OUR COLLECTIVE ALUMNI COLLEGE FOOTPRINT
PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
COLLEGE PATHWAY
At Valley Surf, we take pride in helping our players reach the next level — on and off the field. Our College Pathway program is designed to guide high school–aged players through every step of the recruiting process, from academic readiness to communication with college coaches.
We believe college recruitment is a shared responsibility between player, family, and coach. Our role is to educate, prepare, and connect — the player’s role is to take ownership of their journey.
RECRUITING TIMELINE
We have all heard it before, or seen it in a high school sports movie; college coaches hear about a player and immediately get on a plane to fly across the country to see this player, or coaches show up at games unannounced only to see a handful of rival coaches sitting in the stands ready to hand a “full-ride” scholarship to this player. Unfortunately, this type of “recruiting” only happens for the 0.0001% of players or universities. For the rest of us, a different type of “recruiting” happens, the type where we brand and promote ourselves to the college programs that we believe fit our needs as a student and an athlete.
The best analogy for earning a college soccer opportunity is to think of it as a job search. And like a job search, it takes work to find the right match. You have to define your companies (in this case, colleges and universities), research them, get the attention of the hiring person (coach), impress that person with a limited initial audition, be persistent in following up, and not get discouraged with the failures. For parents, a fortunate benefit is that you have a fantastic opportunity to teach your student-athlete a valuable skill; that is, how to search for a job.
With more than 2,500 possible college soccer opportunities, and over 1 million high school soccer players in the U.S it is crucial that student-athletes are proactive in their approach to earning a college soccer opportunity. Below we will outline how we can best prepare ourselves to recruit the college for our individual academic and athletic needs.
Introductions
- Prepare a rough draft of an email introducing yourself to a potential college soccer program.
- Review and edit draft for typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc.
- Send individual and personalized email introductions to the Head Coach and Assistant Coach at each school on your list.
- Keep track of all emails and responses in organized folders within your inbox
When communicating with college coaches they may have restrictions in place by the NCAA that may affect how they respond, when they respond and if they can respond at all.
Freshman and sophomores will receive content regarding the school and upcoming camps, while juniors and seniors can receive specific details about the program, depending on the time of year.
- Attend ID Camps
- Attend Summer Camps
- Invite coaches to attend events that you will be participating in. (Local league games and high school games may only be accessible local colleges, where Showcases will provide more games for coaches and will be more frequently attended.)
We will discuss “Camps” in an upcoming zoom. If you have questions please contact your Coach or your Program Director.
- Follow up as frequently as you feel comfortable. This includes any time there is a major change in your profile (i.e., GPA increase, ACT/SAT test score, new video, etc).
- Re-evaluate your list of colleges and make adjustments.
- Meet with your coaches to discuss where you are at in the process, how they can help you, and where you can improve.
The college recruiting process is much easier to navigate once we are prepared, and the earlier that we prepare our student-athletes the more opportunities that will be available. Each student-athletes process and pathway will be unique, it is important that they are prepare to promote themselves and recruit the right college opportunity for them.
- Get a great start on your GPA. Stay organized and on top of all studies
- Meet with School Counselor/Advisor to evaluate your academic progress, core courses
- Take “academic” electives — languages/mathematics/sciences.
- Continue playing club soccer and train at the highest level possible
- Begin the college exploration process by starting to think about college preferences
- Create an email address that is used exclusively for soccer only
- Watch College Soccer Programs, Understand the level.
- Prepare Individual Player Profile for tournament and showcase player profile books.
- Register with NCAA Eligibility Center
- Soccer Development is Priority #1
- Practice on your own — fundamentals and ball skills.
- Focus on improving the elements of your game that need to be strengthened
- Consider attending a college’s soccer summer camp or ID camp
- Attend Surf College Recruiting Seminars
- Get Fit or Stay Fit
- Continue to improve on your GPA. Study. Study. Study
- Consider ACT and SAT / PSAT study materials and/or tutoring services
- Continue the College Exploration Process by researching and visiting colleges of interest
- Update Player Profile
- Practice Communicating with Coaches (email, letters, and phone calls)
- Organize a system of tracking correspondence with individual college coaches
- Create a list of schools that meet your college preferences
- Begin to gather game footage and create Highlight Video. The more you practice early the easier it will be heading into your Junior & Senior years.
- Attend College ID camps at schools on your list.
- Attend Surf College Recruiting Seminars
- Complete Recruiting Questionnaires on individual college soccer websites
- Register with NCAA Eligibility Center if you haven’t done so already.
- Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss your academic curriculum
- Retake classes to improve grades if possible
- Continue to send letters of interest and updated player profile prior to each tournament or event
- Always include schedule of tournament games, jersey numbers and year of graduation in every email
- Narrow your list of schools and prioritize – remember to be very realistic — finalize your “wish-list”
- Know your abilities and choose schools that “fit” your needs.
- Become familiar with the Financial Aid and Scholarship process
- Continue to attend summer ID camps and Winter ID events for colleges of high interest only
- Engage in regular correspondence with coaches
- Continue adding better more recent highlights to highlight video.
