Soccer News: Why should I consider attending College ID Camp?

SN new columnist, Scott Juniper, women's soccer head coach at UC Irvine who was recognized as the 2010 Big West Coach of the Year and NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year was at today's WPSL San Diego SeaLions vs OC Waves match. Here are his game notes

There are so many players hoping to be recruited to play soccer in college you have to be pro-active in the process to get yourself recognized from the crowd. There are only a very few players who can afford to sit back and wait for the phone to ring with multiple scholarship offers.

The reality for the majority, is that as it gets more competitive for these opportunities every year and you have to have a ‘plan’ to get recognized, evaluated and identified by the right coaches. As a college coach, I receive thousands of emails, links to YouTube, letters and phone calls from players and coaches recommending recruits or requesting a visit to evaluate them.

There is just not enough time in the year or flexibility within the NCAA regulations to see everyone. Coaches typically try to make the most efficient use of their time by attending events where they will see the most players at their competitive level or attending specific games to see players recommended by trusted colleagues in the club game. Recruits are making the same decision by trying to play in events where they hope to be seen by as many coaches as possible or playing for a coach who has a record of players having gone on to have rewarding experiences in college.

Hopefully, with both parties trying their best to be in the right place at the right time recruits find coaches and coaches find the recruits!

This recruiting process is one that defines much of the success that we have as collegiate coaches. I have met so many wonderful people in our profession who do a remarkable job finding the right players for their programs and as a result creating incredible collegiate experiences for them that lasts a lifetime. However, it is a tough process and one that requires recruits to be well-informed, educated, pro-active and strategic in their planning. Attending the right tournaments and playing for the best coaches are important pieces to a strategy but I would strongly recommend attending college identification and development camps as a part of your strategy. These camps are open to everyone and the colleges only limit the attendees by number, gender and age (per NCAA rules.)

Many Division I soccer programs run these camps and you can get a lot out of them if you pick the right one. There are many instances where players have been identified at camps and this has been a key component in their process. It is important to emphasize that in no way does attending a college ID camp guarantee you a scholarship or even a spot on a roster and it should only be seen as one component of your individual recruiting strategy. However, these camps are a unique opportunity to train directly with college coaches, get to know their coaching style, and learn the kind of tactical components that collegiate soccer demands. You will learn that college coaches have their own styles, unique personalities and you can experience exactly what it may be like to train with them on a daily basis. Your college coach will be there almost every day of you collegiate career so you had better like their personalities! Many camps employ their players as camp counselors so you also have the chance to learn from them about their experiences and how they arrived as a collegiate player.

There are a lot of camps out there and we have developed a camp at UC Irvine which tries to offer the chance to work with multiple NCAA DI college coaches, experience living in the college dorms, learn how to be successful in the recruiting process and hear how to prepare to be successful in college once you get there. Our College ID Camp runs for three days and two nights from Monday, July 18 to Wednesday, July 20. Hopefully, the schedule means that you can attend the camp and only miss one club practice at the most.

We have coaches from Cal State Fullerton, LMU, UNLV and Fresno State on staff so you get exposure to train directly with multiple college coaches. For more information check out our website 

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Scott Juniper has been the women's soccer head coach at UC Irvinesince January 2006. In four seasons at the helm, Juniper put the Anteaters on the national map, leading the program to a historic 19-3-2 season and reaching NCAA Tournament for the first time in history in 2010. The women's soccer team concluded the season ranked No. 14 in the nation and second in California (NSCAA). For his efforts, Juniper was recognized as the 2010 Big West Coach of the Year and NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year. In the last four years, Juniper has compiled an overall record of 50-26-8.

 

In 2006, Juniper was hired as an assistant coach at UCI under April Heinrichs. Prior to joining the Anteater program, Juniper was an assistant coach for the UC Riverside men's soccer program for three seasons from 2003-05 and an assistant coach at the University of Bristol (England) from 1998 - 2002. Juniper earned his Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Bristol (England) in 1998 and went on to receive his Master`s in sport and exercise science from the University of Bath (England) in 2002. His Master's thesis investigated group dynamics of elite soccer. Juniper's research was published by the English F.A. Coaches Association Journal in 2003 and "The Sport Psychologist" in 2006. 

As a collegiate soccer player in England at the University of Bristol, Juniper was named both Freshman and Player of the Year in 1996 and was the leading scorer in 1996 and 1998. During that time, Juniper represented England Universities at the regional level. In 1995, he captained the Colchester Sixth Form College to a high school national title and in 2001 he was part of the National Championship winning team at the University of Bath. He also played for a number of semi-professional teams in England. Juniper holds the U.S. Soccer Federation "A" coaching license, UEFA "B" license, USSF National Youth License, NSCAA Goalkeeper license, and a Speed, Agility and Quickness trainer accreditation. He is also on the Cal South coach education staff, coaches with the Cal South and Region IV Olympic Development programs in addition to local clubs and community programs.

Juniper's Publications: Juniper, S. W. & Mellalieu, S. D. (2003). The Impact of Role States on Team Effectiveness. INSIGHT - The Football Association Coaches Association Journal, 4, Vol. 6, 59-61.