, and is always a great way deflect from your weaknesses.

“Have you ever seen us play?”

There is a good chance that the coach will ask this question. And if you remember, in the first module of this course we talked a great deal about the importance of watching college soccer, and more specifically, watching the teams play that you are interested in. Hopefully if you have attended one of their games, and took some notes. If so, you should be able to prepare a great answer for this questions.

And if you haven’t had the opportunity to see their team specifically, the next question might be the following.

Have you seen any college team play from our Division?

Again, we discussed the importance of this in great detail in the first module. You must watch as many college soccer games as possible, and it is a great idea to watch games from every Division. That way, whether you are meeting with a coach from a Division I, II, or III school, you will be able to tell them clearly that you have watched their level of play many times, be able to describe what the level is like, and confidently tell them that you could impact their team at that level.

How would you feel if you were not receiving much playing time?

It is important that you are clear about what role you want to play on a team. It won’t do any good to tell the coach in this meeting that you would be happy no matter what you role, if that is not truly the case. You need to be honest with them by telling them exactly what role on the team you would be hoping for. This might be a good time also to ask the coach what types of positions he might be looking for in the upcoming years.

What position do you play?

When answering this question, be sure to make it known if you feel confident playing a number of positions.

However, only do so if you have proven this!

It can actually do more harm than good to tell a coach something like the following: “Well, I play forward, but I really like marking back. Also, I think I would make a good outside midfielder too.”

This type of answer might only add confusion to the coach as to how you might be able to impact their team.

However, if you have consistently proven yourself at different positions then you might say, “I play defensive center midfield for my club team, but because my high school team has a weaker defense, I play central defender for them because that’s where the team needs me the most.”

It is also a good idea to make sure that the positions you mention are similar. It may not be a good idea to say that you can play central defense and forward because again, that may cause confusion.

Important to Note: In the first module, we also discussed the value of researching each program to see where you might fit in. And in this module, we discussed the coach’s recruiting cycle as well. If you have discovered information through your research as to the positions on the field that each coach might be looking to replace, now would be a good time to use that information.

What are your goals and interests academically?

This is a question that most prospects have a very difficult time answering. And that’s because most players think that they are going to talk about soccer with the coach.

Here is where you have an advantage. Do you remember the article that started this module, describing the job of a college soccer coach?

If so, then you remember that the coach is not only going to be responsible for you as a player, but as a student as well.

And for that reason, the coaches are going to want to know whether you are researching and planning for a successful academic experience as well.

If you already know exactly what you want to study and why, that’s great.

If not, you may want to to some preliminary research as to some of the areas of study you might be interested in.

Resume, Transcript, and Recruitment Video

When attending a job interview, a professional interviewee will bring their resume with them for two reasons.

1. The interviewer may have misplaced their resume.

2. If the interviewer does have the resume, they don’t have to track it down during the interview.

The same two principles apply when meeting with the coach. Be sure to bring your soccer resume, your high school transcript, as well as your recruitment video to the interview.

Summary

First Impressions go a LONG way.

Earlier in the course when we discussed how to best send your initial email correspondence to a coach, we talked about the need for a great first impression. When meeting with the coach, you can multiply this need by 10.

Why?

Because out of the thousands of prospects that are contacting the coach, there is a much smaller number who have created the opportunity to meet with them in person.

And so this is your chance to drastically move yourself up the list.

Example: Let’s say that 1500 prospects have emailed the coach from all over the country. It is obviously important that your emails are well-written and provide a great first impression in order to stand out. Now let’s say that out of those 1500 prospects, only 50 of them actually take the proper steps required to meet with the coach in person. Giving a great first impression in this scenario is clearly that much more significant.

In summary, be prepared. First impressions are incredibly important, and so you need to approach your meeting with the coach in the same manner that one would prepare for a professional job interview.

Be ready to ask great questions, and be ready to give great answers.

Socializing on a Campus Visit

One of the easiest traps for a prospect to fall into is getting caught up in the temptations available while socializing during a campus visit. This is particularly important to be aware of during an official visit or a planned overnight visit.

In these two scenarios it is almost always the case that the prospect will stay overnight at the school with a group of players from the soccer team.

I am certain that every prospect understands that under age drinking is against the law. However, there is a huge temptation that makes it difficult to say not to alcohol while staying overnight on a campus visit.

