Playing College Soccer
The subject of college recruiting can be very involved and confusing. It is
impossible to, in the space available, provide a comprehensive overview to the
recruiting process and regulations. Besides, I'm only a dog and college is too
time consuming for a creature that ages seven times faster than a human...the
average dog takes 28 years to complete the undergraduate work alone.
The
first thing to consider is that as a student-athlete, the emphasis and priority
should be placed in that order: first as a student, then as athlete. I've never
met anyone who got rich playing soccer in America, but I have met hundreds of
uneducated ex-professionals that have no marketable skills with which to find
work. Even if you do make it to the ranks of pro, at best your career will last
10-15 years (barring injury) and THEN you'll have nothing else to turn to. (Not
to mention there is still no professional soccer for women in the U.S.). In
Europe, when young players join the first division clubs, the club's will teach
the players marketable skills. Later these apprentices will have career skills to
fall back on after their playing is finished. So remember, education is first.
Now that we have that under control, how are we going to market the
young student-athletes to the universities and colleges? We'll start by making it
easier for the college coaches to learn about the players.
NCAA strictly
regulates each coach's recruiting. Each coach is limited to the number of
contacts that can be made to prospective players, so the coach must make sure the
contacts are made wisely. Coaches may not contact freshmen or sophomore players,
but freshmen and sophomore players can send information to coaches. Coaches want
to become aware of players as early as possible so that they may track their
progress. The ODP Program is often used by coaches as a recruiting ground. Large
tournaments are also well-attended. The key is to let the coaches know you are
out there. Players should send resumes and cover letters to coaches so that the
coaches become aware of the players. Giving the coach information about
tournaments the player will be in is also helpful in the scouting process. There
is an excellent publication on the market now that helps the student get noticed.
It's called the College Recruiting Guide*,
and it allows students to place academic and athletic information in a guide that
is sent to more than 1,500 college coaches in the United States. It is the most
cost-effective way to reach coaches.
Players need to consider many
variables when choosing a college. Among them: public or private, academic
integrity, location, climate, philosophy and size of the institute; social,
political and religious views of the college; cost of tuition and housing,
financial aid availability, student grants and loans; the reputation of the
soccer program, quality of players, how many players will be graduating from the
team, coaching philosophy, win-loss record, practice expectations; does the
college offer a degree program to fit your needs and interests, prestige of the
university...the next four years of your life will be spent at this place, the
right decision is very important. Researching these factors can be made easier by
using the following publications: The National Directory of College Athletics**,
and The Sport Source - Official Athletic
College Guide***.
Academics is very important. In order to have as
many choices as possible available to you, you must first be a good student.
Having a high GPA and scoring well on the SAT and ACT are invaluable assets in
your search for the right college. Every coach is pressured by their athletic
director and school administrators to have a high percentage of graduates in
their athletic program. That means if you are a good student, the coach is
already interested. It is important to continue looking for the right college.
There is a college program designed to fit your personal needs, the trick is
finding it. Good luck and Ciao for now.
For more information:
** The National Directory of College Athletics - 216.835.1172
*** The Sport Source - Official Athletic College Guide - 1.800.862.3092
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