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how do i get noticed by colleges for soccer

#soccer #premier #athletics #sports

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Subject: Career question for you

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Jennie’s Answer

That's awesome you're looking to play soccer in college! I ran track and cross country in college, and it was an incredible experience - a lot of hard work and not the typical college lifestyle, but the team and competition were definitely worth it. I would start by thinking about what you're looking to get out of the college soccer experience...type and size of school, location, qualities in a coach and team environment. That will help you identify whether or not a team/school feels like a good fit. If there are schools you are interested in, I would reach out to coaches by email and see if you could meet with them when you schedule a general visit. You could include a highlight video or sport "resume" with your athletic achievements, why you're interested and would be a good fit for the team. That initiative and interest will help. I never was involved in any recruiting sites or organizations, but know that summer club tournaments often get coaches attention. Hope that helps and best of luck!
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M’s Answer

Great question! As a former Division I Soccer player (#1 in the country multiple times), this is going to take a lot of devotion, energy, effort. You must have the right attitude. ALSO. and most important...you are going to want to have a back up plan. That means get your education first. I chose a school based on how much playing time I was going to get not on what I wanted in my career. Be prepared for that even if you are the #1 player in the country.

Now, the fun part. Put together a video. Have it include actual game footage as well as drills you perform *(sprints, ball touches, agility, etc). Have fun with the video. Show all sides of your game. If you are a defender, show footwork. If you are forward, show your finishing skills. Do anything to stand out. Graphics and a well thought out "plan/script" are also very useful so take the time to do it. Video should probably be between 2 and 5 minutes. Anything shorter you wont show off your skills. Anything more, you will lose your audience.

Also...as you are sending these videos to the schools, create a website with all your games and information. Make it easy for the recruiting coaches to see you. Treat each video like it was a resume and speak to the individual school you are trying to attend. A "blanket" video is good. A PERSONALIZED video is better.

Should you have anymore questions, please send me a note, and I would be glad to help.

M recommends the following next steps:

have a back up plan- get your education
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Jay’s Answer

Hello - One route is through what is know as 'clubs' - There are development academies as well as programs led by most MLS teams for youth development. Getting into one of these programs is a good start - they have leagues, events and tournaments that are often coordinated with college scouts depending on the level of play. Another avenue is through high school, demonstrating region and state level success and individual honors are also good ways to entice college recruiters. Most importantly - have fun!
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Joel’s Answer

Be humble, always play to the strengths of your team. Listen to advice from your coach and it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in terms of fitness and nutrition. Never let your emotions get to your head during a game and work hard for the team. Good players get noticed when they are hardworking even if they are not good technically. You have to give your all at every training session and match. Always ask yourself what you can do better to improve after a session. Watch videos of professional players during games and learn more about their positioning, runs, etc.
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Shannon’s Answer

That is great you want to play college soccer! It takes ambition and tenacity to play at the next level. I suggest playing for an elite team that travels to showcase tournaments. This is where the college scouts go to see the top talent. Create a list of schools you are interested in and send them emails before the tournaments to let them know you will be attending. After the tournament follow-up with them. If you can, highlight reels are also great but dont rely solely on them. Coaches want to see you play in person.

I also suggest creating a "soccer resume" with some of the accolades you and your teams have accomplished. Scouts bring those to showcases. Best of luck!
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Aki’s Answer

I was fortunate enough to play college soccer at a top school (back in the day). While the landscape has changed, some things have stayed true to get noticed by college coaches. First and foremost, you want to get yourself on an elite club in and around your area and play in as many college showcase tournaments as possible. Ideally, you can get yourself on one of the MLS academy clubs as that's currently the highest level of club soccer in the U.S (with no U.S. Soccer Development Academy). Additional route is to use social & digital recruiting platforms to get in touch with college coaches. Create a highlight for yourself from your games and send that to as many coaches as you can. Depending on what your level is, there are a lot of schools at NCAA D1, D2 and D3 levels. There are also community and junior colleges that are very strong in soccer - many of the top college players transfer to a top school after a couple of years at community or junior colleges. Good luck and don't give up on your dream! College athletics will teach you incredible life sessions that can't be taught anywhere else!
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Blake’s Answer

I was recruited by Michigan State for soccer and was fortunate to be invited to a lot of college showcases. I also played with kids who never had that opportunity and actually went and reached out to colleges they desired. A lot of times, college coaches will take time to watch and look you up and some even will come to a game. If you get the chance to have a college coach watch your games just remain calm and don't try to force things to impress them. A lot of times coaches look for somebody who can play in their system of soccer. When choosing your schools look at some of their games and see if that is the style of soccer that will benefit you. It can take you a long way. Best of luck.
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Anthony’s Answer

Hey Michael, I am happy to help answer your question. If you are trying to get recruited, I would recommend creating a YouTube page and posting videos of your matches and videos of you going through drills or practicing. I would then recommend sharing a link to this page with as many coaches as you can to build your brand and get your name out there. Being able to watch the videos of your matches will allow them to evaluate your playing style and abilities, and the videos of drills will showcase your work ethic and give them a closer view of some of your specific abilities.
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Isaac 💻🎥’s Answer

That's great that you want to play at a college level, I have professional football experience, I believe your academics grades will help showcase ambition and scholarships. You can also join a local development academy or league, you have to check your college sport athletic programs to ensure that you can play for the professional clubs whilst in college.

Isaac 💻🎥 recommends the following next steps:

Create a highlight reel
network with recruiters/ colleges
get great grades
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Rita’s Answer

From my past experience with my older son, you need to post your achievements on a website colleges use to recruit future athletes. Below is one you can start with to get noticed. I recommend you put your information out on as many reputable college sites as possible since soccer is a very competitive sport at the college level.

Rita recommends the following next steps:

https://www.athleticscholarships.net/soccerscholarships.htm
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Todd’s Answer

I can speak to this from the perspective of my daughter who plays for her high school varsity team and also for a soccer academy team. Her academy team uses a website called Total Global Sports which helps connect student soccer players with colleges. If you're not associated with a soccer club, the TGS website offers a "Teen Free" account that may prove useful. If you're with a soccer club, I know that there are soccer tournaments that are referred to as College Showcases where coaches and scouts come to watch the games to see the talent.

I'm sure you'll receive further responses from people who have more direct knowledge of the available resources. Best of luck to you!
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Lauren’s Answer

Hi Michael,

Congratulations on playing collegiate soccer! I ran cross country and track in college and it gave me some of the best memories. The answers above may be more relevant to today's athletes (I graduated in 2006 and these websites did not exist) but I focused on developing relationships with coaches. For example, I wrote thank you notes whenever coaches came to my races and also created a two-page document that included my best times and reasons I wanted to run at the collegiate level. I was a good runner but not the top in the state, so I think showing that I brought more to the table than just fast times helped me get noticed. A positive attitude goes a long way when working out with top athletes in a team setting.

Best of luck!

Lauren
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