Preparing a Soccer Team Brochure

If a club soccer team hopes to place players in college, they should create promotional pieces.

A booklet with a separate page on each player provides complete player and team information. Booklets can be sent to local college coaches or taken to tournaments to be given to college coaches. A tri-fold includes limited information on the team and each player, but is inexpensive to print and mail.

Soccer Team Tri-fold

For a tri-fold, include the following information:

Team history, including tournaments and leagues the team has won or in which they've been a finalist.

Team contact information, website, coach's profile including phone number, licensing and other credentials.

The roster (names and uniform numbers prominently displayed,) player stats (height and weight,) position(s), date of birth, high school, GPA, and email address. A thumb-sized headshot can also be included.

Include upcoming tournaments, leagues the team will participate in, and a game schedule for the upcoming season.

A tri-fold can be inexpensively printed and mailed to local college soccer coaches with an invitation to attend an upcoming game. A few can be provided to each team member to send to coaches at colleges they're interested in along with a letter expressing their interest in the school.

A tri-fold may be the only piece some teams produce to provide information for soccer coaches. But there's more that can be done.

Soccer Team Booklet

The team can also produce a booklet that contains more extensive information, including a separate page for each player.

Appearance is critical for the booklet. Many tournaments have a coach's table where the attending teams' brochures and booklets are piled. Coaches can take brochures of the teams that interest them.

A colorful, attractive booklet might catch a coach's eye. If he or she picks it up, takes a look, and ends up catching one of your team's games, the booklet has done its job.

For the cover of the booklet, use color and include the team's name, location, and age group, (such as U17.) Make the cover attractive and the print large and easy to read. A team photo makes a nice impression but isn't necessary. (A photo also shows the team in their uniforms, making them easier to spot on the field.) Also include the team website.

Inside, include the team history and philosophy, history of the club, and where the players are from. (Is it a local team with most players attending the same school district, or a regional team? Are there ODP or other development academy players on the roster? Include leagues the team has competed in the past, etc.)

List recent team highlights. Here's where you include the tournaments they've won or been a finalist in (include location of the tournament) listed by year. Include any state cup or regional and league wins or finals.

On a separate page, list the coach's resume, including a headshot, contact information, certifications and licenses, any professional coaching or administrative soccer experience (such as club director or high school or ODP coaching experience.)

Include a team roster, listed in the order of jersey number, with player name, date of birth and positions played. A coach wants to quickly find a player's name and stats. Make it easy for him.

Beyond that, include the player's individual profiles, listed by jersey number (putting the jersey number on the outside upper corner of the page makes it easy to find.)

Player Pages

A booklet with an individual page for each player serves a dual purpose. It provides player information as part of the team booklet, but the individual pages can be used as resumes for players to send to college coaches.

The individual page should contain all pertinent player information near the top of the page: Name, Jersey Number, and Positions played.

Include a head shot taken in the team uniform.

List the player's personal information so a coach can contact him directly: address, phone number, email address, as well as date of birth, height, weight, and parents' names.

Educational information comes next. Be as complete as possible: High School, year of graduation, GPA and SAT scores and academic achievements. College coaches will want this information as an indication of whether a player would be accepted to their school. Include the high school coach's name and contact information (phone number and email address).

Next, provide athletic information. Some of this might duplicate information that appeared earlier in the brochure, but it's necessary in the event the page is used as an individual resume. Include the team name, website, coach's name and his licensing, along with his telephone number and email address. List the player's athletic achievements: years he played varsity soccer in high school, awards (such as team captain or all-conference,) any ODP or other developmental teams on which he is rostered, and other achievements attained or sports played in high school.

Lastly, list extracurricular activities: clubs, referee licensing, and community service.

A booklet or tri-fold doesn't have to cost a lot of money. To keep costs down, parents with experience in writing, advertising, or printing can donate their time and abilities to put together an inexpensive and attractive piece.

If your team produces a high quality brochure and distributes it to coaches and at tournaments, you can improve the name recognition of the team and attract more coaches to your games. That can only be a good thing in the effort to get your team members seen by college coaches.