Good Read (Feb 19th)

Any thoughts?

"This is meant to share our family experience and be helpful. If it is not helpful, please move on to the next subject. It is not about whether the ECNL is better or worse than some other option. We enjoyed the ECNL, but others may not.

What we have found with sports clubs is they like to take a lot of credit for college signings, credit that is both somewhat deserved and somewhat undeserved. The lack of transparency of the process builds dreams in the younger ages and that bothers me. The reality is often much different. This is not an attack on the clubs, as they are businesses selling a product that in many cases is good to very good. Sharing information about recruiting doesn’t further that cause, so they show you what looks good. Our family has been through the process, and hopefully this will help one or two of you. Maybe this will answer some questions.

1. Clubs have college relationships, but relationships only open doors. Your child, with the help of mom and dad, must take the initiative to get a “spot” on a college roster. The family must attend camps, invite college coaches to attend your games or tournaments and establish a direct dialog with the college. A club can facilitate some of this, especially in the no-contact periods, but ultimately the college and the family are making the decision. There is no magic DOC handing out college scholarships. Anyone who says there is, should be dismissed.

2. That is a spot not a scholarship. Clubs generically say scholarships or “college signings”. A scholarship is when a university gives you money to help pay for tuition, and as an aside, that money is taxable at the parents tax rate. A “college signing” means that a child committed to a college by signing a letter of commitment. It does not mean that a scholarship was received by the family. We find many people believe that all signings are scholarships. We found that many involve no athletic money at all.

3. Academics play a huge roll. There is a substantial sum of academic scholarship money available. Athletes with scores at or above the target college scores often find more money available from the athletic pot. Athletic departments usually have a strong voice in how the academic money is allocated. Public colleges from states outside of Texas often desire applicants with scores that can raise the university's average admission scores (GPA, SAT, ACT). You will find many will extend the in state tuition rate to an out of state student for strong academics and in some cases full tuition grants.

4. Speaking of in-state rates, scholarships are nice to hear about, but are not always what they appear. If you ask 100 people, from a financial prospective, which is better. A) 50% scholarship to Auburn or B) a spot on Texas A&M with no scholarship. Most of those people would answer the 50% scholarship. The reality is a 50% scholarship to Auburn will run $2,500 more per year for a Texas resident and that is before the tax hit which will run another $3000-$5000. At private colleges, the difference can be $100,000 even with a scholarship. In-state public schools are a tremendous value. The tuition charged will beat most any scholarship offer from a private school. If cost is a primary factor in the college decision, in-state public schools are nearly always the best option.

5. Full scholarships are more rare than advertised. Full scholarships exist in generally two areas A) the player is a top 150 prospect or B) the player's talent exceeds 75% of the talent currently at the reference school. If you break college programs into tiers (Top 10%, Top quartile, Top Half etc), if you are a top 25% player, you will find full scholarship offers for top half schools but you won't find one from a top 10% school unless you are a top 10% player. Colleges are all looking to get better, so if you accomplish that goal for the school, you will get more money. If you are on the lower end of a top 50% talent, you can get on a top 25% roster, but you won't get much of any money because there are a long list of players with your talent that will take the spot for no money.

6. Colleges have become very sophisticated. They do all sorts of digging on the player and the family. The colleges know which families "need" the money and which ones don't. Your offer can be swayed by that information. Also, if you are a problem parent, it will affect your offers and money. Colleges check everything available to them and we were amazed how much they knew. A full scholarship is $150,000-$200,000 investment, they are doing the work.

7. Families need to look at all the factors. I attached this information to the note above because it was a great example of decision making. Many players use athletic skills to get into life changing schools, like Princeton. The decision above highlights another consideration though. Does your child want a spot on a team or do they want a real chance to play. Stanford is a great academic institution, but it has brutal competition to beat out for playtime. If you can get a spot on Stanford, chances are you will vie for a starting position at Princeton. You have to know what fits best for the player.

8. Picking the right coaching staff is the key. Your child will be playing for that coach theoretically for 4 years. If you don't really like the coach, you are doomed. Meet everyone on the coaching staff. Talk to current players to find out what they think. Try to ascertain if the coach is a long termer or a coach looking for the next best gig. Does the coach play a deep roster or favor the starters. This information should match up well with your player's needs."

That is a good read.  Several things that we gloss over as parents:

1.  "Academics play a huge role"

2. "If you are a problem parent, it will affect your offers and money."

