College Soccer Recruitment Tips for Success

Written and Verbal

Always put your best foot forward. Manners and professionalism go a long way. Always be honest. If you do not know an answer, tell them you need more time to think about it and you would be happy to get back to them. Keep an active and on-going record of which schools you have contacted and the method of contact.

Subject lines should always include your name and your graduation year at a minimum. Make sure the name of the coach(es), college name, and email address are accurate. In your introductory email, make sure you make it personal. Tell them about yourself, why you are interested in their school, and what events you have coming up. When emailing about an upcoming tournament or game, make it as easy as possible for the college coach to find you at the event. Always include your team name, age group, bracket, and schedule.

Subject Line: Sally Smith, 2022, VSA U16 Body of the Email: Dear Coach Jones, My name is Sally Smith and I am a 2022 forward for the VSA U16 team. I am writing you to express my interest in College State University. I am especially interested in your school, not only because of the legacy of your soccer program, but also because of the school s esteemed Kinesiology program. I would love for you to come and watch my team play at Cownie Soccer Park in our upcoming game against Iowa Rush on Saturday, July 8that 3pm on Field 1. Attached to this email is my athletic resume in which you can also find my own contact information as well as my club coach s contact information. Thank you for your time and good luck with your season, Sally Smith

If you are attaching a highlight video to your email, make sure you describe the video in your email so they know what to look for in it. Keep the video short. Ideally keep the video to less than 5 minutes (unless the coach specifically asks you to send something longer (e.g., an entire half of a game)). Make sure the highlights are varied and show you as a complete player. Do not only show close ups of you on the ball. They want to know what is happening on the whole field at the time. If you want to have background music in your video, make sure it is appropriate. Keep it simple. This does not have to be an expensive production. A recording from your cell phone or iPad is perfectly acceptable, just make sure you eliminate the background noise from the crowd and are able to indicate which player is you.

Prominently display your graduation year and contact information so coaches do not have to search for it. Include education information, including your high school, current GPA, ACT/SAT scores (if applicable), and any academic awards (e.g., honor roll, etc.). Include all athletic achievements, both personal and team soccer achievements as well as achievements in other sports. Include your club and high school team information (e.g., name, age group, etc.). Include the contact information for your club coach and any other contacts you think would be beneficial (e.g., high school coach, etc.). Other things to consider including are: career interests, potential area of study, hobbies, non-soccer extracurricular activities, height/weight, etc.

Always stating your name and grad year. The coaches need this to verify are operating within the rules by talking to you. Speak up and be personable. (Talking quietly is often seen as a lack of confidence.) Prepare for the conversation ahead of time. Be ready to talk about yourself, why you are calling, and why you are interested in their program. Have questions prepared to ask the coach about their program and school. Always begin a conversation with a coach by

1. How would you describe your teams style of play? What formation does your team play? 2. How would you describe your coaching style? 3. What are you looking for in the players you are recruiting? 4. How do you see me fitting in your program? What position do you see me playing? 5. What is the biggest need of your team right now?

What is a typical week look like for players both in season and out of season? What is the travel schedule like? What academic resources does your school offer? What was your team s GPA? Are athletes required to live on campus? If so, for how many years? Do the athletes live together? How many players are you looking to bring in for my graduation year? 10. Are the athletic scholarships offered for 1 year or 4 years? What type of academic scholarships are available at your school? 6. 7. 8. 9.

When leaving a voicemail, make sure you leave your name, graduation year, and club team, so the college coach knows if it is within the rules to return your call. Make sure you are prepared to leave a short but precise message. Prepare ahead of time. Be polite and speak up. Thank the coach at the end of the message for their time. Example. Hi Coach Jones. My name is Sally Smith and I am a 2022 forward for the VSA U16 team. I was hoping to talk to you a little bit about your program and how I might fit in it. If you get a chance, please give me a call back at (555) 123-4567. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you, in advance, for your time!

IMPORTANT: College coaches watch not only how you to talk to them, but how you interact with your parents, siblings, teammates, and coaches. Always be polite and use your manners. Try to avoid using too many speech fillers (e.g., like, um, uh, you know , etc.). Sit or stand with good attentive posture to show you are interested. Make eye contact and use active listening skills. REMEMBER: Body language is 90% of communication.