THE COMMONWEALTH SOCCER CLUB

Curriculum:

• Myths of College Soccer• For the Parents• Responsibilities of the Player• Academics• Preparing your Soccer Resume• Researching Schools

• The Recruiting Game• Timeline of Activities by HS Year• Important Resources: Web• Important Resources: Financial

Myths of College Soccer

Most club players are positioned for college soccer.

False. Most club players are well positioned for High School soccer. Only 2% of high school starters go on to play on a collegiate varsity sports team with less than 1% receiving any scholarship to do so.

Myths of College Soccer

Most college players are “found” by college coaches.

While true that around 5% of all college players are sought out by college coaches, the other 95% are found because kids proactively reach out to them.

Myths of College Soccer

I’ll start looking at this right before my senior year.

You’re pretty late. Probably too late. While it is possible to attain the goal with such a late start, most kids doing it right start the process when they are freshmen.

Myths of College Soccer

College showcases will do the work for me?

Without proactively reaching out to the coaches before hand…highly unlikely. Kids that do it right are making contact with the college coaches in attendance at these events asking them to come and watch. The chance they will randomly spot you without prior communication is an uphill battle.

Myths of College Soccer

Soccer scholarships cover all expenses.

95% of the time…not even close. Most all college scholarships for athletics…like academics…are partial.

Myths of College Soccer

My club/coach will do it for me.

Clubs give you training, experience and the rest of tools for success. What you make with those tools is up to you. Clubs and coaches can help by telling of their experience, make phone calls on your behalf, provide recommendations, etc. Again, it is the personal initiative to reach out and ask for the audience that attracts the coaches.

College soccer dreams? Who is responsible to get you there?

While High School, Clubs and Club coaches can certainly help, the responsibility for your recruitment is ultimately up to…

YOU!But we are here to help you learn the recruiting game and play to win!

Parent Tips• Your player is responsible for their dreams and the

plan to achieve it. Help them, but if you do it all for them there is often a higher failure rate once they get to college that’s if the coaches don’t see through that to begin with.

• D1 or bust? Ridiculous. Not every girl is playing for North Carolina and not every boy for Maryland. There are 1,100 D1,2 &3 schools and another 500+ at the Junior College and NAIA levels. Find the fit to your skill level, academic, social and other pursuits and really want to attend that school.

Parent Tips• Be realistic. If you have the leading scorer in the top

team in your age group of the club, you have Alex Morgan or David Beckham, right? If you have a kid that gets straight A’s are they Albert Einstein?

• Be proactive and educated. This process done correctly starts freshman year and involves terms like “official visit, clearinghouse, dead period” and so on. You must seek to know the rules, understand the process and work it like a machine.

• Beware of “recruiting firms”. While there are reputable groups out there, this is a dangerous business that can require big money up front with of course no guaranteed results.

Players are responsible for:• GRADES: The path is shortest for the best students.• POSITIONING YOURSELF AS A PLAYER: Build a soccer

resume, highlight videos, etc.• GRADES• RESEARCH/VISIT SCHOOLS: Find information about

potential schools of interest online, word of mouth, ask coaches, look at their camps, ask teachers and school administrators. Visit the school doing all the same.

• GRADES.• UNDERSTAND THE RECRUITING GAME: Educate

yourself on the process and get great at it.

AcademicsCore RequirementsIn order to be eligible, you must also complete (16) core courses in high school, as follows… • 4 Years of English • 3 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher) • 2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab) • 1 year of additional English, math or natural/physical

science • 2 years of social science • 4 years of additional courses (from any area above or

foreign language, non-doctrinal religion/philosophy, computer science)

Performance in the classroom is critical!

AcademicsCore Requirements

You must earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches your core-course grade-point average and test score sliding scale (for example, a 2.400 core-course grade-point average needs an 860 SAT).

NOTE: D2 eligibility is slightly different, requiring 3 yrs of English and 2 yrs of additional English, math or natural/physical science as opposed to 4 and 1 listed for D1, as well as 3 years of additional courses. **

The NCAA Clearinghouse Web site has a list of all high schools and approved core courses at those schools. If you are in doubt about a particular class, research your school and classes online or ask your counselor.

Junior College Requirements - You need to graduate from high school.

NAIA Requirements - meet 2 out of the following criteria. (1) Score 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SATs; (2) Have a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale; (3) Graduate in the top 1/2 of your high school class.

Preparing your soccer resumeGotsoccer.com• Large amounts of college recruiting can go through

gotsoccer. Here coaches can see your player profiles along with the gotsoccer tournaments you are attending. In addition you can look to see what colleges are planning on attending your showcases and tournaments.

• Update your profile and USE THIS TOOL. All CSC players are in the system.

Prepare your actual resume:Similar to the look of a regular resume, you will focus on your soccer goals, history and achievements. A sample is provided.