Remember that your 11 year old DD has a long way to go.  Soccer is a big part of her life but school is bigger and will always be more important.  And being a jerk on the sideline and yelling that this is about college scholarships could not be further from the truth and will ensure that your daughter never gets one.

Thanks for posting SOAP!

We got immersed into the college recruiting process starting last fall with our oldest DD. It's in a different sport, and we are still somewhat early in the process, but we've had some exposure to all of the points above except for #6. Everything we've seen and heard so far falls right in line with what is written above.

This was written by a STX parent on their forum a few weeks ago. Our boards are tame compared to the skirmishes I've read on other sites, but i do notice there is VERY little content on our forum from parents going through or who have recently completed the recruiting process. Some forums have an entire section set aside for recruiting discussion and have surpsingly good information (backofthenet is one good example).  

Would love to see NTX be able to do something similar.

4-3-3,

This is a great bit of information, but I would like to ask you a few questions that you hopefully can answer and possibly know of an experience or path that can be taken to achieve the same results.

Let's say that your child doesn't come from an affluent family and is not able to afford ECNL?

What if ECNL gives them a scholarship to play, but wouldn't showcase tournaments and travel that the family can't afford, be a huge factor in even giving a scholarship in the first place?

Even if contact with college coaches is initiated, wouldn't the player have very little chance to be seen because of this?

If, by chance the player gets a scholarship to a PPL team, would that even show a college coach, assuming one would attend, the full potential of that player?

In essence, what is the route of the poorer families?

Coach&Ref wrote:4-3-3,

This is a great bit of information, but I would like to ask you a few questions that you hopefully can answer and possibly know of an experience or path that can be taken to achieve the same results.

Let's say that your child doesn't come from an affluent family and is not able to afford ECNL?

What if ECNL gives them a scholarship to play, but wouldn't showcase tournaments and travel that the family can't afford, be a huge factor in even giviung a scholarship in the first place?

Even if contact with college coaches is initiated, wouldn't the player have very little chance to be seen because of this?

If, by chance the player gets a scholarship to a PPL team, would that even show a college coach, assuming one would attend, the full potential of that player?

In essence, what is the route of the poorer families?

I'm not an expert by any means, but since you asked...I think the most efficient, cheapest route for a working class to lower middle class kid with D1 aspirations would be to get scholarshipped on an ecnl team for at least 1 season and either work out something to help with travel, or limit travel to local showcases. The showcasing options outside of ecnl are limited and expensive...and require the kid to get hooked in with a team good enough to be accepted into quality non ecnl events....take it for what it's worth...dd is just getting started on this path so I'm not speaking from a position of having been through it, but it is very clear the non ecnl showcase route is just as or more expensive than ecnl. Some claim the ID camps are another good way to connect, but most everything I've read says even if you get noticed at a camp, the schools still want to scout you in a competitive environment. Contacting coaches for her targeted schools, establishing a relationship, and getting them out to see her play seems to be the biggest success factor outside of grades & scores....but again...reporting what I've read, not what I know.

I would like to know.....

Out of the many kids that play soccer...how many kids do you know personally that got a full ride somewhere?

I bet you can count them on 1 hand or maybe 1 finger????

4-3-3 wrote:

Coach&Ref wrote:4-3-3,

This is a great bit of information, but I would like to ask you a few questions that you hopefully can answer and possibly know of an experience or path that can be taken to achieve the same results.

Let's say that your child doesn't come from an affluent family and is not able to afford ECNL?

What if ECNL gives them a scholarship to play, but wouldn't showcase tournaments and travel that the family can't afford, be a huge factor in even giviung a scholarship in the first place?

Even if contact with college coaches is initiated, wouldn't the player have very little chance to be seen because of this?

If, by chance the player gets a scholarship to a PPL team, would that even show a college coach, assuming one would attend, the full potential of that player?

In essence, what is the route of the poorer families?

I'm not an expert by any means, but since you asked...I think the most efficient, cheapest route for a working class to lower middle class kid with D1 aspirations would be to get scholarshipped on an ecnl team for at least 1 season and either work out something to help with travel, or limit travel to local showcases. The showcasing options outside of ecnl are limited and expensive...and require the kid to get hooked in with a team good enough to be accepted into quality non ecnl events....take it for what it's worth...dd is just getting started on this path so I'm not speaking from a position of having been through it, but it is very clear the non ecnl showcase route is just as or more expensive than ecnl. Some claim the ID camps are another good way to connect, but most everything I've read says even if you get noticed at a camp, the schools still want to scout you in a competitive environment. Contacting coaches for her targeted schools, establishing a relationship, and getting them out to see her play seems to be the biggest success factor outside of grades & scores....but again...reporting what I've read, not what I know.

