This may seem to be an obvious suggestion - but when you say “research colleges” to many student-athletes (especially those of you in the beginning of the process) you don’t actually know what to do or where to start, which is okay! Here is how to start and what you should look for!
- Google/search schools by state, or division of interest.
- Look up the school’s general website, not necessarily athletics/soccer
- What are their requirements for academics? Do they have what you want to study?
- What are their requirements for academics? Do they have what you want to study?
- Start by visiting the team’s home page of their website. Look at:
- Roster
- Read player bios before they arrived at the school. Do they align with yours? Similar level club, accolades, etc. This is a great way to gauge your level compared to the players on the existing roster.
- Record
- Past record may not be an indicator for future record but look at the trajectory of the program.
- Is it trending up or down in terms of wins, losses and tournament appearances or lack thereof?
- Research coach contract extension, there may be news articles on the website that talk about a coach signing through a certain year.
- ID Camps
- Check out if they have any upcoming camps. Some ID Camps may be listed directly on the website, but others you may have to search online for (Google [School Name] Women's Soccer ID Camps). Because of the structure of camps some coaches may run them separately from the university.
- Roster
These are a few solid tips on how to get started with the college soccer recruiting process. I work with many student-athletes who are not confident in the beginning of the process (and what they should do), but they put in the time and effort to get a few things organized and on the right track, and then they feel like they can conquer the process! Always remember, the most important goal here is to enjoy playing soccer and to have fun. Whether that is on the field on game day, training with your team, or doing extra work on your own with the help of the Techne app - playing the sport you love is a gift and the more you enjoy it the more of your potential you will tap into!
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Author: Kim DeCesare (van Bennekom)
This article is written by Kim DeCesare (van Bennekom) - a former DI college and professional player, as well as DI and DIII coach. Kim founded KVB Soccer Consulting, which helps high school athletes navigate the college soccer recruiting process. Using her experience as a former player, coach, and ID camp admin, Kim helps athletes all over the country get excited and feel confident about the process - reducing the stress of everyone involved.
“This time in one's young career can already have a lot of uncertainty. My goal through KVB Soccer is to help student-athletes not only find their right college soccer fit, but also simplify a messy and potentially stressful process. Players should be focusing on training and having fun, and working with me allows them to do that.”
If you would like to reach out to Kim for a free introduction call, or sign-up for KVB Soccer emails, please fill out the contact form on her website: kvbsoccer.com.
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