Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are these camps free?

No. Camps are never free. We have seen camps that are $150 all the up to $500. Sometimes the more expensive camps are 2 days but not always. There really seemed to be no rhyme or reason. The camps my son did ranged from half-day to 2 days. Make sure you are only doing camps run by the school you are interested. There are companies that run big camps and advertise multiple schools in attendance but the schools might not actually show up. Even when you get an invite for a camp, beware you are probably just on a mailing list looking to fill spots unless you’ve had direct communication with the coach, preferably by phone.

I want you to come to play for my school
Come to my camp
Pay me

Anonymous wrote:Are these camps free?

No. Camps are never free. We have seen camps that are $150 all the up to $500. Sometimes the more expensive camps are 2 days but not always. There really seemed to be no rhyme or reason. The camps my son did ranged from half-day to 2 days. Make sure you are only doing camps run by the school you are interested. There are companies that run big camps and advertise multiple schools in attendance but the schools might not actually show up. Even when you get an invite for a camp, beware you are probably just on a mailing list looking to fill spots unless you’ve had direct communication with the coach, preferably by phone.

Are these camps free?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for sharing that—really appreciate the honesty. I totally agree, if the coach hasn’t seen him play or had a real conversation yet, it’s probably worth my son asking for a quick call. That kind of direct contact usually says a lot about whether they’re actually interested or just filling spots.

We’re trying to be smart about camps too. It’s a big investment of time and money, and if they’ve already moved on from 2026s, we’d rather know upfront than find out after the fact. Sorry your son had that experience—sounds frustrating. When coaches seem disengaged like that, it’s hard not to feel like the whole thing was just for show.

We’re definitely keeping expectations realistic and watching for signs they’re still actively recruiting. Your insight helps a lot—thanks again for keeping it real.

I got great advice from a FB group Educating Parents of HS Athletes. I wish we had found the group before we commited to D1 camps. Before the one mentioned above, my son went to 2 others without understanding the process. One of his coaches said he should be attending camps but neglected to explain only attend camps where the coach has been willing to invest in a phone call. Had I been a member of the group, I would have saved a lot of travel expenses! If your son is playing ECNL, there could be some genuine D1 interest in him among schools that aren’t finished. During a phone call, he can ask if they are still recruiting 26s. My son realized D1 wasn’t happening for him based on the lack of attention/responses from coaches and so focused on D2 and D3 where he already had a lot of sincere interest. Many teams at these levels are still recruiting. A few of his schools seem to be trying to wrap it up now but others said later this fall. Good luck to your son!

Thanks for sharing that—really appreciate the honesty. I totally agree, if the coach hasn’t seen him play or had a real conversation yet, it’s probably worth my son asking for a quick call. That kind of direct contact usually says a lot about whether they’re actually interested or just filling spots.

We’re trying to be smart about camps too. It’s a big investment of time and money, and if they’ve already moved on from 2026s, we’d rather know upfront than find out after the fact. Sorry your son had that experience—sounds frustrating. When coaches seem disengaged like that, it’s hard not to feel like the whole thing was just for show.

We’re definitely keeping expectations realistic and watching for signs they’re still actively recruiting. Your insight helps a lot—thanks again for keeping it real.

For D1, they’re mostly done with 26s. Has the coach already seen him play and had phone calls? If not, I’d have your son ask for a call. If they won’t take a call I’d assume they just want to fill the camp. Even then, I’d set realistic expectations. DS went to one this summer 7 hours away after 2 calls with the coach. The coach promised a small camp but it wasn’t and then basically ignored him. He said the coaches seemed disinterested in all the players, not just him. We suspect they had already finished with his year.

My son is an ECNL player and currently a high school senior. He’s received an invitation from an D1 out-of-state university to attend their camp in September. Is it typical for schools to extend camp invites this late in the recruiting cycle?