Tips for Contacting College Coaches
NCAA college coaches are restricted from contacting freshmen and sophomore recruits year-round and can only contact juniors during certain periods of the year. Fortunately, there are no restrictions for recruits contacting coaches. It is important for athletes to directly contact coaches early and often to promote interest and form relationships.
When to start? Initial contact can be made as early as freshman or sophomore year.
Prepare a player resume.
Visit the team website of colleges of interest and complete their online prospect questionnaire.
Research the program and roster.
Prepare a personal email or letter to introduce yourself.
This letter should be personalized for each coach and include your team name, squad number, upcoming tournaments with game times and fields if available.
Familiarize yourself with the program and provide program specific references in your letter.
Prior to tournaments, you should reconnect with the coach either by phone or email to confirm playing times and field information.
Take time to prepare your talking points.
Speak to your club coach and make sure you are playing in the game that your are asking a coach to watch.
After a tournament, upload tournament highlights via youtube and send the coach a link if possible.
Common mistakes.
Do not send generic emails with "Dear Coach".
Do not carbon copy multiple programs in one email.
Do not have your parents call or write for you.
Coaches want to learn about you and know that you are capable, mature and most importantly, interested in their program.
Questions to ask a College Coach
If you are considering playing soccer in college, it is best for you to reach out to prospective programs as part of your college search. Here are some recommended questions.
How many players have you committed to my recruiting class?
And how many are you hoping to commit?
You need to make sure that the soccer programs you are pursuing are still recruiting prospects for your class. Keep in mind that although a soccer program may be done recruiting scholarship players, there may still be openings on the roster for recruited walk-ons.
How do my scores (GPA, SAT) weigh up to the general admittance requirements of your college?
You don't want to waste your time talking with a coach if you don't have a chance of being admitted to his/her school.
Some colleges/universities allow athletic programs to admit students with lower scores than the average student while some do not.
Coaches can request (and often do) a pre-admittance read of your transcript/scores to determine if you are likely to be admitted to the school.
Does the school have the major I want or are there a variety of potential majors?
Some prospects are entertaining schools because of the strength of the athletic program and a chance to play in the professional ranks.
The majority of prospects, however, are combining academic pursuits and athletic performance.
Make sure the school offers either the program you require or a degree that facilities your needs.
Keep in mind that nationwide, approximately 50% of college students change majors at least once before college graduation.
Make sure the school has a great variety of majors just in case.
What is your program's style of play and how do you see me fitting in?
It's important to know if your abilities fit into the school's style of play.
Prospects should know if you are going to play in a similar role or are the college coaches expecting you to play in a different role or position.
You may want to also ask if the system of play may change in the near future.
Also, you may be able to stream some live games off the athletic program’s website.
Many athletic programs offer live streaming for free.
This is a great way to see firsthand if you could fit into their style of play.
Which events will you recruit this season/year?
By knowing the coach's schedule, you can make sure to get all your information (resume, club name & squad number, game times, etc.) to the coaches ahead of time.
You may even be able to influence your club manager or coach to register for a particular event where this coach will be present.
Would you like me to send you updates to our schedule before and during the events, if you are recruiting for the event?
In the weeks leading up to an event, coaches are preparing the recruiting schedule for the event.
That means that prospects have to get the schedules, squad numbers, times of games and field locations to the coach early.
Do not overwhelm the coach, but make sure that you get the information to the coach in a timely fashion.
If you send your information to the coach the last few days before the event, the likelihood that you get onto the recruiting schedule is not good.
You can send a coach update emails from the venue of your games and confirm that you will be playing in the next game.
What is your graduation rate for your program?
A low graduation rate might reflect a high rate of transfers or a lack of student support services.
Be wary of a program with a high rate of transfers, as this may be an indication that players are unhappy with the program.
How do you decide if a player is to be redshirted during the course of a season?
Some players are recruited because the coaches see the prospect playing minutes straight away.
Some players show potential and the coaches feel they will offer more in the years to come.
Some coaches decide at the start of the year who will redshirt the season, while others wait until the season is underway.
Redshirting is sometimes a good idea as prospects may play more towards the latter end of their playing careers.
How are financial aid, academic aid and scholarship aid earned and/or distributed among recruits and the team?
Financial aid packages can consist of athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, and/or need-based financial aid.
It is important to understand how this will come together and whether these numbers may change over the four years.
Some programs will increase soccer scholarships if the player performs well during the four years.