Is it the alcohol?

No.

The temptation is to make a good impression on the soccer team.

And that is the reason why it is so easy to get caught up in a bad situation. It is completely understandable that a prospect would want to make a good impression on the soccer players. However, what they forget is this.

The impression that they need to worry about is the one that they make on the coach. And you would be absolutely shocked as to how quickly word will get back to the coach from the players if your behavior gets out of hand.

You must make sure that you are on your best behavior on a campus visit, not just when you are in front of the coach.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get to know the players without partaking in any inappropriate behavior while one campus. In fact, no matter what socializing is going at that moment, the players on a team will typically be more impressed by a prospect whose behavior is mature and professional.

The Danger of Social Networks

At this point, it is likely that you have heard of the possible danger of social networks.

However, it is unlikely that you have heard about these dangers from the college coaches themselves.

So here goes…

BEWARE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS!!!!

You would be amazed how quickly a soccer prospect’s recruiting world can come undone because of an email, an instant message, or a photograph.

SO many players are naive to this danger in the following ways…

“It won’t happen to me.”

“A coach would never search for my facebook page.”

“I’m not a big drinker, so I have nothing to worry about.”

Let’s be clear.

It CAN happen to you, a coach doesn’t need to SEARCH for your facebook page to hear about it, and you DON’T have to be a big drinker to have your reputation tarnished.

As coaches, we hear about a number of prospects every year whose opportunities to play college soccer are greatly damaged as a result of one picture or one message.

How to Avoid the Danger of Social Networks

Here are some simple ways to maintain a good reputation online.

1. Remove Questionable Photographs – We could certainly name this tip “Remove Incriminating Photographs,” but why take a chance? If you have any doubt whatsoever as to whether or not you would want a coach to see a particular photograph, then take it down. If it’s questionable, remove it.

Example: You may have taken a picture with your friends when it was late and you were tired. You may not have had anything to drink at all. However, if you are looking at the picture and thinking, “It kind of looks like I was drunk in this photograph, but not really” you should probably remove it.

2. A Picture Says a Thousand Words – A picture can say a thousand words. Unfortunately, the same photograph can speak different words to different people. You have to be sure that you are looking at each photograph through they eyes of a coach.

Example: You may have only drank one beer in your life, and you have a photograph on your facebook page of you holding that beer. Is it worth having that photo online? When you look at that photograph, you may be thinking “It’s not big deal, I don’t even drink.” However, if a coach saw the photo, how would they know that? Put yourself in their shoes.

3. All Messages are Your Responsibility – The easiest advice to give you is to make sure that you are not writing emails, sending messages, or leaving posts online that are discussing anything inappropriate.

However, one of the most frustrating ways for a prospect to lose their reputation online is for the wrong person to read a message that somebody else left you.

Can you imagine losing a scholarship because of a message that someone else wrote!?!?

It is important to make sure that all posts and messages sent to you can only be seen by you, or perhaps you and your closest friends. And if you have a couple friends who tend to leave inappropriate messages, it may be wise to ask them to stop. I would hope they understand when you explain to them why.

Example: Let’s say you went out to a party one night, didn’t drink, and came home. The next day one of your friends who jokes with you often about not drinking, posts a message on your facebook page saying how “crazy” or “wasted” you were the night before. Even though he was being sarcastic and you did nothing wrong, the wrong person saw that message and the word got passed along. It can happen that easily. And even though you did nothing wrong in this scenario, it is still your responsibility to keep those messages from being seen by the wrong people.

The Soccer Community is a Group of Friends

There is something incredibly important that you need to learn about the Soccer Community.

We are very close.

When trying to build a great reputation within the soccer community this is something that you must be aware of. This knowledge can help you maintain existing opportunities as well as help you to find new ones.

Maintaining Existing Opportunities

As we discussed above, a coach does not need to search for you online to here about a bad message or a bad picture.

Why is that?

Because the soccer community is very close.

I will give you an example of a story that is all too common.

A senior in high school was being approached by all the top Division I schools. This player went to a party, did not even drink, but was photographed in a provocative pose with a friend, with a table full of alcohol in the background.

Because this photograph was amusing to the player’s friends, one of the player’s friends, who was also a soccer player, told their club team during a warm up joking around.

