# CaptainU ?  Anyone?



## Mystery Train

At some point my daughter signed up for a free CaptainU account, (I think over winter break before a showcase tournament?) and I've been getting bombarded by daily notes from CaptainU about college coaches having "added" her to their recruiting lists or having "found" her in a search.  They displayed info on the first school & coach the first time it happened, but since then the site always tells you to sign up for a paid account to access the info of who has "added" her.  That kind of thing reeks of 'scam' to me, so I just ignore it.  But I was wondering if anyone here has had good or bad experiences with using CaptainU.  Please share if so.  I have gleaned from prior discussions that the bulk of the work to get recruited falls on the player and parents in terms of reaching out to schools vs. being "discovered" so I understand these things are supplemental at best, but was curious if there is value there.


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## gkrent

Its a decent place to post a profile and aggregate video if you have it but don't count on it being a place where coaches look for players.


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## Mystery Train

gkrent said:


> Its a decent place to post a profile and aggregate video if you have it but don't count on it being a place where coaches look for players.


Did you use it for your DD?


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## gkrent

Mystery Train said:


> Did you use it for your DD?


Yes, for a short time.  If your player is in ECNL they have access to player profiles they can use (although the new system looks like if you are a coach you have to sign up).  Its nice to have a link to a profile you can send to coaches.


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## Zerodenero

Mystery Train said:


> At some point my daughter signed up for a free CaptainU account, (I think over winter break before a showcase tournament?) and I've been getting bombarded by daily notes from CaptainU about college coaches having "added" her to their recruiting lists or having "found" her in a search.  They displayed info on the first school & coach the first time it happened, but since then the site always tells you to sign up for a paid account to access the info of who has "added" her.  That kind of thing reeks of 'scam' to me, so I just ignore it.  But I was wondering if anyone here has had good or bad experiences with using CaptainU.  Please share if so.  I have gleaned from prior discussions that the bulk of the work to get recruited falls on the player and parents in terms of reaching out to schools vs. being "discovered" so I understand these things are supplemental at best, but was curious if there is value there.





gkrent said:


> Its a decent place to post a profile and aggregate video if you have it but don't count on it being a place where coaches look for players.


MTrain- GK summed it well. We, along with several families we know have used it as their initial method, but then progressed to more effective, proactive approach.

During my dd's unofficial visits to several D1-D3 schools, most coaches said they don't use CaptU. One coach in particular (_who's team made it to this years final 4, better known for producing top-tier lawyers than soccer players_) said "that's a waste of your time". He specially said rather than using a site like that, players should contact the coach/assistants  directly, get added to the schools mailing list (in their data base), stay in touch/keep them informed of her games/showcases etc etc.

If your kid is a YNT pool/rostered player -  the subject line is moot.


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## NoGoal

Zerodenero said:


> MTrain- GK summed it well. We, along with several families we know have used it as their initial method, but then progressed to more effective, proactive approach.
> 
> During my dd's unofficial visits to several D1-D3 schools, most coaches said they don't use CaptU. One coach in particular (_who's team made it to this years final 4, better known for producing top-tier lawyers than soccer players_) said "that's a waste of your time". He specially said rather than using a site like that, players should contact the coach/assistants  directly, get added to the schools mailing list (in their data base), stay in touch/keep them informed of her games/showcases etc etc.
> 
> If your kid is a YNT pool/rostered player -  the subject line is moot.


Imagine if an email came in to a college coaches inbox looking like this!


Email address: First & Last Name USYNTplayer@gmail.com
Subject: This is Mallory Pugh or Ashley Sanchez

The college coaches would triple and quadruple clicking to open the email.


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## Zerodenero

NoGoal said:


> Imagine if an email came in to a college coaches inbox looking like this!
> 
> Email address: First & Last Name USYNTplayer@gmail.com
> Subject: This is Mallory Pugh or Ashley Sanchez
> 
> The college coaches would triple and quadruple clicking to open the email.


