So you want to play college soccer?
February 26th, 2009 - byAfter a great showing at Cal South’s Soccer Nation Expo, I came away feeling that many families and athletes still aren’t sure what is needed to play college soccer. There are a lot of athletes who say they would like nothing more than to play their sport at the next level, but saying those words and acting on them are two very different things. You can not just sit back and wait to be recruited; you need to get involved in the proper activities to make it happen.
First, you need to have the heart and determination to make your dream a reality. The recruiting process is not going to be easy or fast for most athletes and you must be prepared to put time and hard work into your recruiting to be successful. If you don’t have the drive to make this happen, it won’t, so think hard about this decision.
You will need to find a club team to participate on as well, if you aren’t on one already. The majority of college coaches are looking for athletes who have club experience because it is a higher level of play and commitment than at the high school level. If you are not on a club team now, try to find one as soon as possible. If you cannot find one close to your home or cannot afford to play on a club team, you will unfortunately have fewer opportunities to play college soccer. There are some schools that have start-up programs or teams that don’t require club experience and those opportunities, while few and far between, will be at the lower Division III or NAIA levels.
Coaches also prefer recruits to have tournament experience, so if you can’t join a club team full-time, try to be a guest player at tournaments or showcases. This will at least give you some additional experience and exposure that you would not get with your high school team. The higher level of team and tournament, the more exposure and level of competition you will face.
Every athlete has to put work towards their recruiting, some more than others. The less background and experience an athlete has, the more work they will need to put forth to be recruited. There are approximately 2,500 colleges and universities that have soccer programs. Set yourself apart from other recruits and do everything in your power to get noticed by as many of these coaches as possible. Never forget your desire to play soccer at the next level and let that drive you to put in the time and effort to make it happen.
