NCAA Recruiting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious to see if college coaches will be watching High school matches when the recruiting window opens, the ECNL will be finished outside of showcase and nationals. It would be a big boost to high school soccer if colleges attended games.

Coaches already go to high school games. They always have. Keep in mind that high school soccer is already played in different seasons in many states. Florida, for example, plays HS soccer in the winter season. And in about 40 percent of the states it is a spring sport. Absolutely college coaches will go see a game if a kid they are considering is playing.

I also know this for sure as my daughter was recruited from her high school season. The coach had not seen her play and we were a spring high school season state. She was just one of several kids on her HS team who went on to play in college. Most games had a few coaches stop in. Her future college coach came to a game and stayed about 5 minutes into the game. At the time I thought - “that’s not good. No way my kid gets an offer there.” But, that night she got a call from her club coach who said the college coach had called and was excited about her and wanted her to call him (convoluted but ncaa recruiting rules). Turns out the coach was very impressed watching her do pregame captain stuff - getting herself and her teammates warmed up and ready to play.

High school games are convenient if schools play in the Spring and keep in mind that 75 percent of kids will play for a college within 150 miles of their high school.

+1

Smaller schools, even D1 recruit and go to High School games. At least in Maryland. We know the coach at Mount Saint Mary's on a personal level. I have spoken with him multiple times about this. I don't know about Virginia. Guessing smaller D2/D3 schools also do HS Soccer recruiting. Sorry to burst your bubble but its first hand knowledge straight from a D1 coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious to see if college coaches will be watching High school matches when the recruiting window opens, the ECNL will be finished outside of showcase and nationals. It would be a big boost to high school soccer if colleges attended games.

Coaches already go to high school games. They always have. Keep in mind that high school soccer is already played in different seasons in many states. Florida, for example, plays HS soccer in the winter season. And in about 40 percent of the states it is a spring sport. Absolutely college coaches will go see a game if a kid they are considering is playing.

I also know this for sure as my daughter was recruited from her high school season. The coach had not seen her play and we were a spring high school season state. She was just one of several kids on her HS team who went on to play in college. Most games had a few coaches stop in. Her future college coach came to a game and stayed about 5 minutes into the game. At the time I thought - “that’s not good. No way my kid gets an offer there.” But, that night she got a call from her club coach who said the college coach had called and was excited about her and wanted her to call him (convoluted but ncaa recruiting rules). Turns out the coach was very impressed watching her do pregame captain stuff - getting herself and her teammates warmed up and ready to play.

High school games are convenient if schools play in the Spring and keep in mind that 75 percent of kids will play for a college within 150 miles of their high school.

+1

Smaller schools, even D1 recruit and go to High School games. At least in Maryland. We know the coach at Mount Saint Mary's on a personal level. I have spoken with him multiple times about this. I don't know about Virginia. Guessing smaller D2/D3 schools also do HS Soccer recruiting. Sorry to burst your bubble but its first hand knowledge straight from a D1 coach.

The coaches are following up on kids already on their radar in all of their playing environments. That is not the same as college coaches going to a HS soccer game to scout unknown players. The variance of quality of play prevents this because they really cannot judge what they are seeing in the player.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

Neither. JMU, ODU and Mason aren't giving out full rides - not to girls.

So, who is? And the point is about how far money goes with in-state vs out of state cost.

Full rides in women's soccer are very rare because the limited number of scholarships available. A full ride is more about the athlete than the school.

A 50 percent scholarship for an out of state school is the same as full tuition for in state

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

the previous poster used the acronym "DD"... I think your statement is correct for boys... but the NWSL draft was somewhere around 39/40 graduating college seniors... so your statement isn't quite correct for girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

the previous poster used the acronym "DD"... I think your statement is correct for boys... but the NWSL draft was somewhere around 39/40 graduating college seniors... so your statement isn't quite correct for girls.

I was just going to say this. Girl must almost always go to college first for pro opportunities. Boys not so much. They can easily get picked up very young.

[Anonymous]

Recruiting dead period extended to May 31, 2021.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recruiting dead period extended to May 31, 2021.

Ya don’t say

[Anonymous]

Recruiting dead period extended to May 31, 2021.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recruiting dead period extended to May 31, 2021.

Say it again for the people in the backyard

[Anonymous]

"The coaches are following up on kids already on their radar in all of their playing environments. That is not the same as college coaches going to a HS soccer game to scout unknown players. The variance of quality of play prevents this because they really cannot judge what they are seeing in the player."

Sorry, this is idiotic. Coaches know within about 5 minutes what they are seeing. It is about their athleticism followed by how well they touch the ball. A coach will know if they see a kid beating lesser competition if it is because they are a better athlete, if they have more skill or if they just happened to be trained better. Justify how you want and there is no question better competiton leads to more eyes on your DD. However, if a coach sees a kid playing above their competiton they then ask themself why that kid is able to do so. The question is not whether a kid will be recognized for standing out but in what environment is the best for the kid. There is actually a huge benefit for playing 'down' for some players. An average ecnl player not standing out wont get the same recognition by a coach in the stands then a da kid who is the best on the field will. I agree, if the question is eyeballs on the kid; but if you are saying a coach already in the stands wont know what they are seeing you are delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

There are hundreds of professional leagues around the world. Many countries also have multiple, tiered divisions. Think the equivalent of our major and minor league baseball system but one tiered set of leagues in many countries. So, if your kid really wants to play pro and they played college ball they probably can, somewhere. I had a friend back in HS that played pro soccer in Chile and he didn’t even make our HS team. Your college baller kid might not make much money, but they can probably find a place somewhere in the world where they can play pro. This is for males of course. Females, not so much.