Videos, Letters, Email Scripts:Creating a highlight video can be a valuable way for coaches to see you as a player, but also to see your commitment, personality, creativity without having to made costly and time consuming arrangements to get to a tournament or showcase. This advisory program will also give you instruction on how to write coaches and get results.

Researching Schools

Most college coaches rely on student-athletes contacting them.

The most successful recruits are usually those who possessed a combination of athletic skill and academic talent and worked hard to research different colleges that might be a potential fit for their skills and desires. As we stated earlier, there are over 1,500 colleges at 4 levels, and it’s important to explore all your options.

The goal of the recruiting process is not simply to get recruited by colleges, but to

recruit your own schools. You are as much a part of the process as the coach is.

Researching SchoolsAt the end of the day, finding a match is answering YES to the following:

1 – Can I be accepted to this school based on my academic record? – If you cannot get accepted, your recruiting process is over. It doesn’t matter how good you are or how much the coach wants you. Most coaches won’t even talk about athletics until they have qualified you academically!

2 – Do I have the athletic skill to play for this school? If you don’t have the skills to play for a certain program, it doesn’t matter how badly you want to go there, plus no one wants to get cut or sit on the bench. It’s important to find programs that fit your level of athletic ability.

3 – Does the coach have the ability to evaluate my skill somehow? – If a coach cannot physically see you play through an actual game or through a video, they may have a difficult time feeling confident in your ability and might lean towards other recruits who they have seen perform.

4 – Is this coach truly interested in having me play for their program? – Some coaches encourage kids to “try out” or “walk on.” You need to know if a coach is interested in you as a person and as an athlete.

Researching SchoolsAt the end of the day, finding a match is answering YES to the following (cont’d):

5 – Can I afford to go to this school? – The national tuition average for private college is over $19,000 a year and some are approaching $40,000 per year. College is not cheap and despite your desires and the availability of financial aid, there will be some colleges you cannot afford to attend. This is a reality that needs to be accepted, and you need to apply your energy to other schools that are more affordable. It’s important to note that you should never dismiss any school because of cost until you have explored all your financial options with the coach and with the institution.

6 – Does this school offer academic programs I am interested in? – If you want to be an architect or an engineer, it’s important to find schools that offer those programs. If you have no idea what you want to do, it’s important to find schools that have a wide variety of programs that you can explore. You are going to school for an education & to enter the working world after college, so it’s important to find school that offer academic programs you are truly interested in. Don’t settle for less!

Researching SchoolsAt the end of the day, finding a match is answering YES to the following (cont’d):

7 – Will I be happy and successful at this school? – This is a difficult question to answer until you actually arrive at school. Schools may look great on paper or in person and then after a semester you might not like the players on the team or some other aspect of the school. When visiting and evaluating colleges, we try to encourage families to ask as many questions as possible from coaches, players, other parents, students, teachers, and anyone else you can find. Only then will you get a sense of the school before you actually enroll and arrive. The national graduation rate for students who enroll in 4-year institutions is 60% from the institution they first enrolled in, so at some point, 40% of all college students transfer or drop out of the school they enrolled in. Much of that can be traced back to their decision-making before they enrolled. Wanting to participate in college athletics makes finding a match that much more difficult.

The Recruiting Game: Rules and Eligibility - Basic Contact

The NCAA rulebook is thicker than the yellow pages. Following some basic rules will keep you out of trouble. However, you do need to understand some specifics of person-to-person contact.• Telephone Calls - In all sports other than football and

basketball, phone calls from faculty members and coaches can take place on or after the following dates.

• NCAA D1 – College coaches can place 1 call weekly starting July 1 after junior year.

• NCAA D2 – College coaches can place 1 call per week starting June 15th after completion of your junior year.

• NCAA D3 / NAIA – Unlike D1 and D2, there are no restrictions as to when a D3 or NAIA coach can call a prospect in high school. NOTE: In any grade, coaches may RECEIVE calls from

students who are paying for the call at ANY TIME. However, if a message is left, the coach cannot return the call until the proper time.

Rules and EligibilityOfficial VisitsDivision 1 - You are allowed 5 official visits to different schools of your choice (provided the school has invited you). In order to go on an official visit, you need to provide the college your current transcript on an official school document and your PSAT/SAT/ACT score. Official visits are paid for by the school and include round-trip transportation, lodging, food, and tickets to a game for you and in some instances for your parents. Official visits cannot exceed 48 hours.

Division 2 – The same rules apply for official visits for D2 schools. Regardless of the division classification of the schools you visit, you are allowed 5 total official visits at the NCAA D1 and D2 level. As long as you only use five official visits, they can be broken up as you chose between D1 and D2 schools. Division 3 & NAIA - You are allowed the same expense paid official visit to a D3 or NAIA school as to a D1 or D2 school. While you can only make 1 per school, you can visit as many schools as you would like, as the limit of 5 does not apply for D3 or NAIA schools. Many D3 and NAIA schools cannot offer paid official visits due to the expense of bringing a student athlete to their campus.

