Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in Southern Utah. In the local Utah Youth Soccer League, there are over 145 registered soccer teams with 12-18 players on each team and it is growing year by year. For a lot of these younger players, their dreams point towards playing at the collegiate level but don't know the best way to make that dream a reality.
There are millions of dollars in scholarship money waiting for those that have the skills that the coaches want. The first thing you need to do to get a scholarship is to develop your soccer abilities. This does not mean that you need to be “as good” as others, this means you need to be the best! Your skills will set you apart more than anything else. To get these desired skills you must do more than just practice with your team. You need to be practicing by yourself, you need to get a soccer trainer, and you need to be hitting the gym to get your fitness on par.
Once you have developed the necessary skills and fitness you need that fitness to be seen. Many people believe that going to showcase tournaments and other “big” tournaments is the best way to get recognized by college coaches, but it's NOT! There are sometimes thousands of players of all ages at these tournaments and not very many coaches. Your odds of being “discovered” are slim to none. The best way to increase your odds of getting a scholarship is by choosing the places you want to play and going to there camps to be seen by there coaches.
Almost every college soccer team hosts an “Identification Camp” where they wish to see players that wish to play for their squad. You need to go to each of these camps for the schools you wish to attend. While you are there it is very important that you talk one-on-one with the head coach, after the camp, and tell him/her that you wish to play for them. In this conversation, you should make sure and ask what it is they would like you to improve on in order to be apart of their team. Doing this will show the coach that you are wanting and willing to put in the work to be an asset to there team.
If you have your skills on the right level and you put yourself in front of the people you want to see them, your odds of coming out with a scholarship are extreme. The fastest way to get your skills to where they need to be is by having a personal trainer coach you through your individual needs. Visit stgsoccerskills.com to find a trainer that is right for you.
