As a coach, the importance of having a wide and varied network of contacts is crucial. At the NCAA division 1 level in order to have a successful program, coach’s need to have a great amount of connections across the United States and in countries around the world. Head Coach’s are looking for players who are ready to step into life as a student-athlete and strengthen their program. Domestically within the state of where a coach resides and is home to the program he or she coaches, It’s a great place to know other coaches who are working in club soccer and high school. With looking to recruit high school seniors within that state, the positive is they can pay in-state tuition. This is a cheaper amount compared to bringing in prospects from states outside of where the university is based. Out of state tuition is a far larger fee and therefor becomes slightly more difficult for families to afford, and makes life for a coach slightly more challenging when trying to put together a recruiting class, because these financial situations take more time to figure out.
Below is great insight from current Santa Clara Women’s Head Coach Jerry Smith, he talks about what a coach looks for when recruiting student-athletes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD-SOt8t3zQ
The positive of recruiting players from in-state is the financial ease however there is a down side. As a coach of a division 1 program you are constantly trying to improve the roster every single year. But that is the same for every program in the state too. The level of competition for players is crazy. Take North Carolina for example, ACC programs such as Duke, UNC Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. They are all looking for the best players too, so as a coach when visiting weekend showcase camps and you see a player who you like and believe they can benefit your program, chances are you are not the only coach looking to bring this athlete in. In today’s market the ACC Powerhouses are recruiting the best pool of players in the local area and receiving commitments from players in their sophomore and junior year’s of high school, leaving the less finically capable division 1 programs scrapping for the lower tier of players. The high calibre programs have the financial power and resources to always be that one step ahead of the chasing pack. That is why they are, where they are.
Its important to understand that when recruiting, Coach’s have to abide by the rules and regulations that the NCAA have set. Below is a breakdown into what those rules are and what guidelines Coach’s have to follow. https://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer/recruiting-rules-calendar
Recruitment from an international perspective is far different and in ways, more difficult. As a coach at the D1 level you are trusted with awarding the international recruits with scholarships that help them afford college in the United States. With domestic recruiting you can see in person, the abilities and talent of players who you are interested in brining in to the program. With internationals, in order to judge whether you think this player can fit into the program, you have to watch a highlight tape of them in action. What’s important to realise is, this highlight video shows the very best of these players so they are only showing you what they want to reveal. There’ve been many times in my college career where I have seen an international recruit come into the program and having watched his highlight tape, been thinking he was going to be great however he was not consistency of the level that his tape had portrayed him to be. Awarding these types of players with scholarship money is a risk, but sometimes that risk can pay off. In the United States there are sports much higher up the pecking order than Soccer, a lot of children growing up would’ve played soccer alongside many other sports. Players in Europe who are from Spain, England, France, Germany, Italy have been brought up playing one sport and one sport only… Soccer. Because players from Europe have been playing soccer for a much longer time than most American players, they have a far greater understanding of the game, which is a great help to the coach’s and ultimately the team.
check out the link below to grasp a more in depth understanding of the international recruitment process and much more! https://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer/international-recruiting
Below are a couple of links to a easy and simple guide that breaks down and highlights the best ways to go about seeking an athletic scholarship. Also the NCAA website can provide the answers to any questions you may have! https://www.athleticscholarships.net/soccerscholarships.htm#soccer4 https://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer/how-to-get-recruited
Preview: The next blog will be looking at the structure of NCAA Soccer and ”What makes a winning culture?”. Be on the look out for that in the next couple of days!
NCAA Soccer - A Coach's Life 