The one-page profile
A soccer recruiting profile template
The short answer
A recruiting profile is one page with the facts a coach needs to place you: graduation year, position, height, club and league, video links, grades and how to reach you and your coach. Copy the template below, fill in the brackets, and keep it as a document you can link or attach. It costs nothing to make.
Sources last checked
| Top line | Name, graduation year, position, height, stronger foot |
|---|---|
| Soccer | Club, team and league; club coach’s contact; high school; honors |
| Video | Highlight link and one full game |
| Academics | GPA, test scores if taken, intended major |
| Schedule | Where a coach can watch you next |
| Leave out | Home address, date of birth, long lists of youth trophies |
What does a soccer recruiting profile look like?
[FIRST AND LAST NAME] [Graduation year] | [Primary position] ([second position]) | [Height] | [Stronger foot] CONTACT Player email: [email] Player phone: [phone] City and state: [city, state] SOCCER Club and team: [club, team name, league] Club coach: [name and how to reach them] High school: [school, city, state] | High school coach: [name] Jersey numbers: [club number] (club), [school number] (high school) Honors: [league or state honors, captaincy, ODP or regional selections] VIDEO Highlights ([length] minutes): [link] Full game: [link] ([opponent], [date], I wear [number] in [color]) ACADEMICS GPA: [GPA] ([weighted or unweighted]) Test scores: [score, or "not taken"] Intended major: [major or "undecided"] NCAA Eligibility Center ID: [ID, once you have one] UPCOMING GAMES [Event, dates, city]: [game times and fields, or a schedule link] REFERENCES [Coach name, role, how to reach them]
Replace everything in square brackets. Keep it to one page and save it as a PDF, so it opens the same on any phone.
Why these fields, in this order?
- Graduation year and position come first because a coach is filling a class by position. Those two facts decide whether to keep reading.
- Club, team and league tell a coach the level you play at every week.
- Your club coach’s contact lets the college coach ask someone who has watched you train.
- Video is the evidence. Everything else on the page is there to get it watched.
- Grades tell the coach whether admissions will say yes. NCAA Division I and II count 16 core courses toward eligibility (grades and eligibility).
- Upcoming games turn interest into a coach on the touchline.
What should you leave off a profile?
- Your home address and date of birth. A coach does not need them, and a document that gets forwarded should not carry them.
- Statistics without context. Goals in a league a coach does not know mean little; the league name means more.
- Every team you have played for since you were small. The last two or three seasons are enough.
- Adjectives. Let the video and your coach’s reference do the describing.
How do you use the profile?
- Link it in your first email, under the video.
- Use the same facts when you fill in a program’s recruiting questionnaire, so the two agree.
- Hand a printed copy to a coach at a camp or a visit.
- Update it each season: new video, new GPA, new schedule.
A profile does nothing on its own. It works when it reaches the coaches of programs that fit, which is the job of the list: get a free target list.
Do you need a paid profile page?
No. A hosted profile can be convenient, and some are free, but a one-page document with working links carries the same facts. What you may be paying for with a profile service is messaging, tracking or advice. What recruiting services cost sets out the kinds and the prices.
Quick answers
- What should be on a soccer recruiting profile?
- Name, graduation year, position, height, stronger foot, club and league, your club coach’s contact, high school, video links, GPA and test scores, intended major, upcoming games and your own contact details.
- How long should a recruiting profile be?
- One page. A coach should find your graduation year, position and video link in a few seconds.
- Is a recruiting profile the same as a highlight video?
- No. The profile is the page of facts; the video is the evidence. The profile links to the video.
- Do you need an NCAA ID on your profile?
- It helps once you have one. A player who plans to compete in Division I or II registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center, and the NCAA’s guide says to share that ID with the schools recruiting you.
- Should parents’ contact details be on the profile?
- The player’s email and phone should come first. A parent’s email can be added for travel and cost questions.
Sources
Last checked against these sources on. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.
See a profile turned into a first email
The demo drafts a first email from a sample player’s profile facts. Nothing is sent.
The demo is the real product with a sample player in it. No account, no card, and nothing you do in it is charged or sent.