All soccer coaches have different motivations to host soccer camps. For many on the youth travel/club level it is not only to make their teams better but to gain a profit. College soccer coaches opinion’s are the most worthy of noting because their livelihood is based on their success and college level soccer is typically where the most competitive and elite athletes set their goals after high school. Instead of their goals being directly focused on profit, college coaches have to worry about winning to maintain their job. As a result college soccer coaches must successfully recruit athletes that will help them win games and display upstanding character that will portray their university in a positive light. When college coaches host soccer camps, they look for these factors in order to ensure their success and heighten their career performance.

 

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The first and most obvious reason that college coaches host soccer camps is to find the best talent for their teams. Coaches can only control what they have to work with and want to select the best talents for their teams the upcoming season. Every team has a weakness or holes that need to be filled on the roster and the process of recruiting helps coaches find gaps for these inadequacies. College coaches host soccer camps to find the best talent to add to their teams in addition to finding compatible players that will fit their team’s chemistry. In other words, college coaches are looking for “coachable” athletes that are willing to commit their talents to the coach’s game plan. An athlete looking to be on a college team should attend college soccer camps to showcase their skills but make sure that they are willing to listen to the coaches instructions to prove they could possibly play a role on the team.

The next ability coaches look at in college soccer camps goes beyond the boundaries of the field. College coaches look for players with character both on and off the field and the best way for an athlete to display this at soccer camps is by following instructions and staying humble. Coaches despise when athletes have a know-it-all attitude about a subject; the athlete may love the sport he plays and an instruction given may already be known, however, it is important to respect the coaches’ advice.

In my previous article, Character Matters in College Sports, I go into exclusive detail about how an athlete’s character is an essential part of the recruiting process for all college coaches. This doesn’t change for soccer and is actually magnified to some extent. College soccer is rarely a large revenue generating sport for the university; therefore, coaches, athletic directors, and administrative staff are far less likely to put up with any shenanigans or foul behavior off the field. All teams have rules that players must abide by that range from drinking policies to keeping grades (even some teams’ of –age players are banned from drinking during the season). For college coaches it is important that athletes display respect on the field towards their coaches/teammates and show character while abiding by team rules – in addition to university rules and the law. Athletes who follow these aspects at college soccer camps and in everyday life have a better chance of being noticed by coaches who run these camps.

In conclusion, college soccer coaches host soccer camps primarily to look for talent and character in players. They are looking for athletes that will help improve their team and are attempting to create an environment as close as possible to a college soccer practice. College camps are intended to improve college soccer teams by obtaining players that already have the most talent and the best character. These camps are part of the recruiting process that eventually helps sustain them in their careers as coaches. As an athlete looking to play in college, one should come prepared to these camps to display their skills and prove their character.

REFERENCES

http://www.soccercoachingnotes.com/college/college_soccer.html

http://www.studentguideusa.com/sports/college-soccer.html

http://www.active.com/soccer/Articles/7-College-Soccer-Camps-to-Attend.htm

http://www.nationalsoccerranking.com/rankings.asp

http://www.soccercampguide.com/soccer_camp_questions.htm

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