Playing soccer for college is the first step to playing the game professionally. For many a soccer player, it is a dream come true. Getting selected to be a part of the college soccer team shows the students’ dedication, discipline, and, more importantly, their passion for the sport.
Main Criteria To Become A College Soccer Player
Major Criteria For Selecting Soccer Players For College Teams
Students often start preparing for this way before entering college, i.e., in high school. Playing in high school and maintaining a respectable academic record teaches students time management and prioritization skills, both of which are essential aspects that sports recruiters look for.
Soccer recruiters often have specific criteria or requirements for college varsity soccer players. Apart from being a good player, there are many things that students can do to elevate their profiles and stand out to recruiters, such as using resources like essayservice.com. In the next segment of the article, we discuss the criteria the recruiters often look for in detail.
Step 1: Becoming eligible for college athletics
The process of getting selected for college athletics includes both academic and sports excellence. Only the most dedicated students can maintain consistency and excellence in both. Students often have many things on their plate, including classwork, writing assignments, and extracurricular activities.
There are homework help websites for college students that can, to some extent, relieve the burden on students so that they could have time to train for sports. There are a few more things that student-athletes must focus on:
- They must speak to their academic counselors in high school about their goals.
- Find out NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) core requirements in both soccer and academics.
- Enroll in the necessary core subjects as required in both Division 1 and Division 2 schools.
- Take aptitude exams like SAT and ACT.
- Register with the NCAA eligibility center for soccer and adjust your high school curriculum as they advise.
Step 2: Shortlisting and contacting colleges
The second step to becoming a college soccer player is identifying the colleges you want to play for. This choice can be made based on the balance offered between academics and athletic prowess. Some other criteria to keep in mind are:
- The school’s geographic location and its ease of accessibility from the particular student’s permanent place of residence.
- The cost of enrolling in that school and the different available financial aids and scholarships.
Once the choice of colleges is finalized, it bodes well for students to attend any soccer camps held in that college, shadow current varsity players on the college team, and speak to the soccer coaches regarding any advice they can give on how to make it into the team.
Step 3: Branding yourself as a college athlete
As a next step, students should start collating their soccer statistics in the form of a resume or video introduction. They can also approach athletic recruiting services to help them get in touch with the right people who are already playing soccer in college. Marketing themselves will also help them get noticed more easily and develop essential skills for the future.
Playing soccer in college is a good starting point for students who want to play soccer professionally. Being on a sports team teaches more than just teamwork, but also organization and management skills.
Many national and international soccer players begin their career by playing the sport, and after retirement work on the sport business ideas to help rising talent get better opportunities. For this, soccer players begin training in high school and college, play professionally, and then retire after their prime time is past.
Few Final Words
Being a soccer player in college is a thrilling and life-changing experience that can shape a student’s future. The passion for the game, both on and off the field, pushes students to train every day, but also dedicate time to their academics. While playing competitive soccer in college is not easy, proper planning and dedication can set students up for success.
About the Author – Carl Hill
Carl Hill is a freelance writer, sports journalist, and varsity soccer player. He was a soccer player since his high school days and went on to study journalism and writing at university on a sports scholarship. Also, he started his career as a newsroom reporter.
He writes for different sports columns on a weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly basis. Carl Hill has traveled the world as a freelance writer and sports journalist to cover student and professional tournaments. He likes to write for universities and help students on their own sports journeys.