Agreed. I think TMZ Snapped a shot of one of UCLA's assistance when they received that email (when Pugh/Sanchez were in 5th or 6th grade)

Ah yes....found it  (a picture is worth a thousand words)


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## Legendary FC

Zerodenero said:


> Agreed. I think TMZ Snapped a shot of one of UCLA's assistance when they received that email (when Pugh/Sanchez were in 5th or 6th grade)
> 
> Ah yes....found it  (a picture is worth a thousand words)
> 
> View attachment 808



ZD that is close but it was more like this:


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## Mystery Train

Thanks for the info fellas.  Suffice to say, my daughter is not in the YNT pool.  Although she is in the ODP for binge watching Gilmore Girls and Vapire Diaries on her iPhone, so I got that going for me.  Which is nice.


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## Surfref

We used the CaptainU pay version for about eight months beginning September of her Junior year and had good results.  My DD was not an ECNL player and played CSL Premier her last two years of club which did not provide the same level of exposure as ECNL.  It does require some work on the part of the parent and player.  We would get a message saying that a coach viewed my DD profile and videos.  We would logon and see what College looked at her profile.  Do some research on the college.  CaptainU had some good info and links to the colleges.  If the college met my DD criteria, we would send the coach an email.  Long story short DD ended up with five really good scholarship offers and another six offers from D1 to NAIA.  9 of the 11 coach contacts initially came through CaptainU.


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## bcdad2

Our experience was similar to that of Surfref. We started using CaptainU in the spring of our DD's junior year. She played CSL Premier for 5 years, starting with U-14. Our exposure to colleges at that time was minimal, so we decided to become a bit more proactive. We started with a list of about 50 schools and based on their responses, the list got narrowed down to about 25 active contacts. This portal allowed easy and direct contact with both the head and assistant coaches of the teams our DD was interested in. Typically, the schools that were interested asked for copies of showcase tournament schedules, CSL schedules, videos and other basic information.

Once contact was established, the CaptainU e-mails were followed up by the assistant or head coach texting or calling our DD directly. Surfref was 100% correct in saying that this portal requires a fair amount of time and follow up by our DD, but it is a very cost effective way of getting your DD some exposure. The net result for our DD was that she applied to 6 schools in both California and the Midwest. She was accepted to all 6 and also received generous offers from each school. 

She recently committed to a local D-3 school and she received a very good financial aid package mostly based on academics. She'll be able to get a great education and also fulfill her dream of playing soccer at the college level. Overall, Captain U proved to be a big help to us and was a better alternative that the recruiting companies that were asking for anywhere from between $2000-$4000 for their services.


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## espola

bcdad2 said:


> Our experience was similar to that of Surfref. We started using CaptainU in the spring of our DD's junior year. She played CSL Premier for 5 years, starting with U-14. Our exposure to colleges at that time was minimal, so we decided to become a bit more proactive. We started with a list of about 50 schools and based on their responses, the list got narrowed down to about 25 active contacts. This portal allowed easy and direct contact with both the head and assistant coaches of the teams our DD was interested in. Typically, the schools that were interested asked for copies of showcase tournament schedules, CSL schedules, videos and other basic information.
> 
> Once contact was established, the CaptainU e-mails were followed up by the assistant or head coach texting or calling our DD directly. Surfref was 100% correct in saying that this portal requires a fair amount of time and follow up by our DD, but it is a very cost effective way of getting your DD some exposure. The net result for our DD was that she applied to 6 schools in both California and the Midwest. She was accepted to all 6 and also received generous offers from each school.
> 
> She recently committed to a local D-3 school and she received a very good financial aid package mostly based on academics. She'll be able to get a great education and also fulfill her dream of playing soccer at the college level. Overall, Captain U proved to be a big help to us and was a better alternative that the recruiting companies that were asking for anywhere from between $2000-$4000 for their services.


What kind of a "generous offer" could she get from a D3 school?


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## gkrent

espola said:


> What kind of a "generous offer" could she get from a D3 school?


"mostly based on academics"


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## clueless parent

bcdad2, congrats on your daughter!  As I understand it, D3 schools want to populate their sports teams.  Thus, soccer may be a way for a student-athlete to distinguish herself from a very talented applicant pool.  Your daughter will get a fine education while playing a game she loves.  Way to go!


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## espola

gkrent said:


> "mostly based on academics"


What was the point of CaptainU then?


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## gkrent

espola said:


> What was the point of CaptainU then?


Because they want to play soccer?


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## espola

gkrent said:


> Because they want to play soccer?


Well, if the coach helped with admissions, that might make sense.


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## Surfref

espola said:


> What kind of a "generous offer" could she get from a D3 school?


