College Soccer Summer Camps

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Why not? Many parents have gotten their kids on club teams or ODP this way. Why run the risk of being evaluated based on perforemance and skill?

Hello...First, the player should be asking. Second, if the coach is spending more time with the top talent, why wouldn't you want to be in that group? If you can compete or not, the coach will know based on performance and skill. What benefit is it to be the "star" player in a group that no one is watching.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hello...First, the player should be asking. Second, if the coach is spending more time with the top talent, why wouldn't you want to be in that group? If you can compete or not, the coach will know based on performance and skill. What benefit is it to be the "star" player in a group that no one is watching.

Because, everyone wants to be in that group. That's why they are there. Might as well have one big game of 100 v 100.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Just another thing to be aware of which is injuries.

My daughter tore her ACL last month in a game. She was scheduled for 3 college soccer camps and a preseason camp with a well-known CT. soccer club known for its camps.

Of the 3 college soccer camps, only 1 offered a refund (minus $100 for administrative expenses). Rest of the camps all took a $250 administrative fee. Same with the Preseason soccer camp.

So, we are out $850 in deposits. I know that they have to cover their expenses, but it seems excessive to charge $250 when the reason for a child not going is due to injury.

Plus I know Brown had a waiting list last year and I wouldn't be surprised if that was common, so they are probably banking the fees from someone else.

They are brutal.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Not sure about Brown but Dartmouth does not accept requests for placement with certain coaches. Coaches claim that they are also not able to get a specific player into their group.

Do you think they will put a kid in the top group just because they ask?

I can confirm that. Two coaches who were very interested in my son prior to the Dartmouth camp were in the "other" group and only got a chance to see him by virtue of the fact he made the all-star games. Otherwise, they would not have seen him play at all that week.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I can confirm that. Two coaches who were very interested in my son prior to the Dartmouth camp were in the "other" group and only got a chance to see him by virtue of the fact he made the all-star games. Otherwise, they would not have seen him play at all that week.

So, the coaches of interest got to watch him for 15-30 mins over a 3 day camp?

[beentheredonethat]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

So, the coaches of interest got to watch him for 15-30 mins over a 3 day camp?

So the camp was a success. How much is the Dartmouth camp compared with what it costs to travel to your typical showcase. Looks like you spent some wise money.

Parents need to come to grips with the cold hard reality that not everyone is destined to be discovered. Even if your kid does end up with the coach they are looking for, that coach typically is not there looking for a rank and file player. Your kid needs to stand out. If the camp has an All Star game, the coaches are going to pay attention to the kids that make that team. I don't mean to be snotty about this, but if your kid can't make that team you really have to start to ask yourself how good a player they really are and what level they can actually play at.

All of that said, kids can come out of a camp like Dartmouth with a reputation even though they didn't make the All Star team. Goalkeepers are usually a good example. A lot of camps only pick two for the All Star game but the third best keeper in camp may still be pretty good. What you need to know is that if one of the coaches is there looking for keeper they are going to ask around with the other coaches and will find out that kid's name and get a scouting report on them. If they like what they hear they will follow up with them (especially if that kid also walked up to the coach and expressed interest in their school) The thing everyone needs to recognize is that if a kid can play things will happen for them, but everyone also needs to be prepared for water to level so to speak. The interest might only come from low level programs. The one thing that a good number of parents seem to have a problem recognizing is that no amount of posturing or postioning is going to change the level their kid is going to PLAY at. Their talent is what their talent is.

Originally Posted by beentheredonethat

So the camp was a success. How much is the Dartmouth camp compared with what it costs to travel to your typical showcase. Looks like you spent some wise money.

I don't follow this. Wouldn't it have been wiser to spend the $$$ to go to the specific college of interest's camp where it's likely he would have been seen for more than 15 minutes?

