Recruiting Tips for Parents Just Starting the Process

"Let your kid pick the school they love."

A college friend just emailed about her son's journey.

"He had no intention of playing soccer. He got in early decision to his dream school and then they contacted him in February to ask if he was interested in trying out, then he flew to the school on April 29 for ID camp and got an offer. He very clearly understands that he is third string keeper behind a senior and another freshman. He is just happy to have the opportunity to play in college! Never in a million years thought he would."
 
socalkdg said:
Daughters school(starts in fall of 2023) has 8 2022's coming in(2 college transfers, 1 JC transfer, 5 from High School) 6 2023's so far(all from High School), with two spots still open. 30 on the roster (3 keepers). This can change for 2023 as players decide to graduate instead of playing the extra year, decide to transfer, or decide to quit playing (lack of playing time or loss of interest or time management). I would think each school is different depending on where they usually recruit with how many players they bring in every year.

Let your kid pick the school they love, disregard division level, and make sure they will get some playing time. Can't imagine what life would be like for a kid going from 90 minute games 30 times a year to 10 minutes games 20 times a year.
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So it looks like 2023 recruiting is over and we ended up with 8 recruits. I think it was 2 GA, 2 ECRL, 3 ECNL, and 1 Premier player. 3 from Northern California, 5 from Southern California. No transfers that I know of. I believe they had zero official visits during recruiting.

Just a cool thing the school is doing, they will have all 8 girls in together for their official visit, watch a game, watch a training, share a meal together, stay with current players. I know a couple other schools my daughter spoke with were going to do the same thing. So don't get hung up on whether something is an official or unofficial visit when you go to the school.
 
dk_b said:
Further, simply giving more and longer breaks (like at the beginning of summer - do elite players even have ANY break?) staggered in the year would allow for mental and physical resets. Soccer is not alone, of course, as travel baseball and AAU hoops, volleyball, etc. have turned those sports into year round activities. In fact, the only sport that doesn’t seem to be year round now is football - and even that is changing with the increase in passing leagues, camps, etc.
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My DD who is in her second year at a D1 school just commented on this. She said there was really no break between finishing their spring season and finals and spending her summer playing in a summer league and going to summer school and preparing to show up fit for preseason. It's a constant grind and there's little time for mental and physical recovery. She chose D1 over D3 because she wanted a spring season and intense year round training, but it is not for everyone and does not allow for the college/soccer/life balance that some athletes may be seeking. She got injured in their first preseason match this year and now it is unlikely she will get to play this fall (still awaiting MRI results). Broken leg test being put to the test - this is a whole new level of mental and physical challenge for her. She's up for the challenge and where she wants to be, but it is easy to see how after their Freshman season student athletes realize the difference in expectations versus reality and need to make a change. And that's okay.
 
Own Goal said:
My DD who is in her second year at a D1 school just commented on this. She said there was really no break between finishing their spring season and finals and spending her summer playing in a summer league and going to summer school and preparing to show up fit for preseason. It's a constant grind and there's little time for mental and physical recovery. She chose D1 over D3 because she wanted a spring season and intense year round training, but it is not for everyone and does not allow for the college/soccer/life balance that some athletes may be seeking. She got injured in their first preseason match this year and now it is unlikely she will get to play this fall (still awaiting MRI results). Broken leg test being put to the test - this is a whole new level of mental and physical challenge for her. She's up for the challenge and where she wants to be, but it is easy to see how after their Freshman season student athletes realize the difference in expectations versus reality and need to make a change. And that's okay.
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Sorry to hear about your DD's injury. Last year there was a 5th year senior at my DD's school who had delayed graduating to play her final year of soccer since Covid cancelled her senior season in '20, tore her ACL in the first 10 minutes of the first pre-season game. Losing entire seasons to things outside of your control is such a reality for college players that you have to go into it knowing that every time you see the field in a game, you should consider yourself blessed. Good luck to your daughter in recovery.
 
Mystery Train said:
Sorry to hear about your DD's injury. Last year there was a 5th year senior at my DD's school who had delayed graduating to play her final year of soccer since Covid cancelled her senior season in '20, tore her ACL in the first 10 minutes of the first pre-season game. Losing entire seasons to things outside of your control is such a reality for college players that you have to go into it knowing that every time you see the field in a game, you should consider yourself blessed. Good luck to your daughter in recovery.
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Thank you. Full MCL tear. Out for at least 2 months, so no fall season and will redshirt. But she's optimistic and grateful for an extra year of eligibility. And it's so sure - every minute on the field is a blessing for these kids.
 