We have a friend that plays volleyball at USD and got 70 percent of her tuition paid from academic scholarships.  The D3's know how to come up with academic scholarship money for athletes.


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## espola

Surfref said:


> We have a friend that plays volleyball at USD and got 70 percent of her tuition paid from academic scholarships.  The D3's know how to come up with academic scholarship money for athletes.


USD is D1 in all sports.


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## Zerodenero

bcdad2 said:


> She recently committed to a local D-3 school and she received a very good financial aid package mostly based on academics. She'll be able to get a great education and also fulfill her dream of playing soccer at the college level. Overall, Captain U proved to be a big help to us and was a better alternative that the recruiting companies that were asking for anywhere from between $2000-$4000 for their services.


D3's are wildly under-rated......MIT/NYU/Chicago/Johns Hopkins/Carnegie/Pomona-Pitzer/Cal-Tech _(2017 inaugural season) _and many many more_. _Ya don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out which student-athlete will have the competitive advantage when life gets *real*. 

Lets see, your kid's internship/job interviews will probably go something like this:

Candidate A)  "So....I see that you play(ed) D1 soccer at _YouNameIt-Butt-knuckle State_."
OR
Candidate B)  "Welcome to the team"

Congrats to you/your DD BCdad - Congrats!!!


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## NoGoal

Zerodenero said:


> D3's are wildly under-rated......MIT/NYU/Chicago/Johns Hopkins/Carnegie/Pomona-Pitzer/Cal-Tech _(2017 inaugural season) _and many many more_. _Ya don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out which student-athlete will have the competitive advantage when life gets *real*.
> 
> Lets see, your kid's internship/job interviews will probably go something like this:
> 
> Candidate A)  "So....I see that you play(ed) D1 soccer at _YouNameIt-Butt-knuckle State_."
> OR
> Candidate B)  "Welcome to the team"
> 
> Congrats to you/your DD BCdad - Congrats!!!


But those parents DD's got a full ride at D1 _YouNameIt-Butt-knuckle State.
_
A parent told me I don't care what college she goes to, but it had to he a full ride and his wish came true.


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## Surfref

espola said:


> USD is D1 in all sports.


Not when she went to USD in the mid-2000


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## espola

Surfref said:


> Not when she went to USD in the mid-2000


The tennis team was DI in 2000 when Zuzana Lesenarova won the NCAA women's tennis singles championship over Stanford's Marissa Irvin.

The men's soccer team was Finalist in the 1992 NCAA DI College Cup, losing to Virginia.

USD joined WCC in 1979 - all WCC sports are DI.


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## Multi Sport

espola said:


> What kind of a "generous offer" could she get from a D3 school?


My DD was recruited by 2 D3 schools via Cap U. They viewed her profile and probably noted her 4+ GPA. They sent her a generic message that led to phone calls and they eventually watched her play that led to school visits.  

The site does work, but mostly as a starting point to get a player's foot in the door. The rest is up to the player.


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## outside!

DD was never on Captain U, but she continues to get emails from them say things like "D1 Soccer Coach researched you up on Captain U. Click here to see who." When you follow the link, it just takes you to a place to set up an account. Felt very scam like.


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## Mystery Train

outside! said:


> DD was never on Captain U, but she continues to get emails from them say things like "D1 Soccer Coach researched you up on Captain U. Click here to see who." When you follow the link, it just takes you to a place to set up an account. Felt very scam like.


Yeah that was my initial reaction, too.  Which is why I made this post.  But from the responses of other posters, there is apparently legitimate use for it.  Whether or not it is worth the membership cost is something I haven't decided yet.


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## Marco Marquez

How I went about the process was by contacting the coaches, sending them a highlight video, having a 3.0 or above GPA, and I had to meet one of the coaches to do a little tryout. I played D2 and NAIA. It is different for every school for example some coaches would want you to visit campus and/or attend one of their camps. I went about it going straight to the Juggernaut that is contacting the coach directly. Don't do none of the build a profile and you will get noticed but first you have to pay. I remember being charged $1500 (which is a lot for me) just to send a highlight video to coaches. I ended up doing it mostly myself. 
Hope this helps!


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## GoWest

@Mystery Train "I have gleaned from prior discussions that the bulk of the work to get recruited falls on the player and parents ...."

