By SRUSA Founder, Chris Cousins
I've seen a lot of talk about agencies that help players on their college soccer journey, and yes I founded and run one, but thought I'd give a breakdown about the type of people who typically use them.
Firstly, 🌎Internationals (from outside the U.S.) make up about 30% of our clients. For the most part they NEED an agency. 99% of internationals have no real indepth knowledge on how the system works, the levels, and academics etc. So the guidance part, alongside the actual marketing is pretty much essential. I've seen internationals do it on their own, but few and far between.
🇺🇸 Domestic players, now this gets interesting. If they are National Team and TOP MLS Academy (male) players, they'll get the schools coming to them. Many of these level players are bypassing College to go into professional clubs, but they can usually just sit back and wait for colleges to get in touch.
The next rung of the ladder is the players playing for TOP MLS Next and ECNL Girls teams. These levels of players are pretty much known from the age of 14. These are typically the top-level domestic players that end up in College, and to be honest, very rarely need a recruiting agency. However, we sign players like this every now and again because they 1) want a sounding board to make sure they choose the right school 2) they want to expand their profile so they know as many schools as possible will see them.
Next up, is pretty much 80% of players in the USA. They are good players, but there's not much difference between them and everyone else in this category. It's almost a war every week, at this and that showcase/event to try to get seen. They are told to email, email, email, which can work, but it's down to the gods sometimes. This is the majority of people who use agencies.
So what are the benefits of using agencies for players:
- Agencies are part of their process (alongside their clubs, coaches, parents, etc). We are in 'their' team.
- Agencies are there for advice on what schools are realistic for the player and ultimately help save time for the player and family.
- Agencies are contacted hourly by coaches and have their ear to the ground for any changes, or any brand-new positional needs.
- Agencies usually have video highlight creation services to take that stress away, which can save countless hours.
- Agencies usually are there for the player their whole college career, so before, during (things like transfers, or just advice are needed), and after (pro route, or just help with future career).
- Agencies save you time. Just like fixing (for example) your car, you can watch numerous youtube videos, and learn how to do it, but that would take time. Agencies help families save time, and with the honest approach many (including ours) take, you are stopped from spending time and money on unachievable goals.
I'm sure there's more, but these are just some details which I thought might be useful.
As you know, we like to be a really transparent agency, so if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to DM me or email me chris@sportsrecruitingusa.com
We have been helping players from across the world since 2010, and our staff have over 300 years of combined #CollegeSoccer experience.