Want your kid to stay and play all the way through an NCAA program? The best advice we can give to players and parents looking at D1 and D2 programs: Research the coach- Leadership and intelligent coaching are sorely lacking at the college level. NCAA programs fail their student-athletes due to their head coaches. Unfortunately, motivation through borderline abusive rhetoric, lack of empathy, and nonsensical coaching exist at the college level. Our kids have had better club-level coaching from good human-beings that lead by example the type of team they want to build. Please interview former players that played for that coach. Do your homework as best as you can. We did not do our homework and bought the "song and dance" from the coach; big mistake. Best of luck to your future college athletes.
 
Abraham Parnasis said:
Want your kid to stay and play all the way through an NCAA program? The best advice we can give to players and parents looking at D1 and D2 programs: Research the coach- Leadership and intelligent coaching are sorely lacking at the college level. NCAA programs fail their student-athletes due to their head coaches. Unfortunately, motivation through borderline abusive rhetoric, lack of empathy, and nonsensical coaching exist at the college level. Our kids have had better club-level coaching from good human-beings that lead by example the type of team they want to build. Please interview former players that played for that coach. Do your homework as best as you can. We did not do our homework and bought the "song and dance" from the coach; big mistake. Best of luck to your future college athletes.
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It's not clear yet how much impact the NIL decision will have, especially on soccer players. That may become a factor as some colleges become better at raising money for their athletes (although, technically, the colleges can have little or no control of the process).
 
Abraham Parnasis said:
Want your kid to stay and play all the way through an NCAA program? The best advice we can give to players and parents looking at D1 and D2 programs: Research the coach- Leadership and intelligent coaching are sorely lacking at the college level. NCAA programs fail their student-athletes due to their head coaches. Unfortunately, motivation through borderline abusive rhetoric, lack of empathy, and nonsensical coaching exist at the college level. Our kids have had better club-level coaching from good human-beings that lead by example the type of team they want to build. Please interview former players that played for that coach. Do your homework as best as you can. We did not do our homework and bought the "song and dance" from the coach; big mistake. Best of luck to your future college athletes.
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Likewise, I found it interesting to discover how many college coaches (even ones at moderately high profile state universities) turn out to be duller of personality and more lacking in soccer IQ than some youth club coaches we ran into. As far as moral and ethical standards, there are quite a few that are shady as hell. It can be a wild ride for sure.
 
Abraham Parnasis said:
Want your kid to stay and play all the way through an NCAA program? The best advice we can give to players and parents looking at D1 and D2 programs: Research the coach- Leadership and intelligent coaching are sorely lacking at the college level. NCAA programs fail their student-athletes due to their head coaches. Unfortunately, motivation through borderline abusive rhetoric, lack of empathy, and nonsensical coaching exist at the college level. Our kids have had better club-level coaching from good human-beings that lead by example the type of team they want to build. Please interview former players that played for that coach. Do your homework as best as you can. We did not do our homework and bought the "song and dance" from the coach; big mistake. Best of luck to your future college athletes.
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Mystery Train said:
Likewise, I found it interesting to discover how many college coaches (even ones at moderately high profile state universities) turn out to be duller of personality and more lacking in soccer IQ than some youth club coaches we ran into. As far as moral and ethical standards, there are quite a few that are shady as hell. It can be a wild ride for sure.
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Story time?
 
Someday I will write a tell-all book and it would be a best seller for sure. In the meantime, protect your kids, college should be the best time of their young lives, full of promise and potential. I will not fail to course-correct in the meantime toward an institution that values its best resources. In all my years of business, how you treat your people says so much about the company and its culture. If these NCAA programs were businesses, they would fail miserably.
 
Sike said:
Has this been discussed on this forum? Seems like a potential major change for soccer.

www.oregonlive.com

NCAA committee discussing converting equivalency sports to full scholarship; Pac-12 supports what would be biggest change to college athletics since Title IX

The move could cost FBS schools over $1 billion annually in additional scholarship funding
www.oregonlive.com www.oregonlive.com
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I don't think it has been discussed. Wow, that's a huge deal. Would be an enormous boon for youth club soccer as it would instantly re-invigorate all those parents trying to live vicariously through their children's athletic accomplishments. In related news, once this goes into effect all parents of 2002 birth year college soccer players will break the world record for collective simultaneous facepalming.
 
Mystery Train said:
I don't think it has been discussed. Wow, that's a huge deal. Would be an enormous boon for youth club soccer as it would instantly re-invigorate all those parents trying to live vicariously through their children's athletic accomplishments. In related news, once this goes into effect all parents of 2002 birth year college soccer players will break the world record for collective simultaneous facepalming.
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There are a lot of unknowns -- what will the headcount numbers be? How will this be funded? Will some conferences voluntarily restrict the headcount to keep costs down?
 