100% correct. Plus head coach for contact for D1 and D2 "info exchange / contact /updates.

@Marco's experience is spot on with regard to initiating contact if there are a few schools your DD is interested in.

A year or so ago, ECNL had a "partnership(??)" with ScoutingZone and we took advantage of it. It was free and was a quick set-up. Player image, highlight video (George Langevin is excellent to work with BTW), pertinent stats including GPA, beep test, etc. We contacted coaches (for camp info as the primer and a few already had her on scouting reports) then, if they seemed interested then we would send ScoutingZone link for their review. We also included her next tournament schedule. Then we would follow up with voicemail (to top college choices) amd reminder email just prior to tournament so that they would slot her for scouting. Our head coach was always in the loop for follow up support. Dont get discouraged because it is a time consuming process and great programs / recruiters will want to see your DD play over several games to get a good understanding of who she is as a player.

Wish you the best going forward with your soccer journey! Good luck to you and your DD!

EDIT: Don't get caught up in TDS or entertainment sites like that. Other than stroking egos, entertainment only.


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## Mystery Train

GoWest said:


> @Mystery Train "I have gleaned from prior discussions that the bulk of the work to get recruited falls on the player and parents ...."
> 
> 100% correct. Plus head coach for contact for D1 and D2 "info exchange / contact /updates.
> 
> @Marco's experience is spot on with regard to initiating contact if there are a few schools your DD is interested in.
> 
> A year or so ago, ECNL had a "partnership(??)" with ScoutingZone and we took advantage of it. It was free and was a quick set-up. Player image, highlight video (George Langevin is excellent to work with BTW), pertinent stats including GPA, beep test, etc. We contacted coaches (for camp info as the primer and a few already had her on scouting reports) then, if they seemed interested then we would send ScoutingZone link for their review. We also included her next tournament schedule. Then we would follow up with voicemail (to top college choices) amd reminder email just prior to tournament so that they would slot her for scouting. Our head coach was always in the loop for follow up support. Dont get discouraged because it is a time consuming process and great programs / recruiters will want to see your DD play over several games to get a good understanding of who she is as a player.
> 
> Wish you the best going forward with your soccer journey! Good luck to you and your DD!
> 
> EDIT: Don't get caught up in TDS or entertainment sites like that. Other than stroking egos, entertainment only.


Thanks, G0West & Marco.  This is very helpful!


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## Victoria Quinn

I had a Daughter that played D3! (Non-ECNL Player-SCDSL Flight1) D3's are highly underrated I agree! So many D3's are awesome Amazing education, she was All OAC Conference all 4 years, she was an All Great Lakes Regional Player. Played in the NCAA Final Four her Freshman year, has 3 OAC Conference Championship NCAA rings. (How many D1 players never even make it to the NCAA tournament??) Ending up graduating with an outstanding job in Accounting. (Was told that she was selected by her employer due to all of her leadership and athletic accolades) Her school came up with about a 70%  scholarship and grants, if a D3 wants your daughter to play soccer for them...they will find $$$. The school she eventually ended up going to was not found on Captain U, but she did have offers from 2 other school (with $$$) and both of those conversations started in her Junior year on Captain U. So I think its well worth the $25, your player has to proactive and email on their own too!


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## Zerodenero

Victoria Quinn said:


> I had a Daughter that played D3! (Non-ECNL Player-SCDSL Flight1) D3's are highly underrated I agree! So many D3's are awesome Amazing education, she was All OAC Conference all 4 years, she was an All Great Lakes Regional Player. Played in the NCAA Final Four her Freshman year, has 3 OAC Conference Championship NCAA rings. (How many D1 players never even make it to the NCAA tournament??) Ending up graduating with an outstanding job in Accounting. (Was told that she was selected by her employer due to all of her leadership and athletic accolades) Her school came up with about a 70%  scholarship and grants, if a D3 wants your daughter to play soccer for them...they will find $$$. The school she eventually ended up going to was not found on Captain U, but she did have offers from 2 other school (with $$$) and both of those conversations started in her Junior year on Captain U. So I think its well worth the $25, your player has to proactive and email on their own too!


The opportunity is real.

Love this Vic.

Best to u & yours!


