Soccer Scholarship odds

[Unregistered]

If parents are handling it properly then it's their kids who do all the heavy lifting. As another said scholarships and roster spots don't just happen. It's WORK. A parent's job is to offer advice and guidance, and drive/visit the schools with their kids, ask questions. Yes I do think many parents are over-involved in the process, but parents being over involved in their kids lives is a broader societal problem. However, I can't do anything to change that. All I can do is make try to do the best job I can with my own kids. It isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. If something different works for a different family I don't care - their business, not mine.

well said. That's particularly the case if a player is looking to play outside the NW (or whatever geographic region they're in).
BTW, is "what medal did the US Women win in the Olympics" a trick question? :)

[Unregistered]

If parents are handling it properly then it's their kids who do all the heavy lifting. As another said scholarships and roster spots don't just happen. It's WORK. A parent's job is to offer advice and guidance, and drive/visit the schools with their kids, ask questions. Yes I do think many parents are over-involved in the process, but parents being over involved in their kids lives is a broader societal problem. However, I can't do anything to change that. All I can do is make try to do the best job I can with my own kids. It isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. If something different works for a different family I don't care - their business, not mine.

Correct. Kid does most of the 'heavy lifting' but for the most part, the parents are there to offer support and guidance and 'life lessons'......more times than not, I think my kids purposely tune me out. But, end of the day, they really do listen. Most of what I am saying 'sinks in' and they do absorb, in their own way.
I cannot tell you how many times I have said "hey, pack your rain slicker for tonight's practice" and they will look at me cross-eyed and say "it's 80 degrees, it's not gonna rain" and sure enough come 7 PM when their practice starts, it is raining. Or, better start on those applications now....they take more time than you think. Only to find older daughter scrambling late on a Sunday afternoon, frantically running to Kinko's to make copies and bind applications and put things together.

I want my kids to succeed or fail, on their own accord. It's always more enjoyable when they do succeed but sometimes I think it's a more valuable lesson when a bit of failure is added into the mix. If they forget their cleats, forgot the right colored jersey, etc---that's on them. Dad isn't running home to get that jersey.....they don't play that game. They WILL NOT forget that jersey next game, trust me. Again, a little bit of failure will only help set them up to be better people, teammates, whatever, later in life.

[Unregistered]

We could have a whole separate thread on parenting issues in youth sports. MTC - there is nothing wrong with guidance and I don't see why anyone would be offended with parents who are involved in the process (within reason, of course, which is very subjective). Isn't that part of "parenting"? Personally, I think the concept of "if you're good, they'll find you" is nonsense. We're not all parents of the Mallory Pugh's of the world and for players who are looking at playing outside of their geographic region, it takes work.

Agree with your perspective. In our family, the first few calls were on speaker with the kids doing the talking, by the end of the process, in both cases, I didn't even know if a conversation took place until one of my kids mentioned it. However, the arranging visit dates, making travel plans, discussing what our family could financially do, parents definitely need to be involved. Our kids still communicated to the coach, however our assistance and approval was crucial. We found the kids did the contact and we did a lot of the researching on the process and on each school to help guide them. At the end of the day it was each of their decision on the right fit, and then we gave the kids the green or red light if the finances made sense or didn't.

[Unregistered]

We could have a whole separate thread on parenting issues in youth sports. MTC - there is nothing wrong with guidance and I don't see why anyone would be offended with parents who are involved in the process (within reason, of course, which is very subjective). Isn't that part of "parenting"? Personally, I think the concept of "if you're good, they'll find you" is nonsense. We're not all parents of the Mallory Pugh's of the world and for players who are looking at playing outside of their geographic region, it takes work.

I think it's part of the larger debate abut how involved parents are in their kids' lives and this is just one example of it. Talk with any educator (elementary, HS, college) and they can talk for hours about parents who over-manage every aspect of their kids lives. They seem afraid to let their kids fail - at anything. Personally I see nothing as a failure as long as you tried your hardest and learned something from the experience. Because guess what - not everything in life is going to go your way so the sooner you find ways to handle disappointments and road blocks the better.

Anyway, the kids being recruited do have to do much of the work themselves. They should guide the level of parental involvement, not the other way around. One of mine going through it now isn't so great at asking for help so my wife and I keep checking in with him in case he does need it. His older sister asked for help initially but once she got more comfortable with the process did almost all on her own (other than the travel, visits and money parts of course)

[Unregistered]

I'm not trolling. Just expressing my opinion that maybe parents should not be very involved in the process. I see parents get way too involved.

So - it is your view that parents should not be involved in a process that dictates what their kid will be doing full time for 4 plus years, involve the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars, and greatly affect their lifetime career and family choices?

That seems like a lot to put on a 16 year old.

