First off I want to apologize, as this is a lengthy post and I want to thank anyone beforehand that can give some input.
My DD plays on a top level f1 team, shes a regular starter, can arguably say one of the top 3-4 studs on the team. We started playing for fun 4 years ago and find ourselves asking ourselves many questions, whether to pursue an athletic scholarship or not? We hear most girls in order to be recruited to a D1 or lower D1 level school, almost all have to come from academy clubs?
I have heard sooo many different stories, and every experience is unique. My daughter loves to play but we are also looking long term into her academic future, my daughter up to this point is very committed to school (honors classes, ap courses, clubs, volunteer hours) and we just don't know if we can pass up a good college(the UC's or Cal States) for a NAIA or d2 school. People that are close in our circle have been saying is not too hard and sometimes can be fairly easy to get recruited for those private NAIA, d3 and community college schools. Here are a few questions I have been pondering.
1. Should we? Stay in flight 1 again with current team and keep competing in f1 another year? (don't know if its worth it for both her and us to continue in f1)
2. Can players in a f1 team still be scouted to a d1 school even though they do not join an academy team? If we had to join DA, which academy team would you recommend and why?
3. When do I start recording video or getting scouting videos for her.
4. Is it true you have to send tons of videos and reach out to coaches, and when is a good time to start that?
5. How early can they start courting, or recruiting a player?
6. Is it true most girls at the 2003 age are already scouted or being scouted by top d1 schools?
I agree with MT across the board...here are some additional thoughts:
1. Should we Stay in flight 1 again with current team and keep competing in f1 another year? (don't know if its worth it for both her and us to continue in f1)
2. Can players in a f1 team still be scouted to a d1 school even though they do not join an academy team? If we had to join DA, which academy team would you recommend and why?
Good coach, continuing to improve, and happiness with location/travel times...stay put. My daughter was successfully recruited to college from a non-ECNL Flight 1 side prior to DA. However, it was a very accomplished team with national recognition. So don't be reluctant to pull the trigger if some of those characteristics (coaching, improvement, location) are missing and if you think she can get all of that and play on a DA side. My daughter was reticent about switching clubs from an ECNL to a non-ECNL team at U15, but it was the best decision she ever made. Family had to sacrifice location for better instruction and coaching, but it paid off.
3. When do I start recording video or getting scouting videos for her?
I know many people that have used video successfully in the recruiting process. You have to remember, it is not a one and done exercise. Using video from current games will not be impressive when she is a sophomore or junior. You'll have to update the video with current games as she gets older to keep it relevant.
4. Is it true you have to send tons of videos and reach out to coaches, and when is a good time to start that?
Tons of videos? It doesn't need to be more than one video about 4 mins long. Most coaches will not view the entire 4 mins. In our experience, we did not create a video for my player. It didn't seem to hurt her in the recruiting process. MT is dead on when it comes to showcases and ID camps. The trick is to figure out which showcases and ID camps to attend.
5. How early can they start courting, or recruiting a player?
Coaches continue to recruit early...if everyone is doing it, they do not want to be left behind. NCAA is considering rules to try to limit the recruitment of girls that are in 8th and 9th grades, but that is in the future. The first instance of any coach interest in my player was when she was playing up 2 years at Surf Cup in the summer between 8th and 9th grades, so the coaches thought she was going into her junior year. It woke me up to the possibility of her playing in college. Mostly D3 schools contacted her, including Carnegie Mellon, and Washington University in STL. If your player is academically minded, these are phenomenal schools, and they are strong D3 soccer schools as well.
6.
Is it true most girls at the 2003 age are already scouted or being scouted by top d1 schools?
If your player is scouted prior to Junior year of high school, and creates interest from a D1 or D2 coach, they will email your team's coach or manager to indicate interest and get her coach's input. That interest should be communicated back to you from the coach or team manager. The team manager should also make note of any coaches that watch your team play and communicate that info back to the team. Again, my kid was not a YNT or ODP player, but she was offered and committed in January of her sophomore year of high school. However, I have also seen D1 institutions looking for players in spring for the following fall season, due to injuries, or commitment changes, etc...
Here is some last advice...Much of what is discussed above is concerning what the schools want. What about what the player wants? Sit down with her and ask her what she knows about college. If she is anything like my kid, she will have zero clue. We had to explain D1-D3 to her, as well as public vs. private, big vs. little, rural vs. urban locations and then when you are out, go visit some schools to show her what a campus looks and feels like. It will seem like it is way too early, and her eyes may glaze over, but it is important to start thinking about it as an '03. Maybe she doesn't want to play in college at all. My daughter's only request was to play somewhere cold. Having grown up in Chicago, I know she wasn't prepared for that. We took the time to visit schools when we were traveling and when we were around southern CA locally. We are blessed to have so many great schools close by...Pepperdine, USC, Pomona-Pitzer, UCI, Point Loma...show her those differences in real life. After seeing many schools, my player wanted a large school with a big time athletic system and lots of school pride, in addition to a cooler climate. Her mother and I wanted her at a great academic institution with lots of alumni support. And, since she is not sure what she wants to study, we also wanted a variety of majors available. She is also going to apply to join their Honors College, and she wants to study abroad in the spring term of her junior year. Some soccer programs try to discourage you from these outside commitments. Find out and ask up front before committing.
Then make a list with her of schools that you would want her to attend that meet her criteria and level of play. This list will CONSTANTLY change as she progresses. At first, I didn't think she would be playing college soccer at all. Then, when the academically advanced D3's started to contact her, I thought that might be an option. Then she started getting interest from Pac12, SEC, Big 10, and ACC schools, so our list really developed over a two year period. Then email those schools on the list when she is playing in a showcase or tournament and let them know. Scan the coach list to see if the schools she is interested in will be attending. All you are trying to do is be seen, and then let her play do the rest. Coaches will have their needs mapped out over the next 4 years, so they know what positions they are going to need to fill and when.
I hope this information helps...it is a fun journey, and I hope she enjoys the ride. Best of luck to you and your player!
