College soccer in the United States is played at many different levels. For the most part there is a proper level and good fit everyone. The very top schools are looking for high level players who may have been released from a youth pro club, play on a national team or are choosing college over trying to go pro. Then there are levels for players who enjoy the game but do not possess the talent to play at a very high level. These players just enjoy playing and being part of a team while studying. There are a few different classifications in college soccer for men and women. The NCAA is the largest classification. The NCAA has Div I, II and III level soccer teams for men and women. Div I and II offer scholarships while Div III does not. Full scholarships are very difficult to get. Chances of getting a full scholarship is low. Division II which is still a good level has scholarships and in general is slightly easier to get some type of financial grant or scholarship. Full scholarships in NCAA Div II are still very difficult to obtain. NCAA Div III can give high performing students some academic money but they do not give sports scholarships. The next classification is the NAIA for both men and women. The NAIA has both athletic and academic scholarships. The level in the NAIA is good for top teams but gets lower outside the top tier schools. The NAIA is not as big an organization as the NCAA. The options are less in the NAIA but it still can be a good experience. The last classification is the NJCAA which is a two year sports program. The problem is these teams have rules on the number of internationals (4 per team). Spots are very hard to attain. That is a brief look at the levels and general overview.
Now lets talk qualifications, schools and touch on how to be recruited. The qualifications you need to be eligible to play at each level differs and each organization differs (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA – all differ in academic eligibility requirements) I will get into all that stuff in my ebook which will be out the end of this week. Each school in the States is very different. Location is very important as well. Is it close to a city, in a city or out in the middle of a small town with not much to do? How expensive is the school? Do they offer academic scholarships? Do they offer on campus jobs for internationals? Do they have sports scholarship money? Is there on campus housing? How much is the total package of housing, meal plan, tuition and books?Does the soccer program train both semesters? What are the facilities like? These are all very important questions to ask. How do you get recruited to play at these schools? Do you need a video and playing resume? Should you hire a sports agent company to showcase you? Some college teams only hold 22 players and thats it. Other teams are more flexible when it comes to roster size and even field reserve teams. There are college coaches who get 300 plus emails a day, some will answer their emails and phone calls right away and others will not. The bottom line is you will need to put a lot of hard work in to find the right fit for you. My ebook goes into these things in detail to help you make the best decisions.
Look for the ebook on my blog coming the end of this week! Click on “My Books” and you will be able to purchase it from amazon for $2.99
If you are serious about coming to America to study for $2.99 it is a must read.