College ID Camps; Are they Worth the Money?

Everyone who wants to play college soccer wonders, “Are College ID camps worth it?” I am here to tell you yes, yes, they are!

While ID camps can be wondrous, there are also some things to know beforehand so you don’t waste your time and money…

First, going to an ID camp is a great way to see the school’s campus, meet the coaches (and hopefully some players) but hey are expensive. Do your research to make sure you are seriously considering the school before you’re out $100-$300. For example, does the school offer your major, social life, campus setting and ideals – this will really help you decide if you can envision yourself playing in that school’s program.

Next, try to get in touch with the coach beforehand! They can’t communicate with you before you’re a junior in high school but that shouldn’t stop you from reaching out to them and more than once, by email or the phone. If a coach knows you’re going to attend their camp, they will keep an eye out for you. It also helps to meet them so they can put a face to the name. Then when you ask for feedback after the camp (and you should ask for feedback) they can easily remember who you are and tell you their thoughts.

Some college coaches will personally invite you to one of their ID camps so they can see you play more closely. You’ll know when a college coach invites you because they call you, tell you in person, or through a personalized email. This is different from a mass email invite, which doesn’t have any personal information about you, and can be read by anyone if you change the name addressed. It’s important to make sure you differentiate college ID camps that personally invite you from the chain emails colleges send.

Look out for mass ID camps. Occasionally you will find an ID camp that offers anywhere from 5 to 50 to 100 colleges. I do not recommend these types of camps because it is very difficult to be seen thoughtfully in a group of 60+ girls.

I attended one of those large camps and asked for feedback from one of the coaches—his response was, “As you know, large camps are sometimes very difficult to get a true idea of what a player might look like in our setting.” This led me and my parents to spend more time and money to attend the college’s personalized ID camp.

Colleges can and do recruit players directly from ID camps. It doesn’t happen all the time, but if a college is really impressed by you,  after the camp they might offer you the opportunity to move forward with them in the recruiting process. Usually, a college coach wants to see you play with your team before making any decisions.

Ultimately, ID camps are a crucial part of the recruiting process, you just need to know how to use this tool effectively. Go through the checklist: Am I seriously considering this college? Have I been in contact with the coach? Am I invited to this camp or do they just want my money? Is this a single multiple college ID camp?

Most importantly, be sure to have fun and make friends, colleges like to see what kind of person you are off the field too!

—

Girls Soccer Network: Your Source for Girls Soccer News