How to Get Noticed by College Soccer Coaches

As a soccer player enters high school the stress builds. If one of the few things the player knows for sure is that he wants to play soccer in college, connecting with coaches becomes critical.

If the player is rostered on a top state team or is part of a developmental program such as ODP or the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, he'll have many opportunities to play in front of college coaches. But if he isn't on a top team, all is not lost. The important thing is to act early and not wait until late in his junior year. Ideally, planning should begin during his freshman year of high school.

What a college soccer coach wants

College soccer coaches are looking for four key things in a player: skill, speed, size, and strength. While they don't expect players to be at the same level as college seniors, how the player compares will determine the coach's interest as well as playing time on a squad if the player makes the team.

Of course the coaches can't only be focused on players' soccer abilities. They also have to be aware of players' grades and test scores. While coaches do have some "pull" with the admissions staff, it's often limited to a couple players, and there are often minimum test scores or grades that the players must attain. Obviously it behooves a player to keep their grades up and do well in standardized testing throughout high school.

In addition, since a coach may only be able to influence the admission status of a couple of players, if that, the coaches (especially those at competitive schools) will be looking for players who meet, exceed, or-at a minimum-are close to the school's average for grades and test scores.

Narrow the focus

It helps if the player can narrow their search to a list of schools, or perhaps certain types of schools. Size, location, and majors are all ways of narrowing the focus. If soccer is a major concern, the school's division in soccer is a way to narrow the choices as well. Is the player on a development team? Is he getting accolades, such as "All PIAA" or "All Inter-Ac" for his high school team, or are Division One coaches contacting him? This might give an indication of whether the player might make a D-1 team, or whether he'd be better off focusing on D-2 or D-3 schools. (see the differences here.)

Once a player has an idea of what schools they might want to attend, or at least the type of schools they're interested in, it's time to figure out how to get noticed by a coach. (And if the player has no idea what type of schools he's interested in attending, it's best to keep all options open and see what coaches contact him. Of course, the work the player, his parents, and the club team do can influence that.)

What does the club soccer team have planned?

First of all, evaluate the club team's plans. Are they hiring someone to prepare a video of a game or games against a challenging opponent? Will they prepare a flyer/booklet to be mailed to coaches and/or handed out at tournaments? Will the team have a website? If the answers to these questions are yes, then the player may be able to wait and see what schools contact him. If the answers are no-the player-and his parents-have work to do.

Attend Soccer Tournaments

One of the best ways to be noticed by a college coach is to attend a tournament. Opportunities to play at tournaments in front of college coaches are limited, however, and the coaches the player is targeting may not attend the same tournaments as the player's team.

It helps if the person making the tournament plans for the team is aware of which schools players might be interested in, or at least knows the level (D1, D2, D3) most of the players will play in college. While it's always great to play at a high level, it's important to play in front of coaches who might realistically be interested in the players. Of course, most players don't have a clue what schools they'll be interested in their sophomore and junior years, when coaches are looking at players.

Showcase tournaments are excellent opportunities to be seen by college coaches. If your team isn't playing in a tournament where coaches you're interested in attending, you might be able to guest play for a teams that is. Some tournaments provide the means for you to connect with the attending teams, so it's worth monitoring the list of coaches attending tournaments, or asking a coach at a college you're interested in for a list of tournaments he'll be attending.

Camps

Camps are an excellent way to be seen by college coaches. Some camps have coaches from only one school in attendance, while others have coaches from several colleges and universities in a showcase situation.

At some camps the coaches meet privately with players and tell them their strengths and weaknesses, and where they see the player fitting in a college program. This type of feedback can be very helpful in guiding the student toward the appropriate level program, and in some cases the player might pique a coach's interest.

Player Videos

Some teams hire a videographer, or a parent videotapes several games and prepares a compilation CD for team members. Barring that, a parent can video their own child and send copies to coaches.

If that's necessary, make sure you videotape competitive games and show the entire sequence of play. Sometimes films consist of nothing more than shots of a player finishing the ball, but a coach wants to see more than that. They want to how the play develops, how the player moves on the field, how they position themselves, etc.

Be aware, however, that there's no guarantee that a coach will look at the video.

Prepare a flyer, pamphlet, or booklet

The team should prepare a brochure or booklet with information about the players. (See how to here .) These can be used at tournaments so that college coaches watching a game have information on the team and players and can see at a glance if the player has what it takes (grades, test scores, and other stats) to be accepted at their institution.

Flyers or booklets can also be mailed to coaches with a game schedule and an invitation to see a game, either during the regular season, state cups, or a tournament. Single pages of the brochure can be used as a player profile. A player can send these with a letter of introduction or an invitation to a game to coaches.

The bottom line is, if you aren't in a developmental program, be assertive if you want to make a team. Contact coaches, attend tournaments, and get your information in front of coaches well before your senior year.