[Unregistered]

So - it is your view that parents should not be involved in a process that dictates what their kid will be doing full time for 4 plus years, involve the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars, and greatly affect their lifetime career and family choices?

That seems like a lot to put on a 16 year old.

I hope you have a plan to pay for college. First things first.

Second, giving kids tools to figure this stuff out is good. Getting involved as a parent should only be a very small endeavor.

If your kid is college level talent, its pretty simple. They should research and pick a few schools they are interested in. Reach out to the coach. Then play tournaments where they can see you. If your daughter is up to standards its that simple.

Parents get way too excited about this stuff and get too involved. I realize it feels good to feel like you are part of a winning team. Look at parents happy on the sidelines after a win or sad after a loss. Do whatever you want.

I just think that parents should be very minimally involved. The hyper involved parents tend to be obnoxious.

[Unregistered]

Absolutely right

So - it is your view that parents should not be involved in a process that dictates what their kid will be doing full time for 4 plus years, involve the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars, and greatly affect their lifetime career and family choices?

That seems like a lot to put on a 16 year old.

Parents that don't become involved in a reasonable manner may as well just have dropped the baby off at the fire station. Most parents are better equipped to handle the situation than 16, or even 15 year olds. Why let the kid screw up with one of life's more important decisions? If you think I am wrong, I'd hate to be your kid.

[Unregistered]

I hope you have a plan to pay for college. First things first.

Second, giving kids tools to figure this stuff out is good. Getting involved as a parent should only be a very small endeavor.

If your kid is college level talent, its pretty simple. They should research and pick a few schools they are interested in. Reach out to the coach. Then play tournaments where they can see you. If your daughter is up to standards its that simple.

Parents get way too excited about this stuff and get too involved. I realize it feels good to feel like you are part of a winning team. Look at parents happy on the sidelines after a win or sad after a loss. Do whatever you want.

I just think that parents should be very minimally involved. The hyper involved parents tend to be obnoxious.

That advice is, of course, NOT to be followed if at all possible.

For girls, scholarship money will be committed by no later than December of the kid's junior year. For guys it is a bit later, but will be committed by the end of the Junior year. So, the big window for recruitment is beginning of sophomore year through beginning of junior year - again a little later on the back end for guys. (Physical growth for guys coming later. 16 year old girls are not going to be that different at 18. 16 year old guys versus 18 year old guys often is hugely different so coaches need to wait. )

So, unless you are planning to let your kid make their college decisions based on website pictures and where Sally's older sister went - parents need to be working with their kids on the basics starting as early as possible. Go to schools whenever and where ever you can. Do the official tours that all students get. Does your kids think they like big, medium, small? Urban cv college town v rural. Private/religious v public. Near home or is other geographic area possible? My kid liked every school, but after about 10 visits she got much more particular about what she liked and did not like.

This is when you can have some serious talks about finances. My daughter really was interested in SCAD. But even with a nice scholarship it would roll into about $45K a year. Not doable for us. Be realistic with your kid.


Work with your kid on academics. With girls it is goofy as you are making commitments and you don't even have test scores. Be realistic there too. Will your kid be able to handle the academics at the school and play? Yes there are academic admits but it's not fun being the dumbest kid in the class even in college. Why do they need the academic admit? Good reason or is the plan the kid will get smarter while putting 20 hours a week into soccer? Be realistic about majors too. Some majors do not work well with playing a college sport. Majors with lots of labs and research requirements, or those that require studio time. Studying while traveling is not hard, but if you can only miss 1 lab to get credit in a class, and you are traveling 4 lab days that is not going to work. You can read on a plane, but you can't paint or sculpt, or practice with a quartet.

Remember to keep on top of what it takes to stack academic money with athletic. Parents need to know what the rules are. Do not rely on high school counselors.

Practice. When your kid communicates with a coach they are interviewing. Colleges and grad schools have classes on how to do well in interviews. 16 and 17 year olds need help too. Dress the part (future team captain not cute coed), and have some good questions ready to ask. Also good answers to common questions, eg "Why do you want to come here?" Would your daughter be able to answer that sitting in the coaches office? Mine could not the first few times. After practicing quite a bit with some family friends she got more comfortable. By the end coaches were impressed with her confidence and maturity. It is hard though. Those college tours and overnights are long interviews

What must a parent do?

1. Help in the general culling process. What schools are potentially workable based on geography, family finances, academics. Go to as many as possible. Kid must get a feel for the place.

2. Help on the academics. Register with NCAA. Knowing guidelines on scholarships and school specific scholarships. Know deadlines. Be up on admission requirements. Is your kid an easy admit based on gpa and test scores?

3. Help on finances. What can you afford. Have documents ready for financial aid office. Do fafsa.

4. Help on preparation. Practice interviews, telephone calls, proofread emails. Help come up with questions for current players.