Rules and EligibilityAthletic EligibilityThe NCAA Clearinghouse processes ALL inquiries regarding an individual's initial eligibility status to play NCAA D1 and D2 athletics. If you have aspirations of playing college athletics you MUST register with the NCAA Clearinghouse by the end of your junior year. NO EXCEPTIONS!

The Quick Facts: • NCAA D1 and D2 have standardized minimum academic requirements for S-A's entering college. If you want to play, you have to register and qualify according to the requirements. No one is exempt! (Except D3 bound S-A's, they do not have to register with the Clearinghouse)

• Register at the end of your Junior Year by going to www.ncaaclearinghouse.net and/or working with your HS guidance counselor to get all the necessary documentation.

• If you attended more than one HS, you need official transcripts from each school, mailed directly to the Clearinghouse. Don’t mail them yourself.

• The Clearinghouse is in NO way part of the admissions process to a particular college.

• NCAA member institutions (schools recruiting you) will request your information from the clearinghouse, you will never send it to anyone yourself.

• You must submit a final transcript of your HS grades to the Clearinghouse when you graduate.

Rules and EligibilityAthletic Eligibility

How Is Eligibility Calculated?

The NCAA Clearinghouse uses a sliding scale that compares your GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Unfortunately, most schools have far higher standards than what the NCAA Clearinghouse sets, so it’s possible to be eligible according to the NCAA Clearinghouse, but not get accepted to many individual colleges. The NCAA Clearinghouse doesn’t make admission decisions - only schools make admission decisions.

Common Recruiting Terms• REDSHIRT – A term used to describe a student-athlete who does not compete in

athletic competition and is granted an extra year of eligibility. A red shirt may practice and travel with the team.

• NLI – The National Letter of Intent is a legally binding document that an athlete signs with a school. It signifies the award of athletic scholarship money for 1 year. It is used at all NCAA D1 & some NCAA D2 institutions. You can only sign one with an NCAA school. It is not used at the D3 or NAIA levels.

• PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETE – You become a prospective student-athlete S-A when you enter the 9th grade.

• FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student-Aid – is the form you fill out that determines your EFC. Colleges use this to calculate and award financial aid. File after Jan 1st of your senior year.

• EFC – Expected Family Contribution is the amount of money a college expects you to contribute to your education based on your FAFSA information. If a college costs $20,000 and your EFC is $10,000, your need is $10,000

• EARLY DECISION – Early Decision is a program that allows students to apply early to one school. In most cases, it is a binding decision. If accepted, a school expects you to attend. In other cases, it is not binding. Check the policy at each individual school. Early Decision is a signal to a school you really want to attend and will usually improve your chances of acceptance. You will lose your ability to compare financial aid packages at other colleges however.

• EARLY ACTION – Like Early Decision, Early Action is a program that allows students to apply early to a school. In this case, Early Action is not binding like early decision. More schools are switching to this program for admissions and getting away from binding early decision programs.

Common Recruiting Terms• ACADEMIC INDEX – The Academic Index is a term used by Ivy League schools

to determine eligibility. It is a combination of SAT 1, SAT 2 and Class Rank. An applicant’s individual score is compared to the average for all students

• NEED BLIND – Schools that are need blind do not use your financial situation when evaluating your application, even if your EFC is very low. This is a good thing for you.

• CORE COURSES – Core courses such as math, English, science, history, social studies - that the Initial Eligibility uses to determine your eligibility at the D1 and D2 level.

• CONTACT PERIOD – During this time, a college coach may have in-person contact with you and/or your parents on or off the college’s campus. The coach may also watch you play or visit your high school. You and your parents may visit a college campus and the coach may write and telephone you during this period.

• DEAD PERIOD – A college coach may not have any in-person contact with your or your parents at any time in the dead period. The coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.

• EVALUATION PERIOD – The college coach may watch you play or visit your high school, but cannot have any in-person conversations with you and your parents off the college’s campus. You and your parents can visit a college campus during this period. A coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.

• QUIET PERIOD – The college coach may not have any in-person contact with you or your parents off the college’s campus. The coach may not watch you play or visit your high school during this period. You and your parents may visit a college campus during this period.

TimelineFreshman Year• Get your grades up. They must be 2.0 or better in solid

college prep curriculum but you need to shoot significantly higher than that. Do some academic planning, making sure you take all of the right college prep courses and get prepared for the SATs. Take any Advanced Placement (AP) courses you can handle.

