I’m a dad and my oldest daughter is a HS freshman GK who also plays at the premiere level in upstate NY. Her club team plays in the DPL.
She’s a great student, with a 98% average and taking accelerated and honors classes, with an interest in nursing (NP, anesthesia).
Currently 5’4" with maybe a little more growth coming, but we’re not holding our breath. She’s a great ball distributor and excels at interrupting play in the box.
While she doesn’t have any dreams of playing in the NWSL, she loves soccer and would want to play in college if possible. My wife and I have no experience with this process and are largely clueless.
I currently record her games from the midfield sideline using an XBot Go smart gimbal and my phone and have footage from that, but it’s been recommended that I get footage focusing on her in goal. Would a camcorder from the sideline focused on the box, or a GoPro from behind the net work best?
Also, she’s been invited to ID camps. Is that even something that she should consider as a HS freshman? Would going there as a freshman and being compared to girls who are a year or more developed make a bad first impression?
I would greatly appreciate any general guidance and responses to my questions above.
While we wait for the experts, I will say that nursing and college athletics often can’t work out because of lab classes and clinicals. Once your D starts talking with coaches this is something for her to raise with them. Some coaches won’t allow nursing majors on their teams, so best to find that out early in the process.
Ooh, a chance to talk about soccer recruiting, yay!
First off, as you can tell from his username @GKUnion has a son who’s a goalkeeper, so he can give GK-specific advice, and advice about videoing etc.
Second your daughter absolutely should be starting the process now. I recommend reading THE ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP PLAYBOOK, which sets out the recruiting process very clearly.
As for ID camps, yes, she should do some this summer. Ask around as to which ones are well regarded. My son did some where he wasn’t very interested in the school, to get his feet wet and see how he stacked up against other players. It’s not bad to attend a big camp with lots of schools for the experience, but those ones aren’t best for recruiting in my opinion. (What is best are the one day school- specific clinics, but those can wait till next year when your daughter may have a better idea of the type of school she’s interested in.).
Note that being invited to camps means nothing as they are money makers for coaches, so lots of players get invited
You can always count on @cinnamon1212 for valuable recruiting advice. I agree with everything she said, but especially about ramping things up now if she’s interested in college soccer.
As for cameras, I’ve used several combinations. I have some great footage from GoPros, but some refs don’t like them in the net. Putting them behind the net works fine, but the video through the net isn’t my favorite. I eventually ended up using 4 cheap camcorders, each focused on a different aspect of the field(just outside the 6, just outside the 18, midfield to the net & 3/4 of the field for goal kicks & punts). I’m nuts, you don’t have to do this.
Here is what you should focus on for video:
Shot stopping obviously, but coaches will look for her positioning, as well as her footwork across the goal.
Distribution is key. They want to see accuracy, comfort receiving back passes and comfort with the ball under pressure.
You need to catch her best/longest goal kicks and punts.
You said she’s disruptive in the box. Definitely compile 3-5 of her best examples of coming off her line.
She needs to be vocal as well, and command the field. She’s the only one in the back that gets to see how the oncoming attack is developing. She needs to move her back line into position to keep the ball away from her net. Sometimes the best save a keeper makes is the one where the ball never gets inside the 18.
The goalkeeping position has evolved because the college game shifted to building from the back. Show her versatility as best you can.
Since we’re in the NE a lot of our soccer is small field indoor, 6v6, which we’re in now. Any reason I can’t use footage from that for some of the stuff, or would you expect indoor performance to be viewed as inauthentic?
Hi my daughter is a shorter GK (5’6 in cleats, although college has her listed at 5’7) and is a freshman. During your research look at the size of the GKs on the rosters, it is a reality for our kids that height will matter at many schools. Have her focus on what she can control and really work on ball handling (holding the ball vs pushing or kicking OB for a corner), explosive jumping, vocalization and directing the back line and strength in her punts and goal kicks.
Film should showcase 1-2 wow saves, high balls, low balls, 1 v 1, footwork, distribution and set pieces. It usually took my GK 2-3 weekends of league (ecnl) play to get 1-2 min of useable film. She emailed highlights out about every 5 weeks and after every showcase. You can also use training film and scrimmages. We just used an iPhone that I held and recorded during games and our teams trace videos.
Good luck! It is quite a journey and has so many ups and downs but you are starting early so giving your daughter a great chance to explore her options and cast a wide net
Regarding ID camps - at this age it is likely mass invites but attending cheap, local camps on local campuses can help. We did a rural d3, more academic d3, and a larger d1 early on just to get my daughter in campuses and starting to think about what she wanted in a college experience. Going to low key camps early also takes some of the nerves away later.
I would avoid the larger, expensive, multi school camps.
After freshman year we only attended camps at schools where the coach had either personally reached out, contacted her club coach about her, had seen her play, or she had detailed and personalized text and /phone conversations with.
Make sure to be emailing coaches and sending film, resume, and game schedules. We found playing in national showcases much more valuable then camps early on
Here are my two cents: It sounds like she has an awful lot going for her. For keepers, height is an issue, but obviously not the only issue.
Getting a few ID Camps under the belt early is not a bad idea. I would start at a small, local camp so that your daughter gets used to the stress of the meat market without any potential adverse consequences. And when you do go to the camps, ask yourself not how well your daughter did, but what percentage of girls attending could NOT make a college team somewhere. Usually, there is a good bit of quality to go around.
That is why when your daughter is a year older she needs to have made relationships (via email and face to face meetings with coaches before she attends the camps.
Game video has the advantage of showing the quality or level of play of the entire team and opponent, which is helpful. It may also show strategic knowledge, such as distribution skills. However, as noted, it takes quite a bit of time to gather enough video and to edit the tapes. Do NOT send the tape of an entire game. If you can invest in it, I would buy a HD video camera and a tripod, fix the camera on your daughter and just enjoy the game.
A skills video may be the best starting point, as it shows intangibles that may not come out with single saves on game tape. For example, repetitive quickness, jumping height, and natural ability may be better shown on a skills tape. If your daughter has a keeper trainer, I would discuss it with him/her.
Better yet, consider that as a topic in introductory emails to coaches. Eg., “I have some skills tapes and have started work on game tapes. Which would you prefer seeing?”
Just remember, it is way better to start early than to start late.
OP’s D is a HS freshman. NCAA D1/2 coaches can’t reply to emails until June 15 after her sophomore year. With that said, she should still send emails, so she can get on their radar.
Separately, for OP highlight and/or skills videos should be a max of two minutes. Highlight videos should begin with the very best highlight.
I have a senior soccer player (GK too!), and the thing I wish I knew earlier is how important the club she plays for is. She was invited to a D1 school for a visit after attending their ID camp and then watching her at a tournament, but because her club didn’t attend the big spring tournaments where they make their final decisions, she lost out on that one.
I can attest that this is the best advice you’ll get, especially for GK parents. Our player is almost always in the same area. I just hit record and enjoyed myself.
This doesn’t apply to D3, NAIA, or juco. We aren’t sure what level OP’s kid is interested in. And D3 may be a great route for a kid interested in nursing and who may not have the ideal height for D1.
