Building a relationship with the scholarship agency is KEY to avoid scam athletes who do not have what YOU want: skills to win an important championship!
A friendly relationship of trust with the scholarship agency you are dealing with is the most important aspect regarding recruiting PLAYERS WHO FIT into your program.
“But Thiago, how do I know which agency should I trust?”
Well, it is not easy to come up with this decision, but you have to understand these aspects belows:
1 - Research the background of who RUNS THE AGENCY
If you simply google or ask the agency for the representative’s CV to check who they know and what they have done in his or her career, you will definitely relieve few problems in your head.
A SERIOUS scholarship agency would never send the wrong