Getting a scholarship into the USA College system takes a lot of work and persistence. NO ONE is going to chase you to come to their college. You, the athlete, have to make it happen. You have started the process by becoming a Regional/State player and doing the correct subjects from Year 9 onwards.

The following information will hopefully set you on the right path to gaining a future in the USA. This is about choosing the right path for your education and using soccer as a vehicle to make it happen.

There are some steps that have to be completed along the way:

· For Division 1 each student athlete must complete 16 core courses (high school subjects). These are:

4 years of English

3 years of Maths

2 years of Science

1 extra year of English/Maths/Science

2 years of Social Science

4 extra core courses (including language, religion, philosophy)

From this you will be given a grade point average (A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D – 1 point)

· For Division 2 – 14 core courses

3 years of English

2 years of Maths

2 years of Science

2 years of English/Math/Science

2 years of SOSE

3 years of extra core courses from the above

2. Register with Clearing house (www.ncaaclearinghouse.net)

This is the NCAA Admissions centre. You need to register with this site. The site houses all your information which can be passed on to college coaches. You receive 4 of these.

You will have to use a credit card to pay and you will have to pick your own PIN. DO NOT LOSE THIS PIN.

Like our own Core Skills test, the USA uses a standard test the SAT test to rank students. This test is not easy as it uses American terms and phrases and also is a product of their system.

It has 2 sections – Maths and Verbal/Critical Reading. Each section is combined to give you your total score. This is combined with your GPA to give your total academic picture.

You will have to register for this online at www.collegeboard.com. Again you will need a credit card to do so.

When you register for the SAT one of the places you must put down to have scores sent is Ncaa Clearing House. The code for this all 9999’s.

There is a testing centre in Toowoomba. It is at Toowoomba Christian College. The details are as follows:-

Date Register Code

May 3 April 1 87388

June 7 May 6 87388

As this test is based on America it will require a great deal of preparation for you to be successful. A group of resources has been prepared for you to assist in this endeavour.

4. Create a resume.

Using the template given to you create a resume of your personal details, academic and playing history. This will be the first information you send to a college coach. Make sure your photo is up to date. Your school will need to provide you with an official document for your grades.

IMPORTANT

At his point you will have a GPA and a score from your SAT. These now have different meanings depending what division you wish to play in.

DIVISION 1 – There is a sliding scale of GPA/SAT combined scores. The higher the GPA the less you need in the SAT e.g. a GPA of 3.000 (All B’s) gives you a required SAT of 620. Check out page 9 of the guide for student athletes.

DIVISION 2 – In this division you need a 2.000 GPA and 820 on your SAT. There is no sliding scale.

DIVISION 3 – Does not use NCAA Clearing house.

You must remember that the USA is an extremely large place and there are several hundred Universities in each division from which to choose, plus the colleges in the NCAA (private system) - the choice is overwhelming.

To search Google would take hours. We need a condensed readily available method. This I guess is where a scouting service could do the job. There is one with Football Qld called NSR (National Scouting Report) - they will change you $4000 for their service.

My choice would be to use the resources provided by SPORTSOURCE. They provide the following:-

· A workbook that will help you step by step through the process

· A resource book that lists every college and its soccer program

· Matchfit codes (2) which through a servies of choices helps narrow the field to a smaller list of 10 / 15 colleges in the USA.

This will not only educate you but will give you the opportunity to target colleges where you fit and will enjoy, rather than sending your information to colleges who may not suit you e.g. there is no point wanting to go to University of Arizona if you wish to do Marine Biology.

With your 10 / 15 coaches you will then send them an email stating your interest to play for their college and why. You may attach your resume at this point.

Research also shows us that college coaches prefer to hear from athletes who have researched their university rather than a recruiting agency who sends 100’s of emails.

As most college coaches will not get to see you play the video is very important for them to see you play. The video will contain:-

· Interview from you

· A skills section

· A highlights section

· An unedited game

At present we are negotiating with video companies to tape matches and provide quality footage. The days of the handycam are long gone.

The video needs to be then sent to college coaches who want them. This can be expensive so they only need to be sent to coaches who are genuine and show interest.

Once a college coach offers you a scholarship you have to sign a ‘Letter of Intent’. This signals that you wish to play for the college and are basically off limits to others. You agree to play for them for one year and they agree to the financial aid for that year.

So there it is – if everything goes to plan you will be on your way to the college of your choice and on scholarship.

Below are some of the costs that you will be faced with:

Register with clearing house $ 50

SAT Test $ 43

International fee for SAT $ 25

Online SAT Test help for (4 months) $ 70

Princeton Review for SAT (DVD) $ 30

Sports Source package $150

Postage for DVD’s (express post) $ 15 per DVD

(we are trying to do this so the college pays for this via their Fedex account)

As yet video package is not included as we do not have a professional on board.

So to get started is $268 - without the DVD process. Compare that with $4000 from NSR.