My kid is going to be playing in a showcase with a U15 soccer team. He’s an 8th grader playing up a year.
I’ll be honest and say I don’t actually understand the whole thing. Are there actually coaches there looking at kids that young?
There are some coaches watching kids who are playing at a ninth-grade level, but (assuming it’s a winter showcase) their focus is on older kids. Definitely don’t put any stress on your son - especially if he’s playing up, if there happens to be a coach watching his game, they aren’t looking for him. (There are soccer parents out here who will have more nuance: I’m soccer-affiliated but not a player’s parent.)
What contact is and isn’t allowed at a Showcase?
For your son right now, essentially none. Team coaches/showcase admins/whatever can give lists of players to coaches, but off-campus, non-digital player-coach conversations aren’t allowed until after June 15 of your son’s sophomore year (for DI/DII schools) or after sophomore year (for DIII schools). The bottom of this page, starting with “All Other Division I,” gives a quick review of the dates. It will no doubt change before your time. 
Have fun!
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I am way past that point in the recruiting process, so I can’t define the specific rules for your son’s sport. I do remember after a HS race when a coach came up to my son (soph at the time) and two of his teammates (juniors at the time) and specifically told my son, oh–you are the sophomore, I can’t talk to you. But he didn’t kick him out of the conversation with the juniors. At that point, some indirect interest from a college coach was pretty cool.
The coaches know what the rules are, and each will have their own interpretation. Some have stricter interpretations of rules than others. Some might be ok talking with him in an informal way when others are not. Please urge your son to not hold it against a coach if their interpretation of the rules is stricter than anothers. It’s not terrible playing for a coach who follows the spirit of the rules.
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So, why are there U15 showcases then? If the purpose of the showcase is to showcase your skills for college coaches, and college coaches can’t watch the vast majority of 14 year olds play, then why are the 14 year olds (and my 13 year old) invited?
To be clear, I’m not saying I want my kid talking to coaches in 8th or 9th grade. I’m just befuddled by the whole premise.
I’m assuming this isn’t just a U15 event - that it’s U15-U19 or similar?
The younger age brackets are invited because the tournament wants the fees, the programs want to tell their parents that they’re giving their youngsters exposure (and more tournaments means more fees and more “serious” parents), and the parents feel like this is the way to get little Billy a scholarship to Princeton. The college coaches don’t care if there are other fields they need to walk by (and who knows, maybe they see the goal or save of the day). I’m not a cynic by nature, but that’s the story.
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College coaches can watch them, if they want to. And it is true most kids won’t get a look at that age. But your son could theoretically get on a coach’s radar.
Also, I believe d3 soccer coaches can talk to kids at any age, certainly in 9th grade.
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So, if he happens to make the most amazing save right as the coach of Famous U walks past, then what. The coach makes note of the name of the jersey? And then . . . ?
Yup. That’s it, and with a 13 year old, nothing more, really. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you are just walking up to the starting line.
When your son/family is ready, he will be reaching out to coaches, and some, like that theoretical coach, may already know of him. Is your son in 8th grade, or 9th? If 9th, he can start emailing coaches now. That’s the purpose of showcases – to get coaches to see you play. So although most coaches aren’t very interested in 9th graders, why waste the opportunity?
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He’s in 8th. I do think the coach had the 9th graders email coaches.
Can a coach come see a 9th grader? What do they do, walk over, watch, and then leave without talking?
My kid is going because he really wants to go, and he convinced a sports obsessed relative to take him as an early Christmas gift. But I am very skeptical of the whole thing.
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If I understand correctly, D3 coaches can talk to kids at any age digitally or on campus, but any off-campus contact (including showcases) is limited to after sophomore year. Doesn’t mean there can’t be quick hello’s or “we shouldn’t be doing this” conversations, but it’s not a thing to plan for.
Yes. Remember that the kids are playing, and the parents are expected to be invisible - coaches are observing players in 10th and 11th grade and aren’t talking to them during the game. They’re just taking notes (and chatting with each other) for future followups. They might run into them post-game or something, but it’s not definite.
A healthy dose of skepticism about the whole thing will probably do you well if the circus begins for you and your son - but showcases are real, and players are genuinely scouted by coaches at these things. Getting all the top players in one place is a real advantage - some showcases are more valuable than others (and a list of schools/coaches attending will give you a hint). Just not so much for your 8th grader yet. If he goes and has fun, Merry Christmas, One and All.
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It will be easy to be invisible since I’ll be a plane ride away!
Yep, ever heard the term pay to play? Youth sports is a money making machine. There’s really only a few kids on those fields that are being “showcased.” All the rest are feeding the beast.
With respect to D3, the recruiting contact rules apply to a defined term, “prospective student athlete.” That term is defined in the D3 Manual as follows: “A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospective student-athlete if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally.” Rule 13.02.7. Here is the link to the manual. https://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D323.pdf
As your child is not yet in 9th grade, the D3 recruiting rules, generally, do not apply unless financial assistance has been provided by the institution. Thus, you could talk to the coach.
The rules are different for D1 and D2. I think following the lead of the coach is a good thing to do.
Money for the host school/club is why there are U15 showcases.
Yes, coaches make a list of players they want to see based on previous contact from the player or national rankings. Coaches will walk from field to field, typically watching a half or less of a game, take brochures from the teams, make notes and leave a card worth the team manager and then move on to the next. If particularly motivate, interested or already have a relationship with a coach they may talk to a coach and express interest. Players follow up with emails after the event to coaches that watched them play and send highlights to those who didn’t.
You keep doing that for months and months and sometimes years until a verbal commitment is made in junior or senior year
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