What is wanted by the coaches. I went through this with older brother for another sport, and I know what coaches want for video varies from sport to sport.
If it matters D21 and coach both say she is a winger, although she pretty much plays everything but keeper and center defense. She is on a team that sends a lot of players to college programs and has kind of been a utility player, bouncing to wherever they were weak that season (or even game to game).
She just decided in the last couple of weeks that she is interested in continuing into college. Probably high academic D3 is her target. Doesn’t necessarily care about starting, being a contributing member of team is ok with her I think. Her top priority is academics not sport.
Possibly search for posts from Keeperdad from several years ago, he had a series of comprehensive posts on women’s soccer recruiting, though his daughter was (obviously . . .) a GK. Also, consider searching online for video of players you know who have gone through recruiting as their film often shows up on recruiting websites and youtube and should give you some ideas about expectations.
Not sure if Men’s recruiting overlaps with Women’s in terms of video – if it does, then 5-10 min of game film highlighting various skills – ball control, speed on and off the ball, passing/field vision, tackling, shooting. If similar to Men’s, then skip the music and busy graphics. Some coaches asked for film from a single game rather than a “highlight” reel.
My D’s sport was basketball, but we were advised to have her wear something that would help her stand out: a colorful headband, socks, etc. We were also asked for both full game film and a highlight film.
There are two types of videos to support the recruiting process: 1) skills tapes and 2) game highlight tapes. The best type of tape for any given type of recruiting depends on the sport. For example, in baseball/softball, you are much better off with a skills tape. A game tape will only show a single play, and chances are the recruit is not going to include an error in his or her recruiting tape. A coach would much prefer ten similar practice plays or batting practice to show consistency and depth.
For soccer goalkeeping, skills tapes may be of more assistance for the same reason. A coach is looking for reflexes, coverage, punting etc. A single punt will not show the average punt. Chances are, the tape will only show saves. For the field player, however, it may be preferable to assemble game footage. That also may show the level of competition the recruit is playing against.
First, watch you tube to see what the winger recruiting tapes are showing. This will be instructive not only because it will tell you what skills others are showing to the coaches, but also because you are going to see some professional quality tapes and some that are absolutely awful. Then you will know how the coaches feel when they see something bad. If you want to turn it off after the first minute, imagine how they feel.
Then, invest in a cheap HD video camera and tripod. You can find them for a relatively low cost, but a tripod is essential. Film entire seasons. The more the better. You can assemble the highlights for a given season (e.g., sophomore high school, junior club, junior indoor) and put them on separate tapes. The reason for this is that coaches may be able to see progress and improvement, which may be helpful to the recruit. Despite having a lot of video to work with, do not make any given tape any longer than 5 minutes max. Start sending them on to D3 coaches as early as sophomore year. Repeat each time you have a decent 5 minute tape.
When your D sends the first tape onto the first coach, be sure to have her ask the coach what she thinks and what she should include in future tapes.