Best way to contact college coaches

S

SoccerEnvy

BRONZE
Starting the recruiting process.

What platform is the best to email coaches.
Email from player’s regular email account?
Or one of the college recruiting platforms (ie: NCSA, prep hero, AthleticU, etc.) Is there a clear one that coaches prefer? Or that you have found best.

How important is it to sign up for Top Drawer soccer and get a ranking for the player? It seems like I have to pay for that option so want to make sure it is worth it.
Thank you for advice.

I did look at previous posts but it was hard to sort through, a lot of outdated responses or irrelevant responses (no offense).
 
SoccerEnvy said:
Starting the recruiting process.

What platform is the best to email coaches.
Email from player’s regular email account?
Or one of the college recruiting platforms (ie: NCSA, prep hero, AthleticU, etc.) Is there a clear one that coaches prefer? Or that you have found best.

How important is it to sign up for Top Drawer soccer and get a ranking for the player? It seems like I have to pay for that option so want to make sure it is worth it.
Thank you for advice.

I did look at previous posts but it was hard to sort through, a lot of outdated responses or irrelevant responses (no offense).
Click to expand...
Wanted to make sure you are including player ID Camps at the colleges you are interested in.
Its a good chance to give the opportunity to a head coach to see your player at their camp and give that head coach a chance to talk to your player.
 
The main advantage to the recruiting platforms is that they have built in directories of coaches, college info databases, and email setups that can help keep your player organized and efficient. They give them the ability to see who is looking at their profile and who is opening their emails (or not) which is helpful in the initial phase when coaches can't speak to your player directly. The most expensive ones will give you access to a former college coach to advise you and may help you produce video as well. Your player can, of course, do all of that on their own if they are organized and persistent, but it will generally be less efficient. Teenagers being what they are, these tools can help them, and may help keep you out of the picture if you are wanting to be less involved. You will have to be the judge as to whether you and your player would get good value out of the service or not. Some kids are perfectly capable without it and have good support at their club, and not having this crutch can help further improve their basic skills. For others, it is indispensable. YMMV.

You should know that there are a few schools with cantankerous coaches that do not like getting emails from services like these, however in my experience, these are few and far between.

IMO, Top Drawer Soccer is a waste of money. If a coach is using TDS rankings to rate players, they are not worth their salt, and you don't want your player there anyway. TDS can be a bit of status symbol amongst the girls, but honestly, there isn't alot of leverage there.
 
Skip most of the pay services. They are trash. My daughter did use college fit finder since her team was using it. Good app to stay organized and it creates a good bio to attach with an email. She used her regular email. Have her email interested coaches with her bio and game schedule for tournaments though we mostly found this to be a waste. Its better to email afterwards to the coaches that showed up. A parent or coach should keep trackk of everyone that attends. Get their business card. Don’t go to ID camps unless your daughter wants to see the school or you get directly invited by a coach (not by a form letter). These are usually just money makers for the school. The best thing is to have her play for a top team that gets a lot of exposure. We had games with 75+ coaches. If your kid plays well coaches will be interested and want to know her plans. Then you can have her follow up. It was this last method that led to every dialogue that she had with a coach. The camps and emails did nothing without that.
 
Great questions/thread. I'm wondering what age to start all this at? Also, not everybody is lucky enough to be on a high profile team.. especially in San Diego. If that's the case, what's the best route? Playing ECNL and playing against high profile teams, even if yours isn't, in my opinion is extremely important.
 
Soccerdude oc said:
Great questions/thread. I'm wondering what age to start all this at? Also, not everybody is lucky enough to be on a high profile team.. especially in San Diego. If that's the case, what's the best route? Playing ECNL and playing against high profile teams, even if yours isn't, in my opinion is extremely important.
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We got started early, by the encouragement of our coach. He wanted the girls to get into the habit of sending letters at the beginning of the season, before each tournament or showcase, as well as after, to all coaches that attended. My daughter played up, so while her teammates started their freshman year in HS, my daughter started in 8th grade. Schools can’t reach out until the summer of their rising junior year, but it doesn’t hurt to get their name out there, and to get them into the practice of sending the emails. Make sure the email includes their soccer accolades, school performance including any clubs or activities they participate in, and what major they may be considering when they are in college. One last thing, while colleges can’t reach out until their junior year, they can contact your coach. So, with their permission, you can also add the coach’s phone number and email where scouts can assess your play and provide feedback, if they want.
 
Soccerdude oc said:
Great questions/thread. I'm wondering what age to start all this at? Also, not everybody is lucky enough to be on a high profile team.. especially in San Diego. If that's the case, what's the best route? Playing ECNL and playing against high profile teams, even if yours isn't, in my opinion is extremely important.
Click to expand...
I would also like to know this as well. Not everyone can be in a top performing high profile team. I always wonder if it's better to be a starter at a lower performing team or a sub at a top team.
 
asianautica said:
I would also like to know this as well. Not everyone can be in a top performing high profile team. I always wonder if it's better to be a starter at a lower performing team or a sub at a top team.
Click to expand...
There is quite a bit of related content in the "Recruiting tips" thread that overlaps this question. There isn't one formula for getting recruited, and everyone's journey is different. In today's environment, other than your play of course, email is all you have to work with, and this should be started freshman year. In the majority of cases, these early emails are required to get coaches out to see you play, particularly if you're not on a higher profile team that naturally attracts coaches. Unless you are a top 10% athlete you have to be proactive to market yourself; sitting back and waiting for someone to notice is a losing proposition, especially these days.
With regard to starting on a lower performing team vs a sub on a higher one, I would say that you are almost always going to be better off playing than not because continued development has to be the number one consideration. With that said, it does depend on the dynamics of your particular situation and only you and your player can judge that. When playing in a less competitive environment, you will just have to work that much harder to get noticed is all. You will have to be even more proactive with emails and strategically explore ID camps for schools that your player is interested in. I agree with the previous info that ID camps are mostly $$ makers, so you have to choose wisely.
 
