College Scouting

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Do scouts just go to showcases or do they show at training sessions and games? Are id clinics worth it? When should high school players start contacting a college coach? TIA

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Unless you play for PDA Blue no college coaches want to see you

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Unless you play for PDA Blue no college coaches want to see you

Cmon now...dont forget about White and South. They pay big money also.

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Cmon now...dont forget about White and South. They pay big money also.

Ok but pls don’t mention Shore they might as well be Toms River FC.

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Cmon now...dont forget about White and South. They pay big money also.

You got answers from two of the TS resident morons. Hopefully other people who may know the answers will respond to you.

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Do scouts just go to showcases or do they show at training sessions and games? Are id clinics worth it? When should high school players start contacting a college coach? TIA

Just pay lots of $$$ to top level academy and they guide you in right direction. Matter of fact they’ll tell you from the start you’re D1 material until the moment of truth comes and you ain’t. Be careful with the BS promises.

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Do scouts just go to showcases or do they show at training sessions and games? Are id clinics worth it? When should high school players start contacting a college coach? TIA

Depending on the showcase and because of the constraints of money Colleges pick which showcases they will attend. Most send an assistant coach, sometimes a Coach will attend as well. I found sending my daughter to those ID clinics with Numerous coaches are really a waste of money. You must go into this with a game plan of schools that you are interested in and the most important thing is that you must be realistic of making sure those colleges are not a reach either academically or as a player. It’s okay to dream about a Reach school but you must be realistic because otherwise you are wasting your time. You should identify the college, then talk to your. Coach, DOC, and college coordinator at the club to firm up a list. Then attend either a clinic or camp for that school. That way your showing an interest and investment for that college. Colleges are looking for players interested in them and not just shopping at 15 different schools. If the player is a standout at the camp / clinic then those coaches will then add you to there scouting list for tournaments. That is how you get coaches to come watch you play. College coaches will not just show up at your field during a showcase they already have. List of players to watch from those camps/clinics. The key then becomes that hopefully your team will be attending a showcase the college will be attending. This is just a short summary. Good luck.

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Depending on the showcase and because of the constraints of money Colleges pick which showcases they will attend. Most send an assistant coach, sometimes a Coach will attend as well. I found sending my daughter to those ID clinics with Numerous coaches are really a waste of money. You must go into this with a game plan of schools that you are interested in and the most important thing is that you must be realistic of making sure those colleges are not a reach either academically or as a player. It’s okay to dream about a Reach school but you must be realistic because otherwise you are wasting your time. You should identify the college, then talk to your. Coach, DOC, and college coordinator at the club to firm up a list. Then attend either a clinic or camp for that school. That way your showing an interest and investment for that college. Colleges are looking for players interested in them and not just shopping at 15 different schools. If the player is a standout at the camp / clinic then those coaches will then add you to there scouting list for tournaments. That is how you get coaches to come watch you play. College coaches will not just show up at your field during a showcase they already have. List of players to watch from those camps/clinics. The key then becomes that hopefully your team will be attending a showcase the college will be attending. This is just a short summary. Good luck.

You should start attending showcases/clinics Spring/summer of ninth grade. Not before.

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Do scouts just go to showcases or do they show at training sessions and games? Are id clinics worth it? When should high school players start contacting a college coach? TIA

Scouts/coaches will come to games if they are already interested in a player or if it happens to be convenient for them.

Games: My D had a game in eastern PA and invited a local D3 coach who happened to also be a coach for the club she was playing against (for a different age group), so it was close by and he was familiar with the level of play. Did this in a few other instances with coaches at colleges she had attended ID camps for but the coaches couldn't come because of scheduling conflicts.

Training Sessions: D attended a summer soccer camp and invited a D3 coach nearby where she had previously attended an ID camp. The asst coach actually came to watch, but couldn't actually find the session on the campus where the camp was being held. Other than that, never tried inviting a coach to club training, although we have seen some college coaches at our club's training facilities.

When to reach out: For D1, probably a good idea to at least start filling out recruiting questionnaires and inviting to showcases as a freshman. You may not get any bites, but at least they will see you are interested early on. For D3, they don't seriously start looking at players until sophomore year at the very earliest, and at least in D's case, it seemed like you can get opportunities even if the first time they see you is junior year.

College-specific ID clinics are very important, and just as important is to make sure your kid is in touch with the coaches prior to arriving to the clinic so that they know who your kid is when they arrive. Multi-college ID clinics aren't worth it unless there is a particular school your kid is interested in and for some reason cannot attend their college-specific clinic. In this case, again, make sure your kid is in touch with that college coach and maybe even tell them that you would only attend that clinic if you can be sure you are working with that coach at that clinic.

Also, when reaching out to coaches via email, make sure to email the head coach and the assistant coach. Often times, the assistant coach is the "recruiting coordinator" and handles all communications with the players, so you are far more likely to get a response from the recruiting coordinator than the head coach.

Note: My D was mainly interested in D3 schools, so the above is mostly based on her experience from that objective. She did attend a couple of D1 clinics and received some feedback that gave insight into the process, but it was not a priority for her.

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Ok but pls don’t mention Shore they might as well be Toms River FC.

2011 girls team just chose to move from TRFC to Boca over PDA Shore

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Showcases: most go shopping with a list of players they're interested in. That list is made up of players who have reached out to coaches, as well as those whose club coaches have made calls for. They don't window shop generally but a few players may catch their eye that weren't on their list. Time is limited at the events, hence the list. But also coaches don't want to spend much time trying to woo players that just aren't interested in the program or school.

ID Events: They give coaches a closer look at their top prospects over a longer period of time (not just 20 min at a game). They can see how prospects square against current players and other prospects. They can talk with them, watch how they interact with other players off the field.

However like with showcases they will be focused on their top prospects. Often they split off their top 20 or so into its own group, then there's "all the rest." A few from "all the rest" might out perform and get their attention, but by and large they are there to help pad recruiting budgets.

So, with that in mind try and only do events where there seems to be genuine interest. Sophomores will get loads of "invitations" that are very generic. Look for personalization. Use your club coach to confirm interest. If a school really is a dream school then give it a shot, but be realistic. If the roster is filled with NT players and you're not?

Finally, if you can afford it I highly recommend doing at least one warm up event before your player goes into prime time (summer of 9th grade is great). Pick one that doesn't require travel. Try and do one that's at a similar level to what you're aiming for but not necessarily a school you really want (in case it doesn't go well). It's a great opportunity to see how you fit vs other players and get more comfortable with the process

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2011 girls team just chose to move from TRFC to Boca over PDA Shore

Smart move as Boca is a much better club than PDA Shore. I know PDA up North is the best but the Shore outfit can’t even compete locally, case and point.

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Finally, if you can afford it I highly recommend doing at least one warm up event before your player goes into prime time (summer of 9th grade is great). Pick one that doesn't require travel. Try and do one that's at a similar level to what you're aiming for but not necessarily a school you really want (in case it doesn't go well). It's a great opportunity to see how you fit vs other players and get more comfortable with the process

Agree with this sentiment, but the danger of going as a 9th grader is that many of the kids will be older/bigger/faster/stronger, so this could also backfire and make your 9th grader lose confidence. Maybe wait til after the HS season so they have more experience playing with older/bigger players?

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Agree with this sentiment, but the danger of going as a 9th grader is that many of the kids will be older/bigger/faster/stronger, so this could also backfire and make your 9th grader lose confidence. Maybe wait til after the HS season so they have more experience playing with older/bigger players?

Agreed wait a bit until HS