Planning for college should begin at the end of the eighth grade year and continue throughout high school.   The following pages will assist in the process and serve as a temporary guide until the Classics Hammer FC college recruiting manual is completed in the Spring of 2009.

      I.     Timeline

     II.     Responsibilities

a.     Player

b.     Parent

c.     Coach

d.     Club

   III.     NCAA Rules

a.     Clearinghouse

b.     Division 1

c.     Division 2

d.     Division 3

   IV.     What else you can do?

Timeline:

Freshman Year:

• Get to know your guidance counselor
• Set academic goals and develop good study habits
• Work hard on improving your GPA
• Explore different careers and areas of interest
• Evaluate your skills and interests & learn how they relate or could relate to different careers
• Participate in extracurricular activities
• Participate in ODP and attend an appropriate college camp.  Rely on your coach to assist you with this

Sophomore Year:

• Register to take the PSAT
• Maintain and improve your GPA
• Meet with your coach to discuss soccer development and college opportunities
• Attend a “College Night” seminar to gather information on the college process
• Gather information about potential schools; use the internet, college guides, counselors
• Begin to assemble a list of colleges of possible interest
  • Consider:
  • Academic interest
  • Size (enrollment)
  • Location
  • Tuition & Fees
  • Soccer Program
• Send an email to the coaches stating your interest in their program
  • It is highly recommended that a separate email account be set-up for this purpose.  Ensure that both players and their parents have access to this account. The email address should be simple and not in any way humorous.  That is player’sname@domainname.com not soccerallstar@domainname.com. This will increase your value to the coaching staff
• When coaches you have contacted have seen you play, it is imperative that you send an email and thank them for taking them time to watch you.  Request feedback; ask for advice and their impression.  Develop a soccer relationship with them.
• While at events and showcases, take the time to visit nearby campuses
• Attend college games as much as possible
• During the summer, schedule visits to colleges of interest
• Collect college catalogs

Junior Year:

• September
  • Academic
    • Register for the SAT and ACT as soon as possible
    • Get organized - Create folders and keep copies of all correspondence.  Keep track of all deadlines and important dates
    • Review your courses with your guidance counselor
  • Athletic
    • Develop a list of preferred schools (5 - 10)
    • Be proactive with coaches from these schools with your interests
    • Send coaches your schedule
    • Register for ODP
• October/November
  • Academic
    • Search for scholarships and financial aid
    • Familiarize yourself with federal and private loans
• December
  • Academic
    • Review your SAT/ACT results with your counselor
    • Communicate with friends, former players from the club and family members about their experiences
  • Athletic
    • Contact all coaches on your list; discuss their recent season, make sure they are aware of your schedule
• January/February
  • Academic
    • Arrange Spring & Summer visits to campuses
    • Register to re-take the SAT/ACT
• April/May
  • Academic
    • Compare college requirements with your transcripts
    • Select Senior year courses
  • Athletic
    • Register to attend ODP regional camp and college camps at schools on your list
    • Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse; see your counselor for the Student Release form

• Summer
  • Academic
    • Improve reading and vocabulary skills
    • Search for scholarships and alternative ways to pay for school
    • Begin working on application essays
    • Talk to individuals in careers that interest you
    • Decide who will write letters of recommendation for you
  • Athletic
    • Attend camps

Responsibilities

• Player
  • You, along with your parents, should research the schools that you are interested in attending.  You should create a list of schools in which you are interested for BOTH soccer and academics. The list should be tiered; use quality of soccer, academic reputation, chances of playing, chances of being admitted academically, location, distance from home, etc.
  • You should make sure that you meet the academic requirements of these programs.  It is critical that you stay focused academically.  Coaches do pass on a player with marginal grades.  Soccer alone will not get you into school nor will it keep you there.
  • Develop a soccer resume and player profile. Once completed this should be sent to those schools that you may have an interest.  The resume should be completed in three categories: personal, academic and soccer.
  • Most schools have a recruit questionnaire on their website.  You should complete this questionnaire for each school and return it as soon as possible.  Any unsolicited questionnaires received by mail should be completed and returned (even if you are not interested in that school at that time)
  • Begin generating interest by writing emails and letters as soon as you have your schedule.   Keep in mind that some schools receive hundreds of resumes and see just as many players each year.  When you write the schools, you need to clearly communicate why you are interested why you are interested in their program and the school (academically).
  • Stay in contact with the coaches via email throughout the year.  Update them on tournament schedules, field schedules & game times, etc. as this information becomes available.
  • Maintain a high level of fitness during your HS season.  This includes flexibility, your touch on the ball and an aerobic fitness base.  Injuries should be dealt with in a proactive manner.  If you return to club soccer with an injury, you will not be able to participate in training and this in turn will effect your playing time.

