Hi can somepme help me here? Does a player need to play High School Ball? If you daughter plays for a club-plays at college showcases...then is HS ball really necessary? Please someone shed some light on this subject for me. Also, or can a girl just play HS ball and expeect to play at at DI or DII school?

Question: My daughter's high school seems to have a problem reporting scores and statistics to the local media. Do you know if colleges and/or coaches pay much attention to publicity received by some athletes? For example: our paper has a stat leaders section. If the school coach fails to report, the statistics aren't accurate. Does this matter in the big picture?

The overall soccer recruitment process (regardless of the Division) is primarily driven from the club/ODP side of the equation.

The real answer to your question is school / Division specific and exactly what you are looking for. The facts are that very few kids at the top 30 schools (NCAA soccer rankings in all three divisions, so say 90 schools) only played HS ball. HS ball only players (most likely walk-ons), however, do indeed materialize on rosters of schools that are less competitive.


If you are looking for scholorship money and/or a coach to help you get in the door - a lack of club ball on your resume is going to be a negative. Not playing HS ball can go either way - some college coaches look at as a character thing, some do not. In states which have restrictive overlaps, that is, it is difficult to play both, then club ball remains the preferred choice if you want to get looked at by competitive colleges - Not an issue in the tri-state area; only CT has some restrictions.

There is soooo much information it makes my head spin!!! Sometimes it seems to conflict My daughter is a honor/AP student with a very good GPA. She has been playing Club ball since she was 9 and Varsity since 10th grade. She is interested in out of state schools and unfortunately we are in a financial situation that does not allow us to showcase in an area where the colleges of her choice attend, even as a guest as the travel and stay is costly! How, other then a DVD with a profile to the coach or is that enough can I get them to see her? I am sure they too do not want to travel either.
Do DIV ll schools hold tryouts and can any money be obtained from that way?
Thanks as always for the info

First and foremost, do not become overwhlemed by the college selection process or the recruitment process. While there are many task driven items that a concerned student-athlete and supportive parents will need to address, the fact is that these tasks do unfold during your child's junior and senior years as a step-by-step process. Many of those steps are exactly why the College Board exists here on BOTN.

Let's turn our attention to your specific case. Our first issue is with your assessment that your child is only considering "out of state" schools. If your family is currently feeling the financial pinch regarding out-of-state showcasing, exactly how can you absorb the cost of an out-of-state education with the associated living expenses (room/board = $10,000-$12,000 per year), travel (getting to school, coming home at holidays, parent's weekends and such, $2,000+ per year), and finally the actual tuition costs ($30,000+ per year)?

In your particular case, start examining your state school system (SUNY in New York) where an excellent education can be had at a number of institutions at a very reasonable price point. Just away from Long Island, you have Binghamton, Geneseo, Albany, and several others which can address both academic and a soccer desire. Your daughter's academic transcript may scream for a more challenging environment, but you need to have these options available to you.

Next, you need to establish a listing of ten target schools (stretch schools, fit schools, and sure schools) that meet your child's academic needs. You can do the same for soccer target schools - and in your case, cross these two lists against what you can afford to pay. Right now, asking for an "out-of-state" experience without an ability to showcase is a real stretch and one that is likely not to be fulfilled.

Armed with the information suggested, you will then know the total financial aid package needed from any school based on financial-need, academic scholarships, and/or athletic scholarships to allow your child to attend with your existing budget. Remember that athletic scholarships only last as long as your child is playing so the day that your child no longer wants to play soccer is the day that you need to face that component of your financial risk.

Next is the topic of videos : many coach's offices are filled with video tapes, DVDs, and other dust gathering tools - many of the artifacts are years old. We often tell the story of one Ivy League recruiter who had videos in his office that were more than five years old and did not realize it.

Often times, these filtered (highlights only) media presentations just are never viewed. College coaches want to see players in live game situations to make an evaluation, particularly in soccer. A highlight video might work well for football where showcasing is not part of the recruitment process, but it does not work for soccer.

So, instead of physical media, BOTN Industries strongly recommend that parents avail themselves with You-Tube videos (or similar) where a link can be sent to a target coach in an e-mail. This lowers the barrier to your child being seen in a virtual sense - no need to hook up the DVD player or other media player - you simply play the video via You Tube on the coach's screen. Do not add background music or commentary - let the game clips unfold in front of the coach. Keep the playing time between 60 seconds and 120 seconds since that should be enough to get your message across to the coach. Coaches will often look for player actions away from the ball. Therefore, this video cannot be one that is watching the ball on the field, but rather focused on the player and their reaction to and participation in field activities.

Note that this is NOT an ideal solution, but in your case, this might be the only viable alternative for out-of-state consideration.

If we can provide more information, please feel free to come forward with additional questions. Thank you for your openness and contribution to our discussion.

The youtube video is a wonderful idea thanks so much - and I am so glad you did not say she is doomed for not being able to showcase where she wants to attend so many have told us if she doesnt college showcase she doesnt stand a chance!!!