5. Do the research on the coaches and program. Why is your kid someone they want? What are the numbers in terms of attrition? Why do kids drop? What happens when they drop?

6. Be ready to talk $$ with the coach. Know what kind of package those numbers represent. One big thing I learned to do while my kid was off getting the coach your was to go to financial aid. (Make an appt.). If and when it got down to numbers with the coach I already knew where we likely stood assuming academics came out as anticipated (gpa and test scores). For my kid freshman dollars were small. She was not a superstar for the schools she was looking at. But, a 20 percent athletic plus good academic dollars made a $25K bill turn into $9K. Over time the 20 percent grew to 50 percent so now I am in for about $5K. If you are out of state be positive you know what the costs and offers are specifically for your kid. DO NOT ASSUME.

Finally, if you know some kid needs help: Make the offer. Invite them along on a regular look visit. Offer to help with interview practice. Talk to parents or guardians about what you learned on things like NCAA registration. How to email. How to set up a visit. Etc.

[Unregistered]

That advice is, of course, NOT to be followed if at all possible.

For girls, scholarship money will be committed by no later than December of the kid's junior year. For guys it is a bit later, but will be committed by the end of the Junior year. So, the big window for recruitment is beginning of sophomore year through beginning of junior year - again a little later on the back end for guys. (Physical growth for guys coming later. 16 year old girls are not going to be that different at 18. 16 year old guys versus 18 year old guys often is hugely different so coaches need to wait. )

So, unless you are planning to let your kid make their college decisions based on website pictures and where Sally's older sister went - parents need to be working with their kids on the basics starting as early as possible. Go to schools whenever and where ever you can. Do the official tours that all students get. Does your kids think they like big, medium, small? Urban cv college town v rural. Private/religious v public. Near home or is other geographic area possible? My kid liked every school, but after about 10 visits she got much more particular about what she liked and did not like.

This is when you can have some serious talks about finances. My daughter really was interested in SCAD. But even with a nice scholarship it would roll into about $45K a year. Not doable for us. Be realistic with your kid.


Work with your kid on academics. With girls it is goofy as you are making commitments and you don't even have test scores. Be realistic there too. Will your kid be able to handle the academics at the school and play? Yes there are academic admits but it's not fun being the dumbest kid in the class even in college. Why do they need the academic admit? Good reason or is the plan the kid will get smarter while putting 20 hours a week into soccer? Be realistic about majors too. Some majors do not work well with playing a college sport. Majors with lots of labs and research requirements, or those that require studio time. Studying while traveling is not hard, but if you can only miss 1 lab to get credit in a class, and you are traveling 4 lab days that is not going to work. You can read on a plane, but you can't paint or sculpt, or practice with a quartet.

Remember to keep on top of what it takes to stack academic money with athletic. Parents need to know what the rules are. Do not rely on high school counselors.

Practice. When your kid communicates with a coach they are interviewing. Colleges and grad schools have classes on how to do well in interviews. 16 and 17 year olds need help too. Dress the part (future team captain not cute coed), and have some good questions ready to ask. Also good answers to common questions, eg "Why do you want to come here?" Would your daughter be able to answer that sitting in the coaches office? Mine could not the first few times. After practicing quite a bit with some family friends she got more comfortable. By the end coaches were impressed with her confidence and maturity. It is hard though. Those college tours and overnights are long interviews

What must a parent do?

1. Help in the general culling process. What schools are potentially workable based on geography, family finances, academics. Go to as many as possible. Kid must get a feel for the place.

2. Help on the academics. Register with NCAA. Knowing guidelines on scholarships and school specific scholarships. Know deadlines. Be up on admission requirements. Is your kid an easy admit based on gpa and test scores?

3. Help on finances. What can you afford. Have documents ready for financial aid office. Do fafsa.

4. Help on preparation. Practice interviews, telephone calls, proofread emails. Help come up with questions for current players.

5. Do the research on the coaches and program. Why is your kid someone they want? What are the numbers in terms of attrition? Why do kids drop? What happens when they drop?

6. Be ready to talk $$ with the coach. Know what kind of package those numbers represent. One big thing I learned to do while my kid was off getting the coach your was to go to financial aid. (Make an appt.). If and when it got down to numbers with the coach I already knew where we likely stood assuming academics came out as anticipated (gpa and test scores). For my kid freshman dollars were small. She was not a superstar for the schools she was looking at. But, a 20 percent athletic plus good academic dollars made a $25K bill turn into $9K. Over time the 20 percent grew to 50 percent so now I am in for about $5K. If you are out of state be positive you know what the costs and offers are specifically for your kid. DO NOT ASSUME.

