How to Research College Soccer Programs
When you are starting to research college soccer programs, it’s hard to find the right fit. There are more than 1,400 college soccer programs on the men’s side and more than 1,500 college soccer programs on the women’s side. These numbers include everything from D1 through DIII, NAIA, and Junior College programs. At those programs, there are about 44,000 players on men’s soccer teams and another 44,000 student athletes on women’s soccer teams.
When you are starting to research what college soccer programs would work best for you, there are 6 key metrics we recommend you rank based on their importance to you:
What’s Your Goal?
Education You’ll Receive?
The Financial Support Offered
Location of the College
How Successful is the Program?
How Much Playing Time Can You Realistically Expect?
But first, the cold, hard numbers:
The Numbers of College Soccer
It’s important to know what the competitive landscape looks like for roster spots. About 21% of the rosters for men’s teams are international players. That number is currently a lot lower on the women’s side, with approximately 3% of roster spots going to international players.
So, on the men’s side, it looks roughly like this:
Total Players: ~44,000
Total Minus International Players: ~34,760
Total Non-International Players Per Class: ~8,690
On the women’s side, it looks roughly like this:
Total Players: ~44,000
Total Minus International Players: ~42,680
Total Non-International Players Per Class: ~10,670
This means, in a given year, there are about 8,700 spots available for men and about 10,700 for women. That adds up to each men’s program looking to add about 6 American players per year and about 7 per women’s program. What does that mean? As approximately only the top 7-10% of high school age players go on to play college soccer, coaches have the opportunity to be picky.
So while they’re being picky seems like a bad situation, it isn’t. Most players circle the same 25-50 programs and if you do your homework to find what program would be a right fit for you, you’ll have a massive leg-up. Let’s go question by question to narrow down the options when researching college soccer programs.
What’s Your Goal in College Soccer?
If your goal is to go pro after playing college soccer, it will impact how to approach the following metrics – but perhaps not in the way you are thinking. Most players who aspire to go pro are most adamant DI or bust players, thinking that it’s the only path for them. That couldn’t be further from the truth (if you are still unsure, don’t forget that the top 2 scorers all-time in MLS both went to DII schools).
The most important thing to look at for these players is which program will give them the best opportunity to continue to develop. Higher ranked DI programs are less likely to play incoming freshman right away, whereas lower ranked teams – as well as DII, DIII and Junior College programs – are going to be more open to it.
At the same time, don’t forget that college coaches are win-now – otherwise they won’t have a job for long. Looking for a program where the coach will see you as helping the team right away AND you will be able to continue to develop is key for your pathway.
What Education Do You Want to Receive?
Regardless of your goals after college soccer, the point of college is getting an education. The caliber of the school doesn’t need to be your priority, but it’s a good idea to make sure you can study what you want to study at the very least.
If the level of education is a priority, it helps remove some of the options.
What Level of Financial Support Is Offered?
Contrary to popular belief, getting to play college sports doesn’t mean you are getting a full scholarship. In fact, most players do not get much financial support just for athletics.
If getting a scholarship is the priority, it can limit options…BUT, if you qualify for academic scholarships a lot of coaches will be interested in you because it gives them more flexibility to build their roster.
Location of the School
If this is a priority – if you want to stay close to home, if you won’t go through another winter up north, or you can’t imagine sweating through a summer in Florida – it makes research simpler. If you aren’t as concerned about which part of the country the school is in, you have a lot more options.
How Successful Is the Program?
This question seems straightforward, but there’s some nuance to it. If you want to play for a successful program with a history, look at the coach. If they’re new in the position, they’re in the hot seat and need to win now more than other programs. If they’ve been there for a long time and built the program’s reputation, the coach has a little less pressure.
On the other side, if the program does not have a lot of success in its history, is it likely the coach is going to stick around? Do they want to build the program up or do you think they’ll leave for a new job at a bigger program after a good season or two?
It’s tough to make that assessment, but it is important going in to know how important that is for you.
How Much Playing Time Can You Reasonably Expect?
This is an important one – if you want to play right away, you need to look at a few factors. To start:
How many minutes did Freshman get the last 2-3 years? Some coaches want experience. Would you be ok not playing much year 1 to develop?
Does their preferred formation and style of play fit your strengths?
What year are the players currently playing my position(s)?
If immediate playing time is a priority, it’s worth looking at schools that aren’t at the top – either DII, DIII, NAIA, or Junior College. The top programs are trending towards getting transfers (and international students) so it can be a smarter pathway to starting somewhere & getting minutes than fighting for a roster spot at a top program.
And if your goal is to transfer after a season or two – it’s doubly essential to pick a program where you are getting a lot of minutes right away. If you are on a middle-of-the-pack team and not playing, coaches aren’t going to want you as a transfer unless you go a few levels lower.
Rank The Options in Order of Importance
When you rank these metrics in order of importance, you start to see your pathway more clearly. As you go through and see what is most important, the option of thousands gets narrowed down quickly to a few dozen. Then you can focus your efforts building actual relationships with those coaches instead of copying and pasting the same email 1,000 times and getting ignored.
Want help figuring out your pathway to college soccer? Set up a mentorship session and we can walk you through the options and get you on your way.
