Female Soccer Scholarships

Time Frame

• The competition for the women's soccer scholarships available at each particular school are quite fierce. In the past, most women started applying for scholarships when they were in their late teens or last two years of high school. This is not the case in today's soccer. Scholarship offers and serious scouting begin as early as 7th and 8th grade on average with offers being made by schools around freshman year. If you show promise as a soccer player, start thinking about college as soon as you can.

Myths

• There are several myths about applying for a soccer scholarship. One of which is if you are talented, the coaches will find you by word of mouth or through scouting. This is an unrealistic view, considering how many soccer programs there are in North America. Another myth is that your high school coach is responsible for finding you a scholarship. Coaches lack the time and the resources to help every talented player search for a college. Nor is it true that college coaches visit high school games looking for talented players. Again, they lack the time and the resources--they have a team to coach. The most important myth to discount is that talent trumps grades. Talent is as important as grades to any coach or academic recruiter.

Marketing Yourself

• The best route to finding a soccer scholarship is through marketing yourself. Mostly this is achieved by sending both a letter and video footage to the schools in which you think you'd like to attend. Video footage must be edited, clearly mark you as the player (with arrows or other indicators) and be brief with the best plays you can find. This means putting a lot of work into video taping every game in order to capture the best moments of play. Once a coach has seen your potential, then they can consider visiting you in person to see your abilities for themselves. This also entails a great deal of mailing, packaging and tracking of which schools have been contacted and dealing with their response. Most recruiters estimate that an average of 200 letters should be mailed.

Competition

• Coaches are not looking for just raw and spectacular talent: they are looking for a good fit for their team. If you are particularly good as a forward, a coach who is in the market for a stronger goalie will not contact you if he has these positions already filled, so competition for your particular position will be fierce. Plus there is the additional consideration of overseas soccer players, as there aren't college sports in European universities. Many players choose to apply for scholarships in the United States and apply in droves for team positions which increases the competition for your potential slot.

Athletic Recruiting

• If all of the above seems daunting, hiring or listing yourself (often for free) with an athletic recruiter is a viable option. Many recruitment companies will make a composite play tape and have multiple contacts in the collegiate world. A recruiter who knows which soccer coaches need a freshman player in your position is quite valuable and should be investigated. Often, you can create a free profile, but video-graphic services, which most recruitment firms offer, can be quite costly.

Time Investment

• Working on gaining a scholarship that is right for you will come at a cost. Expect to spend a couple of hours a day several days a week on making it happen. Remember, deciding the right school with the right offer is important for the future. Educating yourself about each school, their program and the NCAA rules about playing for a college team should be taken seriously and approached with the same discipline that is applied to any sport.