Soccer ID Camps?

ToneDef
Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:33:51 +0000

Is this a camp specifically for that school, or put on by a group of schools?

Most of these ID camps, especially the group of school ones, are money generating features for coaches, and I’m not saying that is a bad thing. They do have some value. Undoubtedly, many players who wind up at a particular school may attend one of the ID camps, sometimes at the coach’s request. The big camps with groups of schools often sort the kids somewhat by the level they currently play at, and soccer is a sport where it can be difficult to show out if those around you are lagging. Every coach is not watching everything at once, so the odds of getting spotted by the “right” person aren’t great. The big ID sessions with lots of schools provide a glimpse of what a college workout might be like, and usually an overview of the recruiting process (which you can probably get here or searching on-line just as well). When my S was a 10th grader he attended one and did very well. He asked a coach how he did. Coach had him confirm his age twice, because the coach was really impressed and he was too young for the coach to discuss scholarships with. He says “Come back next year, we can talk money”. This was the summer before COVID hit, and the school was not really compatible for S’s pre-med major anyways, but the coach also had much more focus on immediate needs and older players (even the ones he outplayed). Basically, unless you specifically know you are interested in a participating school and contact them ahead of time, the “recruiting” benefit of the bigger group sessions is limited, especially as an 8th grader. The reel benefit for these for younger players is getting to experience different coaching (club teams can be very narrow in coaching tactics) and also to network with other players. For older players, I think it can be useful if there is a specific school you want to connect with based on the player’s academic goals/needs. However, a better alternative is to attend the ID session put on solely by the school you are interested in if they have them (and most do). These are usually even more like a college practice day, and hands on with the coaches and players at that school, so both sides get a better read on each other. Also usually cheaper than the big multi-school events. At 8th grade the player might not know which schools they are interested in though.