<p>How competitive is the recruiting process for college soccer? I know sports like football and basketball are extremely competitive but how competitive is soccer? </p>
<p>My son plays soccer AND basketball and his skill level in both is equal. He might a little better in basketball because of his height but overall he is pretty much equal in both sports. </p>
<p>He wants to play soccer in college, but also loves basketball and could probably play college ball if he works hard the next couple of years. I’m trying to convince him that soccer is an easier sport to get recruited in, relatively speaking. </p>
<p>So my question is how competitive is the recruiting process of soccer in comparison to a more popular sport like basketball.</p>
<p>I’m not saying soccer is an easy sport to get recruited. I just want an opinion on which sport is more worthwhile to continue if he wants to get into a better college.</p>
<p>When my DS was in sixth grade, at the end of the year, the coaches had a meeting for anyone interested in athletics in 7th grade (in Texas, sixth graders don’t participate in athletics, just P.E.). He told everyone that basketball was the hardest sport to make the team because they only have 12-13 players on the roster. Football, of course, would have the largest roster. We didn’t have soccer in middle school.</p>
<p>But aside from that, there are many more considerations: where does your son want to go to school – close to home or away? What will his major be? How are his grades? etc. etc. Lots of variables in this equation. But if he is willing to keep an open mind and maybe go to a school that he’s never heard of before, there are lots and lots of medium and smaller schools with soccer programs.</p>
<p>That is too hard to answer without knowing more… Are you talking D1 or are you open to all levels of college sports. Honestly I think he should choose the sport that he LOVES the most because playing a sport in college is a HUGE commitment and unless you love it, then it won’t be very much fun. There generally are places for everyone that have enough talent. Good luck.</p>
Why do you believe this to be true? Not sure why either would be easier or harder than the other (although basketball has more bias to body type)</p>
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Hmm … you need to define “enough talent” clearly … in rough terms about 1% of high school varsity athletes play DI in college … while about 10% can play at DIII or better … so “enough talent” to play in college is a pretty high threshhold.</p>
<p>@momof2010: Yeah, I’m talking about D1. He’s contemplating on Ivy League but his grades aren’t anything special. He has 2~3 As and 3 Bs, 4.2 weighted GPA, and SATs revolve around the 1800 range (he has time to up those scores though). From what I’ve seen I think he puts more effort into playing soccer than basketball but he still enjoys both sports and is dedicated to both. </p>
<p>@3togo: Well in terms of popularity, there’s a huge gap between soccer and basketball right? So, I’m guessing there’s a lot more people trying to get recruited for college basketball in comparison to people trying to get recruited for college soccer; thus, less competition for high school soccer players.</p>
<p>If he wants to play in D1 (hopefully Ivy) would soccer be the better choice?</p>
<p>It depends on your skill to be honest. You need to go to college showcases, contact coaches, have soccer honors in high school and even club soccer, and be on a good club soccer team. If you or whoever has done most of the things above, then you have a good chance in the recruiting process. Being good in basketball doesn’t necessarily help your chances of scholarship. Ultimately, it is pretty competitive. However, I am a girl so there might be a difference.</p>
<p>I think you will find equal difficulty in either. As mentioned above, less than 1% of all high school athletes go on to play Division 1 in any sport. That is not very good odds. Sure bb teams are smaller but they are smaller in high school too, soccer is bigger but so is high school so the numbers thing really does not matter.
I really feel your son should base his decision on which sport he wants to pursue more. He has to choose, it is very unlikely in this day and age to make it to D1 without serious focus in that sport, such as club or with a personal trainer. It’s just too competitive. By the way there is NO athletic scholarships for Ivy league schools so aid has to be academic. Just an FYI. My son is a D1 athlete and he was a multi-sport athlete until high school, once he got to HS he really focused on his sport of choice and it was the key in landing him where he is and the $$ he got. Good luck, its a fun journey.</p>
<p>“@3togo: Well in terms of popularity, there’s a huge gap between soccer and basketball right? So, I’m guessing there’s a lot more people trying to get recruited for college basketball in comparison to people trying to get recruited for college soccer; thus, less competition for high school soccer players.”</p>
<p>Please don’t confused with the popularity of soccer in the U.S. as a spectator sport with the popularity as a participatory sport. In the U.S. youth soccer has the highest participation rate of any sport. There is a lot of competition out there. And given the nature of the athletic skills required, soccer is a sport that it’s very difficult to just pickup.</p>
<p>I would agree with ThankstoJack, for example we live right near a D1 (mid major) college and the soccer team is VERY good. In fact one of our local standout players who is an incredible player did not even make the club team (2nd team). It is very hard to make a D1 program anywhere.</p>
<p>Vaust, we really can’t give you good advice without knowing how good your son is, both as a soccer player and as a basketball player. I can tell you that getting a soccer scholarship to most D1 programs will require him to be an exceptional player AND have an avenue to display his talent (usually ODP or top showcase tournaments or Academy league). Without those avenues and a lot of legwork on his part (I assume he is not in the national pool), he will be facing an uphill battle to get a D1 soccer scholarship.</p>
<p>Depending on the player, getting a basketball scholarship may be harder, but men’s soccer isn’t an easy scholarship.</p>
<p>ThanksToJack, like your quote "And given the nature of the athletic skills required, soccer is a sport that it’s very difficult to just pickup. "</p>
<p>Having recently went through the process with both a son and daughter I will tell you there is very little athletic aid on the men’s side in college soccer (in comparison to the women’s side). If your son really has designs on playing D1 men’s college soccer I would tell you to head to a DAP (Academy) if at all possible for recruitment exposure. A previous poster said in order to be recruited in D1 men’s soccer you must be an exceptional player and they are correct. If he is an exceptional basketball player then there is considerably more athletic aid $$$ for men’s college basketball (the full scholarship) than in men’s soccer where typically it is a partial scholarship for only the very best. If a DAP team is not available then I would get him on the best non-DAP team available that is attending the college showcase tournaments for this Spring and summer. In addition, I would carefully choose 2 or 3 summer camps at schools he is very interested in (and hopefully interested in him). Lastly, you must be proactive in contact the coaches and letting them know his tournament/game schedules. Good luck!</p>
<p>Agreed with what ThanksToTom said. Soccer is the most popular youth sport and the recruiting process is somewhat unique among other sports. I’m not too familiar with basketball recruiting - Does he play AAU? I’m not sure how it works - but I do know that with soccer, most coaches don’t care much about high school when compared to club/premiere showcases (tournaments where coaches come and observe), recommendations from club coaches (who may also be college coaches) and sometimes, video. Does he play club soccer? If not, then playing D1 soccer will be extraordinarily difficult for him.</p>
<p>Trust me - it is not easy to get recruited for a soccer scholarship. If he is looking at other large, well-known D1 schools outside of the Ivy League, it will be extraordinarily difficult to be recruited if he isn’t a high level club player. Playing D1 for both sports can be done, but it is unlikely - he’ll have more luck playing 2 sports at the D3 level.</p>