Yale men’s soccer ID clinin

Midwestmomofboys
Mon, 26 Jul 2021 20:05:32 +0000

Since you haven’t gotten much traction on this, and with the caveat that I do not know the Yale clinic specifically – I’d suggest these sorts of considerations in deciding about/prioritizing recruiting camps.

Has your student been in touch with the coaches before the camp invitation, and if so, was it a conversation that included your student’s specific details – academic and athletic record? After such an exchange, did the coaches suggest your student attend the camp?

Many camps are income-boosters for coaches, so they want to bring in as many campers as they can, all while making sure they see the specific players they are interested in. We’ve known the coaching staff at a top D1 program and we understand from conversations with them that maybe 1 unknown player every few years gets found at one of the camps. Otherwise, most of the players who wind up with recruiting offers have already been seen by the coaching staff at tournaments (though in covid, that model is up in the air) and have been specifically encouraged to attend camp. So, for anyone considering registering and showing up “cold” to a D1 camp, keep in mind that your player may well get some get great coaching and training, but is not likely to be swept up by the coaching staff as a hidden gem of a player. Of course it can happen, but it’s not likely.

My D3 player saw that unfold at some NESCAC camps. At one, he’d met with coach and had been encouraged to attend camp, but the coach did not seem strongly interested. We figured it was worth the “bet,” but found that it was not - the coach only paid attention to the handful of guys he was already in conversation with and did not look at anyone else. That camp was a bust in terms of recruiting for that school, though my kid did get interest from the assistant coach who moved to D1 program and reached out to him for his new program.

So, I’d suggest thinking about the nature of any conversations with coaching staff carefully, to parse what was said. Coaches are used to direct questions, so families should not hesitate to ask – “am I on your recruiting list? If so, where, top 10, top 5?” (knowing that can change – my kid certainly had “you’re my #1” until, suddenly, he wasn’t." )

And, read through old threads on Men’s Soccer recruiting – there is lots of knowledge here, including some great “how to” posted within the past 5-10 years. The process itself has not changed that radically, so a lot of the advice is still good (again, subject to pandemic craziness). Good luck, and hang on, it’s a wild ride. Many parents here have shared the pleasure in watching their high school athletes mature from a tongue-tied 15 year old into confident young adults who handle difficult conversations with coaches with grace.