The recruiting process is about marketing yourself to stand out in a pool of thousands of athletes. There are only a select few athletes who top programs put their attention towards aggressively. For everyone else, they have to work for the attention of recruiters and be the aggressor in the recruiting process to show colleges that they are worth their time.
NCSA really helped promote me as a college recruit. NCSA sent my player profile and stats out to D-I, II and III schools. I would then contact the coaches through e-mail about their program. Soon enough, I found myself building strong relationships with three universities. These schools had both my desired major and a solid soccer program. Before every tournament I attended, I e-mailed the coaches so that if they had the opportunity, they could come see me in action. It was also helpful that NCSA frequently updated my profile with every new accomplishment. My NCSA profile gave me something substantial and indicative of my worth as a player to send to college coaches. It helped me build relationships with schools that otherwise may not have contacted me. Instead of waiting around for a college coach to notice my strengths, NCSA helped me to take the initiative to achieve my goal, earning acceptance into a D-I soccer program.
The best part of the recruitment process was developing strong relationships with college coaches. I soon found myself in the midst of a soccer network - coaches knowing players I have played with, or other friends and coaches I know. In the soccer world, it’s a small circle. Everyone seems to know each other at least down the line somewhere. As in the “real-world” or any career situation, marketing yourself well is of the utmost importance. This pays off when college coaches across the nation talk to each other about you as a player, and more importantly, as a person. Talking with many coaches has also helped build my confidence in dealing with professionals and in making my college decisions.
After 2 years, the recruitment process has ended and my journey with NCSA is coming to a close. Looking back at my recruiting process, I truly believe that all of the hard work: e-mailing, calling, visiting, and going to training camps, was well worth it.
My advice to anyone who is aspiring to play collegiate sports at a higher level is to be proactive. Develop strong relationships with your current teams, college coaches, and college players. Visit as many schools as possible, put in the work regardless how tedious it seems, play your best, and enjoy this sometimes draining recruitment process. It will all pay off in the end like it did for me!
