Player Profiles / Recruitment Websites

Should players have a profile on every recruitment site out there... or just one? (Total Global Sports, Scouting Zone, CollegeFit Finder)

What if a showcase is partnering with a specific one?

If we have a team brochure with the individual players' profile links should it be reprinted for each showcase that uses a different website?

Should each girl have a separate 1-page to hand out or is the online profile enough?

soccerMOMto3Girls said:

Should players have a profile on every recruitment site out there... or just one? (Total Global Sports, Scouting Zone, CollegeFit Finder)

What if a showcase is partnering with a specific one?

If we have a team brochure with the individual players' profile links should it be reprinted for each showcase that uses a different website?

Should each girl have a separate 1-page to hand out or is the online profile enough?

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If it's free for a specific showcase it definitely doesn't hurt to create a profile for your player as some coaches don't like to receive team brochures. It's rare that a coach will refuse to take a brochure but it does happen.

Coaches don't really care who the showcase is partnered with so I wouldn't worry about reprinting brochures. They will reach out to the coach or manager if they see a player they like. I've seen individual brochures created for keepers but team brochures are fine and is the norm.

What is important is reaching out to schools before the showcases and following up with the ones that actually came to watch the games. Parents needs to monitor the sidelines so the players know who actually watched them play. Our team would have 2-3 parents working the first half and then another 2-3 working the 2nd half and at the end of the game create a consolidated list of coaches who showed.

Thanks Toepoke for your response! So for example, if the team is playing in a showcase that is using TGS, we can hand out team brochures with ScoutingZone profile links? Is it necessary to upgrade the team to a paid TGS account for that showcase?

soccerMOMto3Girls said:

Thanks Toepoke for your response! So for example, if the team is playing in a showcase that is using TGS, we can hand out team brochures with ScoutingZone profile links? Is it necessary to upgrade the team to a paid TGS account for that showcase?

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Whatever system your team/club uses to generate brochures is fine. For example, our club uses College Fit Finder. Most of our team though, does not really use it for recruiting - only to have the basic info published on the brochure. College coaches in my experience will always contact the coach (or player/family directly if they are allowed under NCAA rules). So whatever method your team uses to provide the contact info is fine. Most college coaches have access to all recruiting sites - Scouting Zone, TGS, NCSA, CFF etc.

BTW, I've never had a coach refuse a brochure unless they already had one. The first ECNL tournament we participated in we were told to NOT have brochures but we printed some just in case. Glad we did since every coach wanted one and used the hard copy for notes.

Keepers_Keeper said:

Whatever system your team/club uses to generate brochures is fine. For example, our club uses College Fit Finder. Most of our team though, does not really use it for recruiting - only to have the basic info published on the brochure. College coaches in my experience will always contact the coach (or player/family directly if they are allowed under NCAA rules). So whatever method your team uses to provide the contact info is fine. Most college coaches have access to all recruiting sites - Scouting Zone, TGS, NCSA, CFF etc.

BTW, I've never had a coach refuse a brochure unless they already had one. The first ECNL tournament we participated in we were told to NOT have brochures but we printed some just in case. Glad we did since every coach wanted one and used the hard copy for notes.

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What ignorant idiot decided brochures were not allowed?

For players at the younger ages where NCAA coaches are not allowed to approach, having a printout to hand to a coach is a good icebreaker.

espola said:

What ignorant idiot decided brochures were not allowed?

For players at the younger ages where NCAA coaches are not allowed to approach, having a printout to hand to a coach is a good icebreaker.

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No need to call anyone ignorant or an idiot. I didn’t say they were not allowed. I said we were told not to bring them. To elaborate, paper brochures were discouraged in favor of using the online system. And yes, a hard copy brochure is preferred by both managers and coaches so we can direct the coaches to the specific players they are looking at and vice versa.

I like College Fit Finder. It is easy to keep up to date and produce a team brochure. Also easy to attach a link in your dd’s emails to coaches so that the actually email can focus on your kids interest in the school and schedule. The goal is to get on coaches watch list. After that it’s all about what they see.

Keepers_Keeper said:

No need to call anyone ignorant or an idiot. I didn’t say they were not allowed. I said we were told not to bring them. To elaborate, paper brochures were discouraged in favor of using the online system. And yes, a hard copy brochure is preferred by both managers and coaches so we can direct the coaches to the specific players they are looking at and vice versa.

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I have seen a number of major tournaments and events suggest that brochures were not needed, advocating whatever player registration system the tournament was using as sufficient. We have ignored that suggestion every time.

While I have seen coaches with a roster printouts from different systems at games, the very fact they printed it out tells you that having and handing out hard copies of brochures is a good idea.

I see no harm in taking advantage of the limited/free areas of recruiting websites to register your child. Have them do it, it is a good learning experience and investment in their future. I have seen little benefit in paying for that privilege.

Not only is having a brochure a good ice-breaker, but also opens up for discussion. I've had two interactions when handing out a brochure from coaches to the effect of "Thanks. Which players should I have my eye out for?" To which I replied "Well, coach there really is only 1 kid worth recruiting, my son, he is number ..." Ok, that was a lie. I did point out a few of the players that fit some of the coach's needs.

Dos Equis said:

I have seen a number of major tournaments and events suggest that brochures were not needed, advocating whatever player registration system the tournament was using as sufficient. We have ignored that suggestion every time.

While I have seen coaches with a roster printouts from different systems at games, the very fact they printed it out tells you that having and handing out hard copies of brochures is a good idea.

I see no harm in taking advantage of the limited/free areas of recruiting websites to register your child. Have them do it, it is a good learning experience and investment in their future. I have seen little benefit in paying for that privilege.

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Full disclosure - it has been almost 9 years since I worried about college recruiting (November 2009 - an offer after an ID camp sealed the deal) so maybe things have changed and everyone has gone to cyberspace. However, our practice in those days for tournaments was to prepare a team roster with names, birthdates, height, weight, and contact information for each player (contact info only for the coach), stapled to a few pages, 3 or 4 players to a page, where each player got his picture and a playing biography. These bundles were handed directly to anyone wearing what looked like college coach apparel who was watching any of our games. Some tournaments also had tables set up where teams could leave a pile of their similar brochures for coaches to browse or take.