[halfnelson31]

How can i get more exposure to college scouts? first off ill explain my situation. Im entering my junior year at a small school on Quantico MCB that only has like 100 kids. Our athletic programs are absolutely pathetic save for football(state simi-finals albeit in 1-A). Our school is part of the delany athletic confrence but they play soccer in the fall and we cant do that because then we would have too many kids having to decide between football and soccer and personally that would be a difficult choice for me too but i would pick soccer since its my best sport. Any way so we play in the spring and are basically independents with no confrence tournments to compete in and we struggle to fill even a 10 game schedule. I know what yall r thinkin too. Just play club. Well...We just moved here sophmore year and i was too late to sign up for the fall season. I was gonna try out for a team in the spring but my dad dosent want me to play for a club since he thinks he will have to drive too much and i dont blame him cuz hes balancing his work plus college and my mom is just toooo busy with all my lil sisters and i cant join a team this fall for the same reason. I will have my lisence once the spring season rolls around but even thats not definate. I know that i will be able to play spring and fall my senior year but by then i fear it will be too late. Is there any way i can get exposed more? Also how are D3 schools like in terms of: tuition, ease of making team, ability to transfer to D2, D1 schools, makin a PDL team, etc?

[halfnelson31]

bump man noone has any ideas?

[CC05]

Why not try out for that team in the spring (or fall)?? Maybe too much travel for your dad but you'd probably be able to get a ride with someone/arrange car pools?

[goyoureddevils]

Sorry that it took so long for anyone to give you an answer. I am a high school coach, and former college player. I work very hard to make sure the local colleges all know about my players, and go to great lengths to get my players to do their part in attracting attention. Let me see if I can help you.

First of all, you can not wait for college coaches to come looking for you, that is just not the way it happens no matter what myths high school boys like to tell each other. Unless you are high school all american material, or at least all state, you are going to have to research schools and contact them - telling them you are interested in their program. You can research them very easily with a book that my soccer store sells called The Sports Source Official College Guide. They have a guide for men's colleges and womens, and list every school, JUCO through NCAA Div 1 that has a soccer program in the United States. They give details about the school such as student population, curiculum, tuition, and of course - male to female student ratio!
They detail the recent history of the team, say how many scholorships are available, and who the coach is and how to contact him/her.

Go to this website to order one www.thesportsource.com Order one and then start researching schools that are in your area, your budget, your playing level. Contact the coach and let him know you are interested. Contact lots of them if you are interested at all.... I wrote letters to 38 coaches my junior year, and heard back from almost all of them in one way or another. Once you contact them to tell them who you are, you need to send them a brief biography of your playing career....emphasis on brief, and a schedule. The fact that you play in the spring is a big help. College season is in the fall, how many coaches do you think want to go out recruiting in the middle of a season? None, if they can help it! That is one of the reasons they like to recruit off of club teams so much. As for that, you do need to get involved in a club team. If not with a travel club, find a men's league club or team that you can get on. They usually play all their games locally, the competition is usually good because the men are often ex collegiate players or should-have-beens, and the summer outdoor/winter indoor seasons that they play will give you another good opportunity to have a coach see you.

So you see, there is plenty that you can do, and the fact that it is your junior year means you are right in taking action now.

I will close with just this one piece of advice, when you are talking to a coach or righting up a resume, BE HONEST. Coaches want to know both your strengths and weaknesses.... they know you want to cover only your strengths, but if you lie about either, and they come and see you play, they are going to know the truth anyway. Which would you rather have on your team, a decent player who knows how to play to his strengths and is working on his weaknesses? Or a self centered, cocky brat who thinks the team should revolve around him? Coaches are going to want to know what you can add to the TEAM, not what a great dribbler you are. Talk about what your teams accomplished while you were playing for them, and what your part in their success was..... don't frame your individual success as more important than that of your team.

Good luck

[dasoccerplayafosho]

when would be about the right time to contact them?
I'd tell other high school boys the colleges would contact them just so I could beat em to the punch. I kid, I kid.
Austen

[all_conference]

Originally Posted by goyoureddevils

First of all, you can not wait for college coaches to come looking for you, that is just not the way it happens no matter what myths high school boys like to tell each other. Unless you are high school all american material, or at least all state, you are going to have to research schools and contact them - telling them you are interested in their program. You can research them very easily with a book that my soccer store sells called The Sports Source Official College Guide. They have a guide for men's colleges and womens, and list every school, JUCO through NCAA Div 1 that has a soccer program in the United States. They give details about the school such as student population, curiculum, tuition, and of course - male to female student ratio!
They detail the recent history of the team, say how many scholorships are available, and who the coach is and how to contact him/her.

So many books to choose from, which one would fit me more as a senior in high school?

[uclajames]

Originally Posted by dasoccerplayafosho

when would be about the right time to contact them?
I'd tell other high school boys the colleges would contact them just so I could beat em to the punch. I kid, I kid.
Austen

I'd recommend contacting schools as early as possible so you can get your name into their database/records. If you want to take some time to establish yourself, gain accolades, develop your "resume", I'd still say no later than the end of your soph year.

[soccer4life_7]

Any advice for sum 1 who lives in canada ?? i would like to play in the Us. Duno what i could possibly do ?

[dasoccerplayafosho]

I'm going to start my freshman year this fall. Is this too early?

[gimpy]

I as well will be starting playing for my highschool this year(in 1 weeks if i make the cut). But this is my freshman year and i was wondering the same thing if it would be wise to write to coaches now. Do you think that it would seem to them you really wanna play if you write to them this early on in your career? Also if i did write coaches should i send a picture so they can spot me out?