The club coach overheard, was a recent graduate of one the top schools that was inquiring about this player, and warned their former college coach to look into that player’s reputation.

Needless to say, one coach saw the photograph, and the word traveled quickly.

In order to maintain existing opportunities, it is important to realize how close the soccer community is. You would not want to find out that a school that is interested in you, is no longer interested because of a photograph.

Finding New Opportunities

It is essential that you realize just how close the soccer community really is.

We considered creating an example tree of our network of relationships within the coaching soccer community, but it would literally never end.

What you need to know is this. The college coaching community does not only know each other because they are competitors.

Most of them are actually friends.

Nearly every single college coach was at one time an assistant coach with another program, or a former player for another coach.

So, How Does This Help You Find New Opportunities?

Simple. If you impress one coach with your great reputation, but that coach doesn’t have a spot for you, it is quite possible that they will tell a number of other coaches about you.

And that type of exposure is invaluable.

Summary

The soccer community is a very close group, especially when it comes to the coaches. For that reason, it is that much more important to make certain that your reputation is nothing short of professional. Word travels fast, and if you want to create opportunities for yourself you need to be on your best behavior at all times during the recruiting process.

This behavior includes your behavior on the field as well. We will discuss that in more detail in the next module.

Every college coach will have their own approach, and much will depend on the speed in which they are recruiting. However, the main purpose for college soccer coaches attending these events is the identification and evaluation of talent. Note the following:

The college coach may very well be looking at three graduating classes -

• They may want to evaluate their committed seniors (Recruited Prospective Student Athletes) to keep track of their development. They may also be in the identification and evaluation process with seniors depending on school.
• They will be actively evaluating and identifying juniors (Prospective Student Athletes)
• They may be identifying and evaluating sophomore (Prospective Student Athletes)

The college coach will attend an event with a list of prospects. This list will be divided up by graduating class. Who gets on this list?

• The coach may have already identified you at a previous event so they want to get another evaluation
• The coach may go on a recommendation from your coach or another valued source
• Your video may have caught their attention and they now want to see you play in person
• You may have communicated effectively with the coach expressing your interest in their school and program

After recruiting at the event and evaluating prospects the coach will leave with the following information

• Notes on the players they have already identified, building a better understanding of the player’s abilities and how they fit into the program’s needs.
• Notes on the players who the coach had yet to see, this may be players who were recommended, or initiated contact with the coach, sent video etc.
• Contact information of the players that “Jumped Out” to the coach at the event as a special player who would fit their needs. These players will often receive correspondence (if allowed) shortly after the event.

Important to Note: If a coach attends an event with 100 names on a list to evaluate, the likelihood is they are not going to get to see all of the players play. The coach will have priorities that will be determined by current evaluation status, program need, player potential etc, however, after evaluating the priority players, if a coach has 30 prospects left to evaluate who they will see play will be determined by factors such as:

• Club team strength and reputation
• Are there other prospects interested in their school from your team or opposition’s team
• Tournament schedule, what works for the coach
• YOUR PERSISTENCE IN THE PROCESS

The last one is critical. If you have built a relationship with the coach and repeatedly shown interest, they are much more likely to evaluate you. All of the coaches on our staff at College Soccer Advantage would always place more weight on prospects who picked up the phone and called us expressing interest. This is just one way to separate yourself.

 

What do College Coaches Look for?

Sure the coaches will be identifying the technical, tactical, physical and psychological components of your game, but it’s important to know that they are looking at it through tinted glasses.

These tinted glasses are the needs of their program.

You may be the best keeper in the country, but if a school has a starting freshman keeper who they have invested in, you won’t be a priority for that school. It doesn’t always come down to talent, and being aware of this can help you greatly in how early you learn of these types of situations.

Here is a list of things that the coaches will undoubtedly be looking for:

• How do you react to a mistake such as giving the ball away – a player who becomes the first defender and looks to win the ball right back will be more appealing than a player who stands their with sowing how disappointed they were in losing it.
• How do you react to being subbed – a player who mopes and complains is not going to be all that appealing.
• When the game is tight, 1-0 up or down – do you step up to the plate or shy away from the game?
• If involved in a physical battle – what is your status? Are you willing to fight or do you hide and defer?
• Communication is a big part of the college game – Giving and receiving concise and timely information to your teammates is key to playing quicker. How well do you communicate?