Agree with everything 4-3-3 said.

One thing to add on top of that is GRADES, GRADES, GRADES... the ability to get academic money in addition to athletic money is HUGE. Of course, you still have to overcome the cost burdens of getting to the camps/showcases where the coaches will be looking.

The other option (although not a direct ticket to D1), would possibly be the JUCO route, although I admittedly don't know how common JUCO transfers into D1 programs are for girl's soccer. I believe that many JUCO's offer athletic scholarships (or can more readily offer academic scholarships to athletes), and the cost of the school is a fraction of even most 4-year Public Schools to begin with. Also, the JUCO's are more likely to be scouting the more affordable, local showcases. Pile up some stats at a JUCO who's soccer program has a good rep, knock your grades out of the park, and that may open some D1 doors a couple of years down the road.

A couple things that could help in the process for some of the parents. There are pretty clear indications very early on in the recruiting process that kids and parents should take note of. My dates are fuzzy and they could have changed over the past few years, but I will gladly share my experience with those that it could possibly help. The recruiting process is eye opening for both the player and parents and it really makes both honestly assess where the kid stands talent wise.

1) Know the date in which you can begin to receive written communication from college coaches. If your mailbox is full during that first week in which the coaches can make written contact you are probably in a good spot...if it is empty, this is the beginning of a long process for you.
2) Know the date in which college coaches can make their first phone contact with you. If your phone (or kids phone) starts ringing early in the morning and continues to ring all day...you are in a good spot. Make careful note as to which coaches called and in which order they called. It is very safe to assume that the ones that call first have your kid very high on your recruiting list. If you get a call from a coach at 8am on the dot...that coach wants your kid. If you get a call at 5pm, you are probably not at the top of their list, but are in their initial pool of players they have identified.
3) Official visit offers are very important and can give many clues. If you are offered a visit early in the process you will more than likely be receiving a decent scholarship offer, so make sure you keep good record of when in the process a visit is offered. The biggest clue about how bad a school wants you is by what other recruits are with you on a visit. If you are picked up from the airport and your visit is scheduled with the National Team player from Chicago and the leading scorer for the ECNL champion it is pretty safe to say that you are one of their top recruits. I would encourage your kids to get to know these other kids on their visits as they can learn a lot about where they stand just by talking to fellow recruits. Coaches strategically will pair recruits based on how bad they want them.

This sounds easy and the recruiting process is a lot easier than its made out to be IF you are a top notch player. If you do not receive those letters early on or don't get those phone calls on July 1 (I think that's the date), don't be discouraged. It only means that the process is going to take a little more work for you and your kid.

From the college coaches side, its really a pretty simple game. If they have 5 full scholarships available and need 8 players then the will more than likely identify 15-20 player to recruit. As kids commit or fall off the list they will just simply go down their list to fill the spots. If they can get the right players, they might issue 5 full rides and get by with the other 3 spots with walk ons or local kids that can receive financial aid in other ways. Or they might give 3 full rides and split up the other 2 amongst the other recruits. It is also important to note that many times on a visit, your kid will be offered a scholarship by the coach. Make sure they DO NOT commit in any way...a simple, "thanks, I look forward to speaking to my parents about this is a perfectly acceptable response."

If you are one of those players that have to seek out coaches, you can still get to a good school and receive money...but you need to know early on the following questions.

1) How many scholarships are available this year?
2) How many players do they need due to graduation?
3) What players graduated in what positions? If they lost their starting left back and you are a left back that would be beneficial to know.

In the end, it should be a fun process and it normally is for the highly touted players. If you are not in that category it will take more work but in the end it will be worth it. Do your research on teams, on players and on graduating players.

Hope this helps some of you going through the process.

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:Any thoughts?

"This is meant to share our family experience and be helpful. If it is not helpful, please move on to the next subject. It is not about whether the ECNL is better or worse than some other option. We enjoyed the ECNL, but others may not.