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## Mystery Train

Victoria Quinn said:


> I had a Daughter that played D3! (Non-ECNL Player-SCDSL Flight1) D3's are highly underrated I agree! So many D3's are awesome Amazing education, she was All OAC Conference all 4 years, she was an All Great Lakes Regional Player. Played in the NCAA Final Four her Freshman year, has 3 OAC Conference Championship NCAA rings. (How many D1 players never even make it to the NCAA tournament??) Ending up graduating with an outstanding job in Accounting. (Was told that she was selected by her employer due to all of her leadership and athletic accolades) Her school came up with about a 70%  scholarship and grants, if a D3 wants your daughter to play soccer for them...they will find $$$. The school she eventually ended up going to was not found on Captain U, but she did have offers from 2 other school (with $$$) and both of those conversations started in her Junior year on Captain U. So I think its well worth the $25, your player has to proactive and email on their own too!


This is exactly what I have been counseling my daughter about with regards to playing in college.  If you're at a D1 school, unless you're in the top 1%, your playing time is going to be limited as an underclassman.  But if you're a D1 level player who chooses to play D3, you're going to have a much better chance to play early and often.  And get a great education.  Thanks for sharing!


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## MakeAPlay

Mystery Train said:


> This is exactly what I have been counseling my daughter about with regards to playing in college.  If you're at a D1 school, unless you're in the top 1%, your playing time is going to be limited as an underclassman.  But if you're a D1 level player who chooses to play D3, you're going to have a much better chance to play early and often.  And get a great education.  Thanks for sharing!


There are plenty of opportunities to play at D1 schools.  It's a long season and players that show that they deserve to play will.  That isn't to say that D3 isn't a very good option.  I am just saying that there are over 300 D1 schools and trust me there is a WIDE range of levels of schools in both soccer and academics.  The best idea is to just find a good fit for your player.  Good luck to you and your player.


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## soccerobserver

MAP I hear you however...can anyone name a single small elite liberal arts college that is D1? I believe they are all D3. Therefore, if a DD wants to study at a selective liberal arts college then she will have to go D3. The near-excpetions are the Ivy league schools which are not small but are clearly very selective and D1 in their own world.


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## MakeAPlay

soccerobserver said:


> MAP I hear you however...can anyone name a single small elite liberal arts college that is D1? I believe they are all D3. Therefore, if a DD wants to study at a selective liberal arts college then she will have to go D3. The near-excpetions are the Ivy league schools which are not small but are clearly very selective and D1 in their own world.


I don't know of an elite liberal arts college that plays D1.  I can tell you that there are several bible colleges that do.  The good news is that the Ivies are the creme de la creme of academic institutions in the world and they play D1.  In addition, as you know, many of the other top 25-50 schools play D1 so if a player wants it all, there are many great options out there.

Anything that gives young women more options I am for.  Good luck to you and your player.


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## pewpew

I just posted in the SoCal Scene asking about this. I too started getting emails stating a coach added my daughter. I didn't even think to look in the Recruiting sub-forum. Hadn't been in this section before. DD starts HS in a few weeks. Thanks to everyone for their info that's already posted.


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## bababooey

pewpew said:


> I just posted in the SoCal Scene asking about this. I too started getting emails stating a coach added my daughter. I didn't even think to look in the Recruiting sub-forum. Hadn't been in this section before. DD starts HS in a few weeks. Thanks to everyone for their info that's already posted.


I saw the same thing for my dd. Those general emails come to my email address. Anyway, after I logged in and saw the school interested (Grand Canyon University, I think?), I gave up on checking it out. Since that time, I have seen multiple emails from Captain U since the initial emails. Those emails go to my spam folder now, so I don't see them anymore.

Seems like Captain U is like a spam site.....once you log in and confirm your interest, they start barraging you with lots of emails.


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## pewpew

^^^^^
Thanks for the info!!


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## Multi Sport

bababooey said:


> I saw the same thing for my dd. Those general emails come to my email address. Anyway, after I logged in and saw the school interested (Grand Canyon University, I think?), I gave up on checking it out. Since that time, I have seen multiple emails from Captain U since the initial emails. Those emails go to my spam folder now, so I don't see them anymore.
> 
> Seems like Captain U is like a spam site.....once you log in and confirm your interest, they start barraging you with lots of emails.


Grand Canyon University is legit..


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## espola

Multi Sport said:


> Grand Canyon University is legit..


Otherwise known as Significant Education, LLC, a for-profit business.


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