• Parent
  • Parents should follow-up with their child to make sure that they are doing the work that the coaches have asked. That is develop a resume, send out letters & emails, return recruit questionnaires, etc.
  • Parents should help their child develop a system to file the letters to & from schools.  They will need to track all correspondence to & from each school.  The system should organize by school, interest, location, etc. 
• Coach
  • Your coach and Classics Hammer will demand a high level of commitment in order to develop you as a player and to prepare your team for competitions.  By choosing to play on a Classics Hammer team, you have made a decision and soccer must be your priority. Understand that missed training sessions hurt the entire team and impact your playing time. 
  • Your coach will prepare you for the physical, mental and tactical demands of college soccer.
  • Your coach will provide guidance to assist you in setting realistic goals.
  • You coach will provide feedback on a regular basis during the course of the season to advise you of weaknesses and individual work needed, outside of training, to improve as a player.
  • Your coach will respond to inquiries from college coaches on your behalf.

 These links below will allow you to research all Division I, II & III college soccer programs.  From these web pages you will be able to link directly to each school’s web site. 

         Division I:        

         Division II:

         Division III:

NCAA Rules:

a.     Clearinghouse

                                               i.     All high school athletes who plan to participate in NCAA athletics as a freshman must register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.  Your high school guidance counselor can provide the registration materials and instructions for registration.   A $25 registration fee is required.  It is recommended that you apply for registration after the completion of your junior year in high school.  Once filed, coaches and universities that plan to recruit you may request your eligibility status through the NCAA Clearinghouse.  You can not request that your materials be sent to a coach.  

b.     Division I & II

                                               i.     Telephone Calls - A college coach (or faculty member) is allowed to make one call to you per week beginning July 1 after the completion of your junior year in high school.  Exceptions to the one call per week rule include:

1.     The five day period to your official visit to that school.

2.     The day of a coach’s off-campus contact with you.

3.     The first three days of the National Letter of Intent signing period. 

                                              ii.     Contacts - This is defined as any off-campus face-to-face interactions between a coach and you or members of your family.  Coaches are limited to 3 such contacts. 

                                             iii.     Evaluations - This is any activity used to assess your academic qualifications and/or your athletic ability, including a visit to your high school (even if no contact occurs) or watching you practice or compete at any site.  Each school is limited to seven contacts or evaluations combined.  This includes the three contacts referenced above.  Evaluations done over consecutive days at a tournament are considered a single evaluation.  However, once you have signed a National Letter of Intent, coaches are free to evaluate you as often as they choose.  

                                             iv.     Official Visits - During your senior year in high school, you may have one expense paid official visit to each school.  You may have up to 5 official visits to different schools.  Regardless, of the number of sports for which you are being recruited.  Prior to an official visit, you must provide the school or NCAA Clearinghouse your ACT/SAT scores and a copy of your transcript.  During the official visit, which can not exceed 48 hours, you may receive round-trip transportation between your home and the campus.  You may receive meals, lodging and complimentary admissions to athletic events.  Additionally, the school may spend up to $30 on entertainment for you.   

c.      Division III

                                               i.     Contacts - Division III coaches may contact you on an unlimited basis anytime after the completion of your junior year in high school. 

                                              ii.     Official Visits - You may visit a college campus any time at your own expense.  On such a visit, you may receive three complimentary admissions to an athletic event on campus, a tour of off campus practice and competition sites in your sport and other school facilities within 30 miles of campus.  You may also receive a meal in the school’s on-campus dining facilities and housing, if it is available to all prospective students.  As a senior, you may make an expense paid visit to any campus.  There is no limit to the number of schools you may officially visit as long as you enroll initially in a division III program.  During your official visit, which can not exceed 48 hours, you may receive round-trip transportation between your home and the campus.  You may also receive meals, lodging and complimentary admissions to campus athletic events.  All meals provided to you on an official visit must take place in an on campus dining facility that the school’s students normally use. If these facilities are closed, your host may take you off campus and is permitted to spend up to $20 per day.