What we have found with sports clubs is they like to take a lot of credit for college signings, credit that is both somewhat deserved and somewhat undeserved. The lack of transparency of the process builds dreams in the younger ages and that bothers me. The reality is often much different. This is not an attack on the clubs, as they are businesses selling a product that in many cases is good to very good. Sharing information about recruiting doesn’t further that cause, so they show you what looks good. Our family has been through the process, and hopefully this will help one or two of you. Maybe this will answer some questions.

1. Clubs have college relationships, but relationships only open doors. Your child, with the help of mom and dad, must take the initiative to get a “spot” on a college roster. The family must attend camps, invite college coaches to attend your games or tournaments and establish a direct dialog with the college. A club can facilitate some of this, especially in the no-contact periods, but ultimately the college and the family are making the decision. There is no magic DOC handing out college scholarships. Anyone who says there is, should be dismissed.

2. That is a spot not a scholarship. Clubs generically say scholarships or “college signings”. A scholarship is when a university gives you money to help pay for tuition, and as an aside, that money is taxable at the parents tax rate. A “college signing” means that a child committed to a college by signing a letter of commitment. It does not mean that a scholarship was received by the family. We find many people believe that all signings are scholarships. We found that many involve no athletic money at all.

3. Academics play a huge roll. There is a substantial sum of academic scholarship money available. Athletes with scores at or above the target college scores often find more money available from the athletic pot. Athletic departments usually have a strong voice in how the academic money is allocated. Public colleges from states outside of Texas often desire applicants with scores that can raise the university's average admission scores (GPA, SAT, ACT). You will find many will extend the in state tuition rate to an out of state student for strong academics and in some cases full tuition grants.

4. Speaking of in-state rates, scholarships are nice to hear about, but are not always what they appear. If you ask 100 people, from a financial prospective, which is better. A) 50% scholarship to Auburn or B) a spot on Texas A&M with no scholarship. Most of those people would answer the 50% scholarship. The reality is a 50% scholarship to Auburn will run $2,500 more per year for a Texas resident and that is before the tax hit which will run another $3000-$5000. At private colleges, the difference can be $100,000 even with a scholarship. In-state public schools are a tremendous value. The tuition charged will beat most any scholarship offer from a private school. If cost is a primary factor in the college decision, in-state public schools are nearly always the best option.

5. Full scholarships are more rare than advertised. Full scholarships exist in generally two areas A) the player is a top 150 prospect or B) the player's talent exceeds 75% of the talent currently at the reference school. If you break college programs into tiers (Top 10%, Top quartile, Top Half etc), if you are a top 25% player, you will find full scholarship offers for top half schools but you won't find one from a top 10% school unless you are a top 10% player. Colleges are all looking to get better, so if you accomplish that goal for the school, you will get more money. If you are on the lower end of a top 50% talent, you can get on a top 25% roster, but you won't get much of any money because there are a long list of players with your talent that will take the spot for no money.

6. Colleges have become very sophisticated. They do all sorts of digging on the player and the family. The colleges know which families "need" the money and which ones don't. Your offer can be swayed by that information. Also, if you are a problem parent, it will affect your offers and money. Colleges check everything available to them and we were amazed how much they knew. A full scholarship is $150,000-$200,000 investment, they are doing the work.

7. Families need to look at all the factors. I attached this information to the note above because it was a great example of decision making. Many players use athletic skills to get into life changing schools, like Princeton. The decision above highlights another consideration though. Does your child want a spot on a team or do they want a real chance to play. Stanford is a great academic institution, but it has brutal competition to beat out for playtime. If you can get a spot on Stanford, chances are you will vie for a starting position at Princeton. You have to know what fits best for the player.

8. Picking the right coaching staff is the key. Your child will be playing for that coach theoretically for 4 years. If you don't really like the coach, you are doomed. Meet everyone on the coaching staff. Talk to current players to find out what they think. Try to ascertain if the coach is a long termer or a coach looking for the next best gig. Does the coach play a deep roster or favor the starters. This information should match up well with your player's needs."

Some good info here, but a few adjustments to #2. Part of scholarship money is taxable, not all. Normally it is the part covering room and board. Scholarships to cover tuition, books, etc are tax-free.

Also, if a kid signs a NLI, it means there was athletic scholarship money involved. That is the purpose of the agreement. Of course, the remuneration could range from book money only to full-ride. In cases where the NLI does not apply (recruited walk-ons, D3, academic money only, etc.) the kids will often "sign" a general agreement for marketing purposes.