 

After the Event, what should you do?

The college coaches will likely follow up with two groups of prospects. The players who they thought played well and will help their program (either on their list prior to or not) and prospects who follow up and ask the coach for feedback. If the coach has a 100 players on their list and identifies 10 more, they are not going to give individual feedback to everyone.

So.. ask for feedback!!!

And if they say that they don’t think it is the right “fit,” then this actually helps you in your process by allowing you to narrow down your choices. sure, it’s not the answer you want, but it’s better to know and move on than to wonder.

They may say we want to keep evaluating your play, in which case keep them posted with your schedule.

They may also say they want you to come and visit, which would be ideal.

TIPS

• Donʼt just write to the schools who have signed up for the event, some coaches donʼt sign up until the day of the event. Communicate with all of your target schools.
• Put your graduation year after your name in the subject of your email. Remember your graduation year dictates how coaches can respond and also what needs they may have for that class. Coaches donʼt want to have to search for this information.
• You may have sent coaches an email listing all your events, however, follow up with an email about this specific NEFC tournament, include your schedule & jersey number. Donʼt expect a coach to remember the details of an email from weeks or months ago.
• Many coaches will use gotsoccer to print rosters prior to the event, and most tournaments use this information to print college books, keep your profile up to date.
• Team managers often hand out team or club profiles to the college coaches in attendance, ask your team manager to log which college coaches were in attendance at which halves of games. This way you know when college coaches saw you play, not just if they saw you play. This distinction is important, check our website for more on this.
• When you are playing in front of coaches, donʼt do anything differently, just play as you normally would. Donʼt try to focus on the sidelines, focus on the game.
• Coaches will be evaluating the technical, tactical and physical traits of your game. However, the coaches are also looking at your psychological, emotional and social components. These are harder to evaluate, but note, how you defend, how you react to a mistake, how you react to getting subbed and your body language are all variables coaches are looking for.

And remember, after the event provide the coaches with an update and ask for feedback regarding if you would be a good fit for their recruiting class. This feedback will help you frame your recruitment process and could lead to either you crossing a school off your list or taking a campus visit.

Camps and Clinics

Attending a college camp or clinic can be a very valuable experience. The benefits typically associated with attending a camp or clinic are:

• Opportunity to spend time on a campus, eat in the cafeteria, get a sense of student life, etc.
• Get challenged in a soccer environment with good coaching and competitive players.
• Get an opportunity to be evaluated by college coaches.

Contrary to popular belief college coaches are not allowed to recruit at soccer camp. However, they are able to evaluate your play and as soon as campers have been dismissed, if you are on their campus, then they are able to chat with you specifically about their program.

Choosing the correct camp and clinic opportunities will be critical to your recruitment process. Be aware of the following when planning your camp and clinic schedule:

• Camps are an opportunity for coaches to gain evaluations, but they are also a great opportunity to supplement their program budgets or salaries.
• Camps typically have high numbers which provides a great camp experience, but may dilute your opportunity for evaluation.
• Some camps are staffed with coaches from multiple colleges, and these camps may be more valuable as you have the opportunity to get evaluated by a number of schools at one camp.
• When planning camps pay attention to your body and health, it makes no sense to do three camps back to back to back as you will not show well due to fatigue.

Important to Note: It is critical that you communicate with coaches prior to the start of the camp/clinic and let them know of your interest in their program. The coaches will be able to evaluate you during the camp or clinic session, but if the coach knows you are extremely interested in their program, they will definitely pay more attention.

Letting the coach know after the camp, may be too late as it is impossible to evaluate over a hundred players, especially if the coach is in charge of the logistics for the camp program.

The Benefit of One Day Clinics

One day college soccer clinics can be both time and cost effective, and often offer the following benefits:

• Smaller pool of players (maybe between 20-40) so easier for evaluation.
• Often in conjunction with the a home soccer game or a practice, so you can watch the team play.
• Typically able to the tour campus or meet with the admissions and advising staff.
• Cost effective due to the fact that you are in and out in one day.

Important to Note:

1. NCAA rules state that camps and clinics need to be open for everyone, so although coaches can invite players into these clinics, they also have to make them available for anyone who would like to sign up.