Sike said:
Has this been discussed on this forum? Seems like a potential major change for soccer.

www.oregonlive.com

NCAA committee discussing converting equivalency sports to full scholarship; Pac-12 supports what would be biggest change to college athletics since Title IX

The move could cost FBS schools over $1 billion annually in additional scholarship funding
www.oregonlive.com www.oregonlive.com
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article touches on this, but I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing for soccer? Yes, good, in that more players potentially get full scholarships vs partial or none. But, in order to pay those scholarships, many schools will have to cut sports altogether. If that means cutting mens and womens soccer teams, then big picture bad for soccer student athletes. That will trickle down to soccer clubs - fewer college opportunities = no more B and C teams. Interesting.
 
Sike said:
Has this been discussed on this forum? Seems like a potential major change for soccer.

www.oregonlive.com

NCAA committee discussing converting equivalency sports to full scholarship; Pac-12 supports what would be biggest change to college athletics since Title IX

The move could cost FBS schools over $1 billion annually in additional scholarship funding
www.oregonlive.com www.oregonlive.com
Click to expand...

No chance, pac12 going broke unless they manage to stop UCLA and USC moves.

College sports besides football and basketball might become less relevant and funded. Serious tennis, soccer, and golf players going pro since there is little incentives to play college sports especially when you can get a degree fully or almost exclusively online at many places nowadays.
 
lafalafa said:
No chance, pac12 going broke unless they manage to stop UCLA and USC moves.

College sports besides football and basketball might become less relevant and funded. Serious tennis, soccer, and golf players going pro since there is little incentives to play college sports especially when you can get a degree fully or almost exclusively online at many places nowadays.
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Brace yourselves for an era in which women's soccer (and all non-revenue sports) gravitate to a DIII/Ivy League model with no athletic scholarships. It is a pipe dream to expect athletic departments that are already losing tens of millions of dollars to agree to lose even more money. Many athletic departments that have tried to survive off the largess of football and basketball are about to be in really bad shape even without having to fully fund scholarships in other sports, because the costs of football are increasing while revenues are decreasing for all but a handful in the SEC and Big10. As the Ivy League has always known, collegiate athletics is an indulgence for both the school and the athletes. Although college sports can be a great perk to recruit great students, it is not worth saddling a college in massive debt.
 
GoldenGate said:
Brace yourselves for an era in which women's soccer (and all non-revenue sports) gravitate to a DIII/Ivy League model with no athletic scholarships. It is a pipe dream to expect athletic departments that are already losing tens of millions of dollars to agree to lose even more money. Many athletic departments that have tried to survive off the largess of football and basketball are about to be in really bad shape even without having to fully fund scholarships in other sports, because the costs of football are increasing while revenues are decreasing for all but a handful in the SEC and Big10. As the Ivy League has always known, collegiate athletics is an indulgence for both the school and the athletes. Although college sports can be a great perk to recruit great students, it is not worth saddling a college in massive debt.
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The great majority of DI football programs lose money, so that would be a good place to start cutting.
 
Big mistake as many schools don't have the income to support that. Many schools don't even use the full 14 scholarships available.

Plus when I read this comment, I worry about the people discussing this.
“I do agree with one thing, our athletic directors do pull their hair out over this equivalent stuff; 11.7 baseball scholarships — that’s kind of a nutty system.
Not that hard. If you go with 28 roster spots. 4 full scholarships. 7 half scholarships. 17 quarter scholarships. Wow, pulling my hair (don't have any anyways).
 
socalkdg said:
Big mistake as many schools don't have the income to support that. Many schools don't even use the full 14 scholarships available.

Plus when I read this comment, I worry about the people discussing this.
“I do agree with one thing, our athletic directors do pull their hair out over this equivalent stuff; 11.7 baseball scholarships — that’s kind of a nutty system.
Not that hard. If you go with 28 roster spots. 4 full scholarships. 7 half scholarships. 17 quarter scholarships. Wow, pulling my hair (don't have any anyways).
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I don't think the coaches are worried about the math (or at least the universities have bean counters who can do the math for them). The issue is the negotiation over the amount of the scholarship and the fact that there really isn't anything that requires them to go into those nice neat categories you've set forth. Of course, coaches can make it simpler if they want to just let kids walk by issuing take-it or leave-it offers like the ones above. It would be even easier to just issue full scholarships to x numbers of players - e.g., 14 full scholarships (for women) and 9 (for men, instead of the 9.9 allowed) - and make the distinction between scholarship and walk-on players clear, but the market may not allow coaches to do that because mid-level, but valuable, players are shopping around their offers and parents want to tell their friends their kid got a scholarship. That's where the practice of spreading it around started, including where a decent number of "scholarship" kids get books only or books and meals.
 
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