- Watch college soccer games- either live or on TV
- Make unofficial visits to colleges of interest and meet with coaches
- Schedule and complete official visit(s)
- Take SAT and/or ACT tests
- Obtain financial aid forms online or from guidance counselor (FAFSA forms)
- Attend Surf College Recruiting Seminars
- Use internal programs offered by Surf, NorCal Premier and the ECNL. (Showcases, ID Camp, College Night, Guest Play)
- Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss your academic curriculum
- Complete your core course requirements
- Take the SAT and ACT again – scores will improve
- Check status with NCAA Eligibility Center
- Complete FAFSA forms with updated tax information
- Schedule and complete official visit(s)
- Complete college applications
- Final Highlight Video
- Communicate with college coaches frequently. Keep them updated on individual achievements and team events
- Continue to train on the edge and compete at the highest level possible
- Visit colleges and universities on your “Final” list, see the team play, train with them if possible
- Know your Academic and Soccer abilities. Speak to your club coaches and directors. Be honest with yourself and your desires in college. It is important to make the right selection when it comes to choosing a college.
- Do not place too much emphasis on athletic scholarships. Depending on division, scholarships can be limited or non-existent. This is why it is so important to make sure your academics are in order.
- Does the school “fit” your needs?
- Will you be happy there? Without Soccer? Without the academic/social environment?
- Finalize your school “wish list.”
- Know the consequences of not being prepared
The college recruiting process can be a difficult roadmap to navigate if you are new to the process, however, with the correct guidance and purposeful work done by potential student athletes the process can be much easier. Once a player has determined their interest in participating in collegiate athletics it is their responsibility to utilize the resources provided by the club.
The first step is to inform the team coach, and your program director of your interest in college soccer. They will help you get started, setting up an individual meeting and taking the first steps towards a college soccer opportunity.
The most important step in the college recruiting process is communicating with college coaches. Once the player has identified potential college soccer options it is up to them to make the first introduction.
After a player has established contact with the coach their job is done…wrong. It is the responsibility of the player to communicate with the coach as often as they feel is necessary, including beginning of each season, prior to major tournaments, or any changes to the players profile. During these communication periods it is vital that the players coach, parents and program director be included on each email.
Structuring a College Recruiting Email
- Subject- Include your Full Name, Graduation Year, Team Name
- Email Recipients- Include College Head Coach, College Assistant Coach, Your Team Coach, Your Parents, and Program Director
- 3 Paragraphs – one about yourself, one about why you are interested in their specific college/team, one about upcoming events for you or them.
- First paragraph – Introduce Yourself
- Include: Your full Team Name; Position(s); Jersey Number; Identifying Features (cleat color, headband, height, anything that makes you stand out); Graduation Year; GPA
- Be friendly and relaxed, show some of your personality but remember you are talking to an adult who is looking to invest a lot of time and/or money in you
- This paragraph can be cut and pasted for each email
- Always list your coaches contact and college placement director info in this paragraph so they know who to contact if they cannot contact you according to recruiting rules
- Second Paragraph – Their Team or College
- Make it personalized and specific to them – this paragraph should be unique for each school, don’t cut and paste
- Identify a major if it is something their college specializes in (ie, Marine Biology)/ not as important for standard majors (Business, English, etc.)
- Consider the following reasons for the college – Family in the area; climate; location; previous Rapids alumni; size of college – mention these factors if they are part of the reason you are interested.
- Closing Paragraph – Where Can They See You
- Upcoming Tournaments- Dates, Locations, Schedule
- Upcoming Camps- Will you be on campus, do they have any upcoming camps
- Attachments & Links- Include Important Items
- BYGA Player Profile- include the PDF, or link
- Highlight Video- include your video, dropbox file, or youtube link
Women’s College Soccer Programs
NCAA Eligibility Center
NCAA Eligibility Center Checklist
NCAA Directory
NCAA Student-Athlete Guide
NCAA Core Courses
NAIA Eligibility Center
NAIA Directory
National Jr. College Athletic Association
Women’s Soccer Recruiting/Contact Rules
Men’s Soccer Recruiting/Contact Rules
College Navigator – Find the right college for you
SAT Link
ACT Link
Applying to College
Early Action
College Application Checklist
Weighted GPA Calculator
Division I & II Recruiting Calendars
Division I Recruiting Guide
Division II Recruiting Guide
NCAA Educational Resources
FAFSA Form
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
GI Bill Comparison Tool
CSS/Financial Aid Form
Guide to College Scholarships & Financial Aid for Black Students
College Scholarships for Minority Students
College Scholarships for Hispanic and Latino Students
Becas Universitarias para Estudiantes Hispanos y Latinos
PRO PLAYER PATHWAY
Within the last two years, more than 55 ECNL players have signed USL Academy contracts to train and compete professionally within their club or with a club affiliate while still also playing youth soccer. ECNL clubs like North Carolina FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Louisville City, and more are using those contracts to provide youth players training and games with professional players while still maintaining their NCAA eligibility.
Beyond those 55 athletes who have signed USL Academy contracts, 40 more ECNL players have signed full professional contracts in the past two years. Graduates from ECNL clubs have gone on to MLS, USL, Liga MX, Serie A, Bundesliga and more. Players such as Jackson Hopkins (VDA to DC United), Jimmy Slayton (FSA to Hartford Athletic), Marck Cruz (San Diego Surf to Chivas de Guadalajara), Giovanni D’Agostino (Arlington Soccer to FC Bologna) and Evan Rotundo (San Diego Surf to FC Schalke 04) have paved the way for others to make the same jump as they have, and serve as role models for the next generation of ECNL athletes. As the league continues to grow, the representation of players from these clubs in the best soccer leagues in the world will only expand.