2. When attending camps and clinics
, make sure to play in positions that will best showcase your abilities. If you are a central defender and get asked to play as a forward, it’s okay, but eventually find a way to get seen in your position. Often players attend camps and don’t get to spend time in scrimmages in their preferred positions, if they did not communicate effectively with the coach before hand, you may not get the evaluation opportunity required for the coach to see if you would be a good fit for their program.

Summary

It is essential that you communicate both before and after an event, whether it be a tournament or showcase, or a camp or clinic. It is great to have the opportunity to get evaluated, but the opportunity will quite likely go to waste if you have not communicated effectively with the coach.

Before – Make certain that the coach know just how interested you are in their program before the you attend.

After - Make sure that you follow up and request feedback so that you can narrow or expand your list of prospective schools.

You recruitment video should be served as a visual resume, which can be prove pretty powerful when used the right way.

Visual Resumes

If you were to sell your house and the realtor wanted to create an online video to show off the property, I would hope that the realtor would produce a video that showed rooms at the best angles, in the best light, in the right order, highlighting some areas of the house while skipping over the others. The realtor’s version would differ completely from a home made video ora video procuded by a wedding videographer for the same purpose.

When using video it is about being effective, using experts to put you in the best light is important.

Your first impression may be from the video you submit to a college coach, if you submit a video that does not allow for evaluation then you are doing yourself a disservice. You have to think of your video as your visual resume.

The Difference Between a Highlight Video and a Recruitment Video

Highlight Video

What is it?

A highlight video is a video created to show a player’s great plays. It typically is set to music, has fast cuts and fades, slow motion effects and is focused on the player. The video may include goals, shots, tackles and saves, but rarely has any context associated with the video.

Best Purpose?

The highlight video works as a pump up video, a keepsake, a memory and is the ideal gift to show at a graduation or to commemorate a season. The highlight video is not an effective recruiting tool.

Who can make highlight videos?

Many companies can produce professional looking video or family and friends can film, edit and produce your highlight video. If sending to a college coach, does it serve as an opportunity to evaluate your play.

Recruitment Video

What is it?

A recruitment video is created to clearly demonstrate a players abilities in soccer specific categories. The focus is on the game and the player is shown in the context of play. Areas such as range of passing, 1v1 defending, ability in the air, movement off the ball maybe included. The focus is on content and context.

Best Purpose?

The recruitment video is designed for submission to a college coach. It should provide the coach an opportunity to best evaluate the player’s technical, tactical, physical and even psychological aspects game without being there in person. Although it is a great keepsake, it is not designed to entertain.

Who can create?

An expert understanding of the game of soccer is a necessity. Being able to determine speed of play, 2nd man defending and roles and responsibilities of players in certain positions within differing systems is critical to the editing process.

Common Mistakes when submitting the video

Filming mistakes

• The camera is zoomed on the player, you are unable to see the context of the play. eg. after a player passes the ball you do not see the result of the pass as the camera stays on the player.
• The camera is zoomed out too far, unable to make out the player and follow the ball
• Quality of the film is poor, if the film is grainy or low quality, it makes it difficult to evaluate and for the coach to watch

Editing Mistakes

• The clips used do not showcase the player positively due to a lack of understanding of what the coach is looking for.
• There is no organization to the video, making it confusing to watch
• The video only contains clips of the player with the ball at their feet, no defending or movement off the ball. 50% of a game your team will be defending, so it’s important to showcase this side of your game no matter what position you play.
• The clips are too short, they do not show the build up or how the play develops
• The player is hard to identify in the video

Production Mistakes

• When the video is finalized to disc or online link the quality deteriorates due to the rendering process making the video tough to watch
• No need to add cuts, fades and music to the film. If you are to add a soundtrack, be pretty mainstream, a hard rock or rap song, may turn the coach off your video or make them mute the film at the very least.

