Dave is the Head Womens Coach at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. USSF A - Licence.

There are many excellent books,publications and articles available on how to attract the attention of college coaches. Most of the information is repeated again and again every year and all the advice provided is relevant and should be helpful to any prospective recruit. However, there are some things beyond what is read and researched that I would advise the high school player to do. They are as follows :

*If you play for a quality premier or ODP team and are planning on sending a coach a video don't be afraid to video one or two practices. You probably get more time on the ball in these sessions and this will allow a coach to judge you ability a little better. Goalkeepers who work with quality goalkeeper coaches should definitely video a practice session as a coach will get to see all aspects of your technical ability as opposed to one or two saves in a club or high school game.

*If you are a goalkeeper and want to send a video to a coach have someone stand behind the goal you are playing in and film play. This will help a coach see how you follow the play, how you organize your defense, what your footwork is like, etc., Include footage of you warming up before the game too.

* Before mailing a letter to a college coach double check to make sure he/she is still the coach of the school and that their name is spelt correctly on all correspondence. It shows you have done some research on the school if both the coaches name and spelling are correct.

Hope these tips are of some help to you and I wish you all the best as you search for the perfect college to attend.