INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE IN COLLEGE SOCCER:

The East Penn College Pathway Program will be 100% free for our Club Members. This includes recruiting assistance, photoshoots for showcase tournament brochures, and more. This is a holistic program that will not only include recruiting, but also include assistance with planning for college financially and finding the school that fits the player best.

SOCCER ATHLETE:  

When a player excels in their sport, there are always more steps to take. More competitive practices, improved training environments, and travel chances are all on the horizon. There are a number of significant events that occur during the course of a student's career. A first goal, a first tournament victory, and the opportunity to compete at a higher level. 

The shift from club or high school soccer to college soccer is, however, the most significant adjustment for young competitive soccer athletes. Where do these players begin, and what are they doing to get college coaches' attention?

As a general rule, you should begin your research before the player's senior year, but it is never too late to get started, even if you are starting in the final year of high school.

"Tip: Choose your top fifty colleges, begin collecting your finest video footage early, and make a film that showcases you at your best. During your high school career, be prepared to send your film, along with your club and HS schedule, to the coaches on your list."

NCAA

Every player that wants to play college soccer aspires to play in Division 1. According to the NCAA, 1.3 percent of men and 2.4 percent of women have a chance to play Division 1 collegiate soccer. The overall percentage of athletes participating in the NCAA soccer is 5.6% for men and 7.2% for women. The question now is how good do I need to be to get a scholarship? The easiest way is to go to a division 1 game. Can you see yourself competing with the players on the field? When you are viewing division 1 schools you must be able to assess where you or your player will fit into a program based on their experience and skill level. It can seem impossible but with some understanding of how the process works you will be much more likely to find a college soccer program.

If you would like to test your skills against the type of competition in your age group looking to attend a school it may be a good idea to attend their school’s soccer ID camps, however, understand that a lot of coaches use these ID Camps to make money. Also, a lot of players, especially local players, are INVITED to attend and these are the players that coaches are truly interested in when viewing players at these Camps. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attend some of these camps, but before you commit to paying for these camps find out how many kids will be attending and ask how many players did the coach invite to attend and how many coaches from other schools will be there, this will give you an idea if attending a particular ID camp makes sense or not. If the attendance is ridiculously high, then it’s just a money maker for the coach or if there are not many other school coaches there, then it is limited to just a few choices and if there are a lot of invitees, then those coaches are spending time recruiting rather than watching new players. If you feel you want to attend, you will have exposure to players outside your local setup, division 1 players, coaches of the program(s), and other players looking to play at the highest level they can. Some camps may give you a good idea of where you stack up against the competition.

Division 3 is comprised of the most schools of any division with 409 for women and 394 for men. If you are considering division 3 schools be sure that there are academic motivations in choosing a school. Third division schools cannot award athletic scholarships and have more restrictions in off-season practice rules. There are highly competitive division 3 schools throughout the country that can compete with other divisions but in bulk the division 3 is more focused on providing a quality education with sports as a supplement to university services.

If you want to play NCAA sports at a Division I school, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org Plan to register during your freshman year of high school.

Click here to learn more about the NCAA.

MORE INFO AND ASSISTANCE COMING SOON!

For immediate assistance, contact Ubaldo Murillo at president@eastpennsoccerclub.org and schedule a meeting with Ubaldo. Ubaldo is not only the Club President, but he was also a Product Manager for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for over 15 years and was a Head Men's and Women's College Soccer Coach for 7 years. 

The below sites are the most popular sites used by coaches to recruit players from Division I to Division III. Over 80% of colleges use these sites. Each one of these sites offer a free option for the players. The club has also teamed up with some of these platforms to provide our players with the full benefits of their tools.  

This flier will be distributed to the coaches attending Showcase Tournaments on behalf of the team. This will include team photo shoots to ensure coaches have full visibility of the players. Our program director will assist with creating individual profiles and provide contact info for the coaches attending these showcases.