Recruitment Video Tips

Filming tips

• Ideally an HD camera will provide the best quality, there are a great number of consumer HD cameras that are affordable and effective. Tape, hard drive or memory card formats all work well.
• When filming a game try to capture the game from an elevated position as this gives depth and a better perspective for evaluation.
• Use the center circle as a guide for the zoom. If you can fit the center circle in your viewfinder then you have a good range, feel free to zoom in and out at different points, however, if you use this as a guide you will be able to show the context of the game.
• Follow the ball not the player

Editing Tips

• Use footage from 2-4 games. Using footage from only one game may not capture the essence of the player. However, you should be able to get a good understanding of a player’s abilities from four games, any more then this is overkill.
• Use soccer specific categories when editing the clips so the coach knows what they are watching, for example, keep the defending clips or the passing clips together, this way the coach can gain a greater understanding of your abilities.
• If possible, use an effect to highlight the player as soon as possible in the play. This allows the coach to clearly identify the player in the context of the play. See our demo below for an example.
• Don’t include too many clips, this will dilute the video and also increase the chance the coach will stop watching. Put your strongest clips at the front of each category.
• Have your coach or a qualified soccer coach review your film before submitting.

Production Tips

• Render your video in high quality to keep the resolution.
• Post your video online and also onto DVD, as leaving a DVD with a coach when visiting campus may mean they watch it right after you leave their office. Having your video online allows for easy evaluation.
• An elaborate label is not needed, but be sure to include the following on the link or DVD (if comfortable):

• • Name
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Graduation Year

• You may also include the length of the video, club or high school team, the number you are wearing on your jersey etc.

Summary

It is also important to understand that even if the video is well filmed, edited and produced, it is still unlikely to get you recruited on it’s own. It may, however, get you an invite to campus or a coach out to your game. The hope is that it acts as a visual resume, and that it if done right, will give you the opportunity to be evaluated by the coach.

Level of Play

Well, for starters, as we discussed in the previous article, soccer is not a statistically driven sport.

As a result, your soccer skills MUST be quantifiable by the level of skill surrounding you. In this case, that means the reputation of your H.S. team. And unfortunately, although there are certainly a great number of talented H.S. soccer teams, there is typically a higher level of play found at the top notch club soccer level, than in high school.

It is no wonder then, that the majority of college soccer coaches look to club soccer to do much of their recruiting.

Recruiting Class

On top of the concern that coaches have for the level of play in high school soccer, there is also the dilemma of which recruiting class they are most interested in.

And for that reason, many coaches find that there is very little to see at a high school game because there is such a mix of recruiting classes. There are freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors playing on the same team, and this provides little opportunity to scout if a coach is focusing specifically on the Junior class, let’s say.

Conflict of Schedules

Another major problem that arises for college soccer coaches is that the many high school soccer programs play their soccer during the Fall season, which conflicts with the college season, and is by far the busiest time of the year for these coaches.

As a result, if your high school plays its’ soccer during the Fall, coaches will have a very difficult time getting out to your game.

Having Success with High School Soccer & Evaluation

It is very important that you embrace the difficulty expressed above as to getting evaluated by the college coaches from your high school team. Most players do NOT accept this, and they assume that if they are good enough, someone will see them in high school.

Understanding this fact, alone, will improve your ability to have success with the evaluation process because you won’t wast time waiting for something that is unlike to occur.

With all of that being said, however, there is still opportunity to get evaluated from your high school team, and there are definitely ways to help your high school team have greater impact in the evaluation process.

Having success with your High School team:

1. High School Playoffs - As discussed above, college soccer coaches are typically very busy during the Fall season. If a coach does attend a high school game, therefore, it is more often than not a playoff game in the later rounds because there are better teams and a higher quality of players. Being in the final stages of the playoffs also offers credibility to your team, and therefore to you as a player.

As a result, if your high school team is in the playoffs, that might just be the best time to request that a coach come and watch you play.

2. Making the All-Star Team - As discussed, college coaches are much more apt to attend a soccer game where the level of play is higher. For that reason, many coaches will attend local High School All-Star games, especially since these game are typically played after the high school and college season has ended. It can be really useful to chosen as an All-Star in your league. Besides the All-Star game, it is also a nice award to add to your soccer resume.

If you are scheduled to play in a High School All-Star game, you should definitely email all of the local coaches to request that they come and see you play. You should also email every coach just to let them know that you were selected.

Club

Now, let’s talk about what role your club team will play in the evaluation process.

Club teams are getting more and more exposure every year, and if you play for a club team, you have a huge advantage in the evaluation process. If you only play high school, you can definitely still have success, it just makes your job a little bit tougher in getting a coach to see you play in person.

