Soccer scholarship

[Big Daddy]

With the news about Lapira accepting his scholarship to Notre Dame, and all of the local football players commiting to their colleges in the news last week, I have started thinking on this. With as many players (past , present, & future), coaches, and parents who frequent this board, I imagine that the replies will be very interesting. The question is:

What does it take for a Louisiana High School soccer player to get offered a scholarship to play soccer in college?

[Twerk19]

you have to be really good.....I don't know if it's true, but someone told me that

[Bish]

What does it take? You pretty much have to recruit yourself. Make highlight videos of yourself, and send them to coaches. It's extremely difficult to get a soccer scholarship to a decent soccer college. I'd say what, probably less than 5 players from the whole state of Louisiana get scholarships to colleges with good soccer programs each year. Probably not even that many.

[usasoccerboy]

The best way is to play ODP and Y league because those competitions have the most interest from college and pro coaches. Plus you get better coaching on those teams.

[DREDG03]

how can a player get on ODP or Y-league? Requirements?

[1SuckyPlayer]

i read this in newspaper...

Will Wilson has not committed to anything... He is not sure if he will attend college or go to Europe and play professional... Again, this is just what i read in a paper

[usasoccerboy]

If he has a chance to play in any pro environment, he should go. Any good player should bypass college and go pro if they want to be a professional player. If he gets to go to europe, even better.

[soccer1288]

What is the link to the article about Wilson...i would like to read more about this

[defencerules]

as a foriegner, if he's not 18, he wont play in england, unless its on one of the clubs' youth programs..FA rules. same thing that was told to Mr. Adu.

even if he's over 18, FA has to approve the signing, and are leery of approving foreigners unless they are proven internationals.

[1SuckyPlayer]

i went search for it, it was in the thibideaux paper but i cant seem to find it... I will email them and see if they still have it anywhere

[1SuckyPlayer]

Wilson said when it comes to his plans after high school, he would either pick from a wide range of college suitors or take his game to Europe to play professionally.

Wilson made it clear that he has not made a decision.

“I am still undecided,” he said. “I haven't picked what I want to do after high school.”

Wilson's dad said that it would be hard for his son to achieve his goal of playing in Europe if he plays the next four years in the states.

“College is the worst environment,” Bill Wilson said. “Nobody who plays college goes on to play professional because you lose four years of your prime years to become a professional player. Plus you are only playing two or three months of the year, so you are not too serious about it.”

Bill Wilson added that he would support his son if he decided to turn pro because he says this a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“His chances may not be the greatest, but I encourage him because if he doesn't do it he will never know,” he said.

[ash]

Here's what it takes to get a college scholarship: First of all, you must have good grades and good test scores because 1/4 to 3/4 of your scholarship will be academic. Secondly, you must have contacts. This is best done by playing under coaches who know people esp. college coaches - usually at select or ODP level. Very few high school coaches have these contacts unless they are also premier coaches or former college players. Third, you must devote a LOT of time seeking opportunities - send letters in your junior year, investigate what type of college fits you, find out what type of program these schools have, and DON'T try for the sky - these programs can recruit from Europe, national teams, etc. - just look for a good middle of the road program - those are your best bet. Be prepared to persevere - A LOT! Don't wait too late to start - start looking by your sophomore year in high school. Attend a good college camp if you can. Get information from your high school on NCAA recruiting. And by all means, be respectful and professional in all your encounters. Good luck!

[Bish]

Seems like this kid has a huge ego. Unless actual coaches from professional teams in Europe are interested in him. If not, I'll laugh when he doesn't go to europe or get a scholarship to any soccer college.

[flat3]

A good thread, Saintsfan. I had the same question and discussed the issue with the area scout for college programs. He told me very interesting things. I don't know if they are all true or not, but this is what I heard from him.
*A lot of kids can play for Division II or III schools (many of them are good liberal art colleges) on grants, rather than scholarships. Those grants are often better with a four-year guarantee, since many soccer scholarships are on yearly basis.
*The key is kids' willingness. Many kids have enough talents, but they don't have persistence. Few kids want to give up all other things.
I found it surprising, since I thought it's very difficult to get anything by playing soccer for colleges.

[shsguy]

does anyone think Laperia could play in england.....if he was old enough?

[Bish]

I think he'd have to get bigger to go pro. Maybe not so much get taller, but get bigger...more muscular. That'll probably happen in college.

[Big Daddy]

Ok, thanks for all the replys. I posted this as a sanity check for my son. As an 8th grader, when asked what he he wanted to do when he graduated from HS, all he could come up with was that he wanted to play soccer for the University of Michigan (we lived in Michigan for 5 years and visited Ann Arbor this past summer).

I have done a bit of research on the subject myself and I have heard or read most of what has been posted. I am trying to get him in the right places now so that maybe he can have this opportunity. He started to go to St. Louis this year as a freshman and he is currently trying out for ODP.

Ironically, the facet of this journey that will probably trip him up will be grades. After going to public schools for 8 years and making typically B's, he is having all kinds of H*** just passing at STL. And LHSAA is trying to seperate public and private schools because the privates are stacking their athletic programs, go figure.

[VIEWER]

I think one thing that helps maybe more that any other. You have to play on a team that wins state. The team has to be competitive in regionals and play tournaments outside of the southern states. That is where most coaches will see the players. Take a look at Lafreniere U-18 team. Over half of the players on that team will sign with major colleges. You have to have a premiere coach that is very active in helping his kids find colleges. I'm not saying this is the only way but it helps. You also have to have good grades and have at least a 22 on ACT's. Not very many schools give full scholarships. My son is on that Lafreniere team and is actively talking to a number of major colleges. He will probably sign this summer.

[lascholar]

Playing for a nationally recognized club goes a long way. Unfortunately, this state really only has one, Lafraniere, and to some extent NOSA. The Baton Rouge Jaguars used to fit this mold, but I am not even sure they exist anymore.

ODP is another biggie. Start at a young age so that you can get into the political game early. There are several people who make regional pool, not because they are good players, but because people are used to seeing them at ODP.

In my opinion soccer camps are not that important, but most of the poeple that posted on this thread were correct in that you have to most of it yourself. Meaning doing the mailouts and making a highlight tape. Grades are of huge importance because unlike NCAA Football, soccer players aren't given a lot of help to maintain thier eligibility. Also, several NCAA programs are at institutions with very high academic standards.

[navysoccer]

Too many players focus on trying to get into D-1 colleges. There are a few players who are good enough to play, but I think most should look at D-2 and even D-3 schools.