A loosely related question for parents that have gone through the recruiting process. Does the style of play help/hurt your chance of getting recruited for girls? I've seen many teams that don't necessarily play the most beautiful soccer, but still win consistently by out-compete and out-aggressive the opponents. I thought such style of play makes it more difficult to showcase your decision making, composure, or skills, but then again I see many college teams play with a similar direct style.
 
Messi>CR7 said:
A loosely related question for parents that have gone through the recruiting process. Does the style of play help/hurt your chance of getting recruited for girls? I've seen many teams that don't necessarily play the most beautiful soccer, but still win consistently by out-compete and out-aggressive the opponents. I thought such style of play makes it more difficult to showcase your decision making, composure, or skills, but then again I see many college teams play with a similar direct style.
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I think you answered your own question! Certainly if you're a technical midfielder, and your team routinely plays direct balls from the backs to speedy wingers, you're probably not going to show well. On the other hand, if the college team also plays the direct style, your speedy winger might show quite well. When considering colleges to target, one aspect to consider is if you can be effective in the system they play.
 
Messi>CR7 said:
A loosely related question for parents that have gone through the recruiting process. Does the style of play help/hurt your chance of getting recruited for girls? I've seen many teams that don't necessarily play the most beautiful soccer, but still win consistently by out-compete and out-aggressive the opponents. I thought such style of play makes it more difficult to showcase your decision making, composure, or skills, but then again I see many college teams play with a similar direct style.
Click to expand...
From what I'm seeing lately, unless you in top 10 programs, most colleges are looking exactly for that type of a player - strong, physical, aggressive
 
Keep emailing. Make sure the words are your kids. You can help organize and make sure topic points are included. She has had responses inside 1-2 days, but also had a response 7 weeks later. Additionally she has received no response from some colleges, then she emails again and they are interested. Understand they may have 500-1000 emails. They could miss your kid. Until they say "no, we aren't recruiting your kid anymore", keep trying. It can be done without a service.

If you do need a service, DM me, I have the name of someone that gets results, but no guarantee they will take your kid. You have to show them highlights and they may scout your kid as well before helping. Not using them, but still a possibility going forward. I get nothing out of recommending them. If you and your kid are struggling, then by all means use a service. Keep all levels of soccer open as well.
 
SoccerEnvy said:
Starting the recruiting process.

What platform is the best to email coaches.
Email from player’s regular email account?
Or one of the college recruiting platforms (ie: NCSA, prep hero, AthleticU, etc.) Is there a clear one that coaches prefer? Or that you have found best.

How important is it to sign up for Top Drawer soccer and get a ranking for the player? It seems like I have to pay for that option so want to make sure it is worth it.
Thank you for advice.

I did look at previous posts but it was hard to sort through, a lot of outdated responses or irrelevant responses (no offense).
Click to expand...

1 - You don't need Top Drawer Soccer. It's a shill for the biggest clubs' players. They are not ranking based on personal evaluations. The ranking numbers are a joke. So many players with high rankings that obviously don't pass the eye-test.

2 - You don't need recruiting platforms. They don't provide any advantage.

3 - Starting freshman year, take video of your player and post highlight clips couple times/year on Youtube (3-4 minutes tops). Email (gmail) the coaches at the programs your player has some interest in (with links to the video) and continue to email them once per quarter with updates, check in, knowing they will not reply back. Attend a camp at their school if you can afford it. Be sure to have a mix of schools - D1, 2 and 3. Most parents overestimate their kids' talent level, so keep this in mind.

4 - Be patient and persistent. It will also help if your kid plays in tournament(s) that attract these coaches. They will want to see them play in person. Some parents' egos get boosted by having a lot of coaches come watch their kids' games -- "we had 80 coaches out there watching". Don't have that mentality. Care more about the 20 or so coaches that your player cares about and has expressed interest in.

5 - Spend more time making sure your kids' grades are good. Don't view soccer as a Plan A career path.
 
1) you tube video with private link so you can look at your history to see if they watched it

2) email the video. short and sweet. In the first 15 seconds they will know if they are interested so make the best 1-2 minute video ever
 
If your club uses trace/huddle etc, leverage it. We found it to be very useful in putting together clips. It does most of the work for you and provides a great vantage point for coaches. User interface is pretty intuitive and the kids quickly figure out how to put together clips, organize their landing page, update profile,etc. Once a coach has your trace ID link, they can go back whenever they want to view full games. You can also track the # of views.

After a weekend of games and/or a showcase, trace captures your moments. You can go back in and create clips off of the moments or create your moments, put together a clip of the weekend and quickly send to coaches.
 
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