So, why are club teams so valuable in getting evaluated?

Level of Play

Although there is certainly a pretty big range of levels in club soccer, and although there are certainly some very strong high school soccer teams, club soccer is considered by college coaches to be the best level of soccer in terms of evaluation.

The college coaches believe that if a player is serious about their soccer game, and truly committed to the sport, that they will be playing for a club soccer team.

The coaches also believe that club soccer teams are much more talented overall than high school teams, and will therefore spend a great deal more time watching club soccer games because there is more talent to see.

They believe that traveling to club games to evaluate is a more valuable way to spend their time because the level of play is better.

And, in general, this is true.

Recruiting Class

On top of the fact that coaches find that club soccer offers a higher level of play (and therefore more talented players), club soccer also allows college coaches to focus in on one recruiting class.

Again, coaches are typically focusing their recruiting one particular class at a time (or perhaps two)

And for that reason, many coaches find that there is a great deal to see at a club soccer game because every player on the field, for the most part, will be graduating high school at the same time.

Being able to see so many players from the same recruiting class on the same field is a huge opportunity for college coaches to successfully evaluate.

Conflict of Schedules (or lack there of)

Another major benefit of playing club soccer is that the fall season is by far the busiest time of the year for college coaches.

Club soccer players, on the other hand, are playing most of their games in the spring and summer.

Attending a club soccer game, therefore, is much easier for a college coach because there is no conflict of game schedules.

If you are on a reputable club team that you enjoy, then great.

Having Success with Club Soccer & Evaluation

Understanding just how vital a role club soccer plays in the recruitment process is sure to help you in getting evaluated by the college soccer coaches.

Most people know that club soccer is a great way to get seen, but knowing exactly why as discussed above will hopefully get you to really make a push to get coaches to come to your club soccer games and events.

Olympic Development Program (ODP)

Another opportunity available to receive evaluation outside of High School and Club is the Olympic Development Program (ODP).

What is ODP?

• A national identification and development program for high-level and elite players established in 1977 as the US Youth Soccer Select Team Program.
• The only elite player program with more than 25 years of experience and verifiable results.
• A well-defined infrastructure in place and the experience to deliver international travel and competition, exposure, scholarships and other exclusive opportunities.
• An opportunity to train with and compete against some of the best players at the State, Regional, and National level.

What are the goals of ODP?

• To identify a pool of players in each age group from which United States Men’s, Women’s, and Youth national team pools can be selected for international competition.
• To provide high level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels.
• Through the use of carefully selected licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the enhancement of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching.

How are players selected for ODP?

• Open tryouts are available to any player.
• Scouting of US Youth Soccer State Association, Regional and National events and leagues.
• US Youth Soccer State Association league and club play.
• Regional pools and teams are selected only from players that participate in sanctioned US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program events.

The potential benefits of participating in ODP

• The Olympic Development Program is another opportunity for player development.
• ODP is an opportunity to receive evaluation by different coaches (potentially college coaches).
• An opportunity to help improve your soccer resume for sending to coaches.

Important to Note: As with all of youth soccer – programs are evolving. ODP is not an exception, the Development Academy Program (DAP) for boys and the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) are having an impact on ODP. There is also a difference between the boy’s and girl’s ODP programs as the DAP players are unable to participate in the ODP program. ODP will continue to evolve, but their focus will likely remain on player development. Participation in ODP will be a personal decision that will be influenced by your particular circumstances and needs as a player. ID2 is another identification program and pathway to US National team scouts.

Summary

The above article is designed to offer some insight into the role that high school, club, and ODP play in the evaluation process for college recruitment. Because every player’s situation is unique as to what teams you play for and how you can get the coaches to evaluate you through these teams, please feel free to address any questions in the “Leave a Comment” below the post title.

Notice that for Juniors, Preparing to Play Soccer in College, has been moved from last place to second to last place in the reordered list below.

1. Creating Your List of Best “Fit” Schools
2. Communicating Effectively with the College Coaches
3. Achieving Successful Evaluation & Feedback
4. Preparing to Play Soccer in College
5. Making a Final Decision – The Right “Fit” School

Creating Your List of Best “Fit” Schools: Prepare Academically

If you are a junior in high school, you still have enough time to create a lit of best “fit” schools before communicating with the coaches.

