<p>My Junior is playing Varsity soccer. Now, while I may think he is an awesome goalie, even I know he will never play Division I soccer. However, today he brought home a letter that the coach gave him, indicating he had been identified as "a potential college prospect". And they would like to talk to us because he "appears to be someone that college coaches might want to consider".</p>
<p>When I went to their web site (recruitzone.com), they wanted $495 for the basic package, and the prices went up from there.</p>
<p>I am assuming that this is something sent to all juniors on varsity. That this is just a company that "hopes" to find you a school. In other words, this isn't really legit, is it.</p>
<p>Don't do it. There are sites where you can list stats for free do those, but don't pay anyone to do what you can do for him. Make tapes. Send tapes. Followup with letters and calls. If they want him, they'll be there. My D is bball player and we got the same crap. She is a D3, bottom of D2 player. D1 coaches will find you.</p>
<p>ok Mom look at all the qualifying words: potential, prospect, appears, might, consider.....read the text....a real scout will probably go through your sons coach or at least write a more personal introductory letter.</p>
<p>While I agree that paying for recruiting services is unnecessary, I completely disagree that "colleges will find you." Sure, if you are one of the top players in the nation, coaches will know about you. Everyone else needs to get their information out to the coaches, not wait for coaches to find you. No need to pay for help, but get your athletic resume, unofficial transcript, game/skills tape and upcoming competition schedule out to the coaches at the colleges where you might want to play to help them "find you."</p>
<p>1down2togo,
I agree 100%. A lot of it also depends on where you live and where the schools are that you are interested in. If you are many miles/states away they probably won't know about you, even if you are one of the best in your state or region.</p>
<p>I have encountered many recruiting companies out there and most are simply not worth the money. </p>
<p>The essential problem with recruiting companies is that coaches know that the job of these companies is to give the student a favorable review (not always an objective review) and so they typically trash reports from recruiting companies. Further, these companies often don't do much more than you could do yourself. To that end, I have to disagree with the comment above that if you are good enough, they will find you. On the contrary, if you are among the absolute elite, they may find you, but for most, you need to get yourself known, you need to get on the radar of the schools as most have limited budgets, recruiting etc. in most every sport except Division 1 football and basketball.</p>
<p>If I may presume to do so, I'd suggest that you find a website specific to the sport in question. they are out there and have contact info, NCAA guidelines etc. You may want to write, email etc. to coaches at schools of interest. Attend any camps they may be holding or that they (coaches) will attend. Basically, you're marketing yourself. By way of example, Stanford holds a baseball camp each summer that is attended by about 40 or more schools. It gives an opportunity to see and be seen by dozens of coaches. Also, hopefully your child's HS coach may have some contacts. Bottomline, between your own letter writing and attending a few worthwhile camps/showcases, you can get your name out there. This is what a recruiting service will typically do for you and not much more and, again, a coach is more likely to look at something from the student directly and will view anything from a recruiting company with extreme caution, if at all. </p>
<p>With all this said, I would say to use a recruiting service only if you live in a very remote part of the country and/or have no time/opportunity to take steps on your own.</p>
<p>Well, I did pay that money, however ever since that I did start to receive bundles of letters saying “thank you for your basketball profile” meaning that program is doing what i paid for it to do which is to send out my profile to the schools that I have a chance of playing on their basketball team.</p>
<p>And yes it is true that if you are good enough colleges will find you but getting your name out there to another whole state? would not happen if you didn’t have some kind of profile.</p>
<p>One more thing they never promised that they would find a college who truly wants you. it just helps to be know instead of in just your area.</p>
<p>You should go to exposure events make your own tapes, send them to coaches, and call those who you are really interested in. Paid recruiting services are no help.</p>
<p>I dont agree that “colleges will find you.” However, I also agree that a little hustle on your own and going to various showcase, elite team competitions is the way to be “seen.” It certainly depends on where in the country you currently attend school and where you want to play. In Minnesota, hockey will find you. And I am talking Harvard Yale and Dartmouth. Football & Lacrosse, not so much.</p>
<p>As others have said if you are not a top player you need to make your own exposure. I know my son has gone to football camps at colleges where there are coaches from D1 schools watching and pulling various boys out for individual testing. Perhaps there are some soccer camps like that in your area. If not, many are overnight camps anyway so you really don’t have to be in driving distance just be able to get him there and pick him up at end of week.</p>
<p>There are summer camps and showcases for soccer all over the country. Some of the larger D1 summer camps also bring in coaches from smaller D2 and D3 schools. This information will be in their brochures …and you can probably find out from the head coach of the sponsoring school what other coaches will be there. The cost of some of these camps is the same, or less, than what you would pay a recruiting service…and much more valuable.</p>
<p>I generally search on a school’s website for “summer soccer camp”, and can easily get more detailed info. about the offerings at that school</p>
<p>Peggy - I am going to answer your post with a different story - really different. I took the bait and went with recruitzone and thought I had made a huge mistake. My son was recruited by all the colleges he was looking at, went to all their camps, played AAU Ball, played in the Empire State games and was narrowing down his colleges. His college list was set. He then got a call from a coach who saw his recruitzone form from a college we had never thought about. Long story short, he ended up at Swarthmore and couldn’t be happier. Looking back, it was the best $300 I ever spent. I just wanted to show you the other side of this.</p>
<p>You can do what these recruitment services purport to do for much less money than they will charge you.</p>
<p>Make films of your sons games.
Make highlight film from films-you can get someone to do this for about $50.<br>
Contact coaches on your own. Email them and send them a link of your son’s tape.</p>
<p>Coaches will NOT find you. You have to put yourself out there. Division 2/3 are still very competitive but if your son has a dream of playing college sports he can do it. And you do not have to pay anyone $500.</p>
<p>In my DDs experience, the best form of advertising your talents is to earn a selection to an all state or all american team is even better. I do believe that if your good enough, they will find you. Of course, it never hurts to go to a schools website that you are interested in and send films to the coach or fill out a recruitement form. </p>
<p>My DD never paid for anything and ended up with a great scholarship.</p>