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Step 1
Plan as soon as possible. Do not wait until the athletes' senior year to start looking for recruiting opportunities. Start as early as their first year in high school. Recruiting is about building relationships on both sides.
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Step 2
Choose a school and not a coach. Job security in the coaching profession is not stable at all, so while a coach may leave, the school will always be there.
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Step 3
Make a list of potential schools of interest. Make sure the schools match the talent level of the athlete. The list should also include positives and negatives for each. There should also be a secondary list of schools in case the first list does not work out.
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Step 4
Compile a video of the athlete playing the sport. To be recruited by a college team takes a marketing effort on the athletes' part. Production values are not that important to recruiters, so unless money is no object, do not pay for professionally made videos. The recruiter just wants a visual of the athlete playing soccer.
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Step 5
Attend as many soccer camps as possible. These camps are a great way to get exposure and judge the athlete's talent against other good competition at the camp. Recruiters do not have time to spend going to each individual soccer game so a camp provides an ideal opportunity to view a plethora of athletes in one place.
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Step 6
Make a personal connection with each school's coaching staff. Even if it is just a phone call, a recruiter will be more likely to open recruiting information sent to them if they recognize the name. So go to the school's web site and get the coach's direct number. Always call ahead of the information sent to a recruiter.