Finally, if you know some kid needs help: Make the offer. Invite them along on a regular look visit. Offer to help with interview practice. Talk to parents or guardians about what you learned on things like NCAA registration. How to email. How to set up a visit. Etc.

Obviously every kid and family is different but your suggestions are way too much. If your kid can't handle some of these basic tasks then they're not ready to go to college. If your kid is bitching about looking at schools they aren't ready to look. They need to own the process. You're there to have a frank discussion about finances, offer support (yes practice talking with a coach to get over initial jitters), be there to bounce ideas around, drives to schools, checks for SAT tutors. You player should be doing the research on the schools, programs of study they're interested in, asking questions on tours (it seems parents are the only ones asking questions), soccer program/coaches/turnover/rosters etc. as well as keep track of coach contacts, deadlines etc.

[Unregistered]

Obviously every kid and family is different but your suggestions are way too much. If your kid can't handle some of these basic tasks then they're not ready to go to college. If your kid is bitching about looking at schools they aren't ready to look. They need to own the process. You're there to have a frank discussion about finances, offer support (yes practice talking with a coach to get over initial jitters), be there to bounce ideas around, drives to schools, checks for SAT tutors. You player should be doing the research on the schools, programs of study they're interested in, asking questions on tours (it seems parents are the only ones asking questions), soccer program/coaches/turnover/rosters etc. as well as keep track of coach contacts, deadlines etc.

Wow, I am not the poster, but I will tell you that the average high school senior is not able to balance and understand how to pick a school, make good financial decisions, or even what they are interested in, much less the average sophomore that is starting to get interest and has to hurry up and figure it out so they can actually have a conversation about their interests with college coaches. Especially when they are really just concerned about what to wear to homecoming. And while I agree they should be doing what you are saying they should be doing, that comes after hours and hours of conversations at home with the parents guiding them to do what you are suggesting. I don't know many sophomores in high school that would intuitively know how to do what you are suggesting without guidance. As far as knowing how to navigate the process? The parents need to be doing their research and due diligence learning HOW to give advice and guidance or their kid is going to miss the boat. That is on the parents not finding out the "how", not on the kid.

[Unregistered]

TS, always a place where parents want to post things that they think other parents want to hear. So funny. Post an essay, and it's sure to be either overlooked or chastised. Or both. Trust me, don't waste your time.

[Unregistered]

Obviously every kid and family is different but your suggestions are way too much. If your kid can't handle some of these basic tasks then they're not ready to go to college. If your kid is bitching about looking at schools they aren't ready to look. They need to own the process. You're there to have a frank discussion about finances, offer support (yes practice talking with a coach to get over initial jitters), be there to bounce ideas around, drives to schools, checks for SAT tutors. You player should be doing the research on the schools, programs of study they're interested in, asking questions on tours (it seems parents are the only ones asking questions), soccer program/coaches/turnover/rosters etc. as well as keep track of coach contacts, deadlines etc.

Unfortunately lots of kids lack the support and decisions are made based on pure hope. But you will be betting your kids happiness, academic future and tens of thousands of dollars on that "research" done by a 16 year old. A lot can go wrong and a lot is still left up in the air even with all the work that can be done. But, it is the most informed decision your kid can make. Look at the attrition rates. The best cases put about half of the freshmen through to senior year.

[Unregistered]

Unfortunately lots of kids lack the support and decisions are made based on pure hope. But you will be betting your kids happiness, academic future and tens of thousands of dollars on that "research" done by a 16 year old. A lot can go wrong and a lot is still left up in the air even with all the work that can be done. But, it is the most informed decision your kid can make. Look at the attrition rates. The best cases put about half of the freshmen through to senior year.

Do half really play soccer all four years in college? I thought more dropped out of soccer than that. Shouldn't college be about academics anyway?

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1901305]Do half really play soccer all four years in college? I thought more dropped out of soccer than that. Shouldn't college be about academics anyway?[/

I got so many chicks in college I was amazing.

[Unregistered]

It is 14 total at any given time. It's 3.5 a year, but I am sure it fluctuates how they use it based on transfer and graduation rates. Also most coaches will tell you they take 1.5 - 2 scholarships out of the typical budget to be able to use if needed. Maybe that is allocated for players that become available at the last minute, transfer students, or to reward current players for all conference awards or a bench player becomes a starter, etc. If that is the case, then really you are talking an average of 3 full scholarships per class. Something to be aware of California state law, that any Cal State school can only use 2 of their 14 scholarships for international and out of state students. So if an Oregon player is looking at a Cal State school, that means they are competing for their piece of 2 scholarships, not of 14.

With so few scholarships available per year & now with the 4 yr guarantee at P5 schools, its not very likely a player gets more if they improve either. Significant scholarship money is a nice lottery type dream. Most are better off saving the 5-12k/yr they spend on chasing that elusive soccer scholarship.