[Anonymous]

For class of 2022 parents: don't fret unnecessarily about the dead period.

My HS senior got seven D3 offers for collegiate soccer. He applied to three schools (regular admission) and got accepted. Each of these three schools offered academic scholarships wity two of them almost full, 4 year rides.

His three D1 safety schools also accepted him with scholarship, albeit no roster slot. If he attends, my son intends to try to walk on.

My point is if your child is a solid student athlete, she/he stand a very good chance of playing collegiate soccer and hopefully receiving scholarship awards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

I think people forget this in the United States. Partly because many Americans do not travel much outside of Canada or Mexico. But you’re 100 % correct. I have a buddy who’s son plays professional in Finland’s second league. A buddy from college also ended up playing a few years in the Peruvian league. Did them make millions? no way. But we’re they playing soccer for a living yes. The vast majority of professionals will not be mbappes or Ronaldos — they will simply live by playing soccer. I think the one benefit college soccer gives to players who go on to play at lower level pro leagues is the athleticism and flat out strength the NCAA game creates.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

There are hundreds of professional leagues around the world. Many countries also have multiple, tiered divisions. Think the equivalent of our major and minor league baseball system but one tiered set of leagues in many countries. So, if your kid really wants to play pro and they played college ball they probably can, somewhere. I had a friend back in HS that played pro soccer in Chile and he didn’t even make our HS team. Your college baller kid might not make much money, but they can probably find a place somewhere in the world where they can play pro. This is for males of course. Females, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scholarships can be increased. If money isn't available freshman year because of those fifth year seniors sticking around she can think of it as a year-long tryout to prove her worth for when that money frees up next year.

This is not a one year only thing. NCAA allows all current students an extra year of eligibility, so you could see some effects for the next 4 years. It could reduce incoming class sizes for up to 4 years. Players on the cusp of making a college squad may not get in at all.

You're misunderstanding what the players staying on a fifth year are tying up. The issue isn't the number of roster spots, it's the number of athletic scholarship dollars available. The coaches can still take the same number of incoming freshman, they just won't have as much athletic scholarship free up if scholarship players who were expected to leave choose to stay. If your kid had good priorities and a good GPA they'll get academic money instead of athletic to make up for it.

Either way, it's not a great situation. Less money, and less playing time than normal. And I don't see schools subsiding the lack of athletic money with academic money. The extra year of eligibility puts incoming freshmen who are on the cusp at a disadvantage, and it will last for years.

So, go to VT on a quarter or go to ODU on a full. What would you do?

Let's say the difference is 80,000 savings over 4 years.

What is the best-school-but-no-scholarship option, and what does she want to study?

Put.all that aside....i really want to hear what people have to say on this.......

Your kid, a very good player, gets an offer to play out of state at Notre Dame on a partial (25 percent) scholarship. Its your kids dream school. Your kid also has offers to play in-state at JMU, ODU and Mason on a full ride.

What would you want your kid to choose?

There are three or four different context to consider here. What are your DD’s academic goals and abilities? Soccer goals (no pun intended) and abilities? your family’s financial situation? Your DD’s desire or not to stay close to home?

For a good student who is good enough to get on the field for ND, a top 30 soccer school in the ACC, who wants to keep moving forward as far as she can in soccer, and whose family is both OK with the distance and OK with the $$ outlay, why not Notre Dame? You’re still getting 25% off sticker price which isn’t a bad deal.

If financials mean the family needs to take the full scholarship, but the DD still wants as high a level of soccer as she can get, then looking at the NCAA D1 rankings the choice would be first ODU, then JMU, then GMU. All three are excellent schools where she’ll get as good an education as she wants.

If the best soccer available isn’t a priority for DD, then the academics and atmospherics should drive the choice among the three remaining schools. Where are the programs she wants? Where does she feel comfortable? How close to home does she want to be? Does she want a big campus or something else?

No absolute right answers, just answers that are right for each family given its situation.

I want to respond to the statement about continuing soccer career. If your child is still thinking after college they have a chance of having a soccer career, it is up to you as the parent to break out the stats. If they were going to be scouted for a professional team, it should've happened while they were in HS. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Soccer in US doesn't follow the traditional professional football/basketball recruiting models.

There are hundreds of professional leagues around the world. Many countries also have multiple, tiered divisions. Think the equivalent of our major and minor league baseball system but one tiered set of leagues in many countries. So, if your kid really wants to play pro and they played college ball they probably can, somewhere. I had a friend back in HS that played pro soccer in Chile and he didn’t even make our HS team. Your college baller kid might not make much money, but they can probably find a place somewhere in the world where they can play pro. This is for males of course. Females, not so much.

I think people forget this in the United States. Partly because many Americans do not travel much outside of Canada or Mexico. But you’re 100 % correct. I have a buddy who’s son plays professional in Finland’s second league. A buddy from college also ended up playing a few years in the Peruvian league. Did them make millions? no way. But we’re they playing soccer for a living yes. The vast majority of professionals will not be mbappes or Ronaldos — they will simply live by playing soccer. I think the one benefit college soccer gives to players who go on to play at lower level pro leagues is the athleticism and flat out strength the NCAA game creates.

You don’t need to always get scouted as a youth player. They have agents who can help you get in if you’re at least decent enough to play