• Play year round • Aim at making high school varsity as a sophomore • Think about colleges you may have an interest in and begin

research• Talk to your coaches seriously about your evaluation as a

player• Develop an action plan to refine your strengths and attack

your weaknesses• Begin developing your soccer resume and player profiles• Consider attending a summer camp of a school you are

interested in

TimelineSophomore Year

• Keep your grades up. • Play year round • Create a personal recruiting video (5 minutes or less)• Create a narrowed list of 7-10 colleges from your research in

the last year• Contact these college coaches, send the video, profile,

resume, letters and invite them to your games. Showcases and tournaments. Be sure to regularly check gotsoccer for college coach attendance at events and profile status.

• Take SAT and ACT at the end of your sophomore year• Continue to work and develop as a player through open

conversation with your coaches• Attend a summer camp of a school you are interested in

TimelineJunior Year• Keep grades up. • Play year round• Update your profile and recruiting video• Narrow your list to 3-5 colleges and stay in close contact

with these coaches• Enroll in the NCAA Clearinghouse• Schedule official visits• Complete enrollment applications• Retake SAT/ACT to improve scores• Ask coaches to assist your efforts by contacting the 3-5

colleges on your list• Attending a summer camp of a school you are interested in

TimelineSenior Year

Beginning July 1 before your senior year, college coaches can begin contacting you directly

• Keep your grades up and finish strong.• Play year round• Update your player profile and your personal recruiting

video• Schedule Official Visits• Visit with college reps that come to your high school• Complete your FAFSA as soon as possible after Jan. 1st.• Enroll in the college of your choice• Send final transcript to NCAA Clearinghouse• Accept an offer!

Important ResourcesWebsiteshttp://studentaid.ed.gov – a government run site with college planning timelines, access to online version of FAFSA & borrowing tips.www.wiredscholar.com – what are colleges looking for in applicants? What scholarships do you qualify for? How to evaluate acceptance letters.www.scholarshipexperts.com – charges a small fee to match you to the scholarships for which you qualify.www.braintrack.com – contact info for more than 6,900 universities around the worldwww.essayedge.com – offers help for the essay required for your application to colleges.www.collegeboard.com – administers the SAT, visit for testing dates, fees, test-taking advice and prep.www.act.org – for ACT dates and locations, fees, and enrollment info

Important ResourcesWebsiteswww.aie.org – news about the college experience from national publications, financial aid timelines and answers to FAQs.www.allstudentloan.org – learn the difference between grants, loans and scholarships & calculate how much $ you’ll need for college.www.aesmentor.org – find links to online college applications, search for colleges and discover your learning type.www.loans4students.org – apply for student loans and get money management tips.www.educaid.com – learn how to save for college and what to do if your savings won’t cover tuition.www.efsi.net – provides a glossary of financial aid termswww.fastweb.com – will direct you to a list of scholarships for which you may be eligible.www.student-loanfunding.com – check out student loan funding Ask a Counselor feature.

Important ResourcesFinancial

“There is far more money in financial aid and grants than there is athletic scholarship money.” The Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) has established a number for more assistance. Their number is 1-800-433-3243. They also publish The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the US Department of Education, which can be obtained free of charge. The FAFSA Web site will also have detailed information on the process.

Free Money:Grants – are free money based on your FAFSA, your interests or your merits.Institutional Scholarships – check out what kind of grades and test scores you need to be automatically qualified for merit scholarships. You may be eligible for full rides at some schools.

Private Scholarships – are those that you may spend hours searching online. Apply for as many private scholarships as possible, including local and national awards.

Important ResourcesFinancial

Federal Loans:

Apply for federal money by filling out the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st of your senior year. Don’t borrow more than you need!

PLUS LoansPLUS loans are loans your parents take out to put toward your higher education. They may borrow up to the full amount of your education, incl tuition, books, travel, and fees.

Private LoansLike federal loans, private loans help you pay for school that you have to pay back. Apply through banks or loan company.

Important ResourcesFinancial: FAFSA

Where can I get the FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? You can get the FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov and apply online.

When does the form need to be submitted? A soon as you can “after” January 1 of your senior year. Colleges will need your financial aid information with your application!

What type of information will I need to provide with the FAFSA form? - Students Social Security Number - Student’s income tax returns, W-2, & 1099 Forms. - Parent’s income tax returns, W-2, & 1099 forms for previous year. - Bank statements and mortgage information. - Records of untaxed income. - Information regarding stocks, bonds, & mutual funds that your family holds. - Information on childcare costs, medical expenses, and other unusual family expenses.

In Summary• Get good grades.• Do the work on and off the pitch.• Own your own recruitment.• Setbacks happen, be determined.

Persist!• Be creative. Use templates but make

them your own.• Coaches are not just looking for

outstanding players...they are looking for outstanding people.

And always…CHARGE ON!