The Dartmouth camp is only a good value if you are interested in going to Dartmouth or if you can somehow get into the group led by your coach of interest. Otherwise it's not a great recruiting vehicle.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I don't follow this. Wouldn't it have been wiser to spend the $$$ to go to the specific college of interest's camp where it's likely he would have been seen for more than 15 minutes?

The Dartmouth camp is only a good value if you are interested in going to Dartmouth or if you can somehow get into the group led by your coach of interest. Otherwise it's not a great recruiting vehicle.

Forgot to add this is probably most relevant for rising seniors. Few coaches will recruit based on 15 mins of viewing. If he is a rising junior it could be helpful to put him on their radar screen but you will still need to be seen again, very likely at a showcase.

[beentheredonethat]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I don't follow this. Wouldn't it have been wiser to spend the $$$ to go to the specific college of interest's camp where it's likely he would have been seen for more than 15 minutes?

The Dartmouth camp is only a good value if you are interested in going to Dartmouth or if you can somehow get into the group led by your coach of interest. Otherwise it's not a great recruiting vehicle.

Forgot to add this is probably most relevant for rising seniors. Few coaches will recruit based on 15 mins of viewing. If he is a rising junior it could be helpful to put him on their radar screen but you will still need to be seen again, very likely at a showcase.

You are correct in that coaches don't just walk up after watching a kid play once and offer them a scholarship. You have to look at the recruiting process like a mating dance. You can blow money all over the place trying to get a kid discovered and I think a number of clubs actually feed this belief because it helps them market the club. The truth is until a kid clarifies their "short list" of schools you are just going to be spending money blindly hoping to catch lightening in a bottle. Once a kid clarifies where they would like to go you can target things pretty tightly. That is where the camps have the maximum value. That said, IMO trying to get discovered at a camp is still more cost effective than trying to get discovered at a series of showcases.

Originally Posted by beentheredonethat

So the camp was a success. How much is the Dartmouth camp compared with what it costs to travel to your typical showcase. Looks like you spent some wise money.

Parents need to come to grips with the cold hard reality that not everyone is destined to be discovered. Even if your kid does end up with the coach they are looking for, that coach typically is not there looking for a rank and file player. Your kid needs to stand out. If the camp has an All Star game, the coaches are going to pay attention to the kids that make that team. I don't mean to be snotty about this, but if your kid can't make that team you really have to start to ask yourself how good a player they really are and what level they can actually play at.

All of that said, kids can come out of a camp like Dartmouth with a reputation even though they didn't make the All Star team. Goalkeepers are usually a good example. A lot of camps only pick two for the All Star game but the third best keeper in camp may still be pretty good. What you need to know is that if one of the coaches is there looking for keeper they are going to ask around with the other coaches and will find out that kid's name and get a scouting report on them. If they like what they hear they will follow up with them (especially if that kid also walked up to the coach and expressed interest in their school) The thing everyone needs to recognize is that if a kid can play things will happen for them, but everyone also needs to be prepared for water to level so to speak. The interest might only come from low level programs. The one thing that a good number of parents seem to have a problem recognizing is that no amount of posturing or postioning is going to change the level their kid is going to PLAY at. Their talent is what their talent is.

BTDT - you are wrong on this one. You like to talk about not spending money to travel to showcases and I get that. But this is spending money as well and getting this supposed 15 minutes of being seen is not worth the money of this camp. Your daughter as a keeper was in a much different place than field players. College coaches want to see a kid play multiple times. Playing well at Dartmouth and having one or two coaches be aware of your play is not creating any kind of buzz or awareness of who you are. Being one of 250-300 kids at camp does nothing for you unless you are the break-out star of the camp and in that cae you are way undershooting going to this camp and the coaches already know who you are. People need to choose their camps far better than attending a money raiser for the coach and thinking they will be identified or for that matter get a sense of the coach and the school this way.

Go and visit the colleges you want to play at and make a presonal relationship with that coach and find out from him/her where they can see you play and be able to evaluate you over multiple opportunities. There are kids identified at camps often, but not from 15 minutes of chance encounters.