This is incredibly valuable.

As we mentioned in the previous post, communicating with the the coaches after you have chosen the right schools to communicate with, makes your communication infinitely more effective.

Now, you may be thinking that as a junior, you should be starting to communicate with the coaches right away, and you are right.

However, to just start shooting off emails to schools and coaches that don’t make sense for you, will still be a waste of time in the end.

So, juniors, make sure that you spend at least a few weeks making a preliminary list of schools before sending out any emails to coaches.

The only exception would be if you have a big tournament or college showcase coming up in the next couple weeks. In that case, yes, you should certainly get some emails out to take advantage of that opportunity.

However, in general, it is always better to create a list of best “fit” schools before communicating with coaches.

Communicating with the College Soccer Coaches / Achieving Successful Evaluation & Feedback

Communicating with the college coaches as a junior is a two-part formula and these parts must occur quickly and in succession.

In the previous article we discussed the two major types of communication with the college coaches, Initial Communication and Follow Up Communication.

For freshmen and sophomores, their focus has to be on the Initial Communication. That’s because they have an early start and their only goal is to get their name on a coach’s prospect list.

For juniors, however, Initial Communication and Follow Up Communication have to occur one after the other.

The goal of Initial Communication is to introduce yourself to the college coaches and try to get your name on their prospect list.

And the goal of Follow Up Communication is simply to get evaluated and get feedback on performance and answers to your questions.

Preparing to Play in College

There is one more major advantage of starting your recruiting process as a junior.

You still have time to improve your game for the college level.

Most college soccer prospects start their recruiting process during their senior year. (That is, if they start their recruiting process at all, as the vast majority of players who are interested in playing college soccer never truly get involved in the process.)

As a result, most prospects begin the process at a point when they don’t have enough time left to improve their game.

As a junior, however, you have an extra year on the competition to learn, train, and develop your soccer abilities for the college level.

Quick Notes for Juniors -

• September 1st going into your junior year you will be able to receive recruiting materials from college coaches
• Continue to communicate with all schools of interest, be sure to complete all prospect questionnaires and keep coaches updated with your schedules
• Ask college coaches questions, try to get a sense of where you stand in their recruiting class, understand that a rejection will help narrow your search and will be part of the process
• Take a number of unofficial visits at schools of interest, attend junior days if invited
• Depending on feedback from coaches, campus visits and test scores, reevaluate your list and remove or add schools where appropriate
• Take SATs and register with the NCAA Clearinghouse

Seniors

Let’s start by making the same point we made to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Because, if you are a senior, it’s even more important that you hear it.

One of the most important lessons you will learn about the college soccer recruiting process is the following:

The sooner you begin your recruiting process, the greater your chance of success.

Now, if you are a senior, there is still time!

However, it is vital that you fully embrace this lesson.

Why?

Because if you realize the advantage that others have had in the recruiting process by starting during their freshmen, sophomore, or junior year, you will hopefully understand the hard work and dedication that you need to start putting into your recruitment immediately.

There is still time for you to have great success with the recruiting process.

However, if you are a senior, you have no time to waste.

You must begin now.

Communicating with the College Soccer Coaches / Achieving Successful Evaluation & Feedback / Creating Your List of Best “Fit” Schools

If you are a senior in high school, and you are just starting the recruiting process, you must begin incorporating all of the fundamental areas of the recruiting process together.

Because you do not have the luxury of time, you must begin communicating with the coaches, requesting opportunities for evaluation, and creating your list of best “fit” schools, all at the same time.

Unlike the other classes, for seniors, there is no clear order in which you can move through the process. Every facet of your process must work hand-in hand.

Here’s what you can do to get started:

Quick Notes for Seniors -

• July 1st going into your senior year you will be able to receive phone calls from college coaches
• You may be invited to take official visits at schools of interest, continue to take unofficial visits as necessary
• Retake the SAT’s if necessary, work with your guidance counselor to keep your NCAA Clearinghouse account updated
• Apply to schools, communicate this information to coaches
• Use your experiences to make an informed decision of where to commit to study and play college soccer
• Knuckle down in the classroom and the soccer field to best prepare yourself for your college soccer experience

Summary

Now that you have gained some insight into the unique status of your high school class in the recruiting process, it is time to begin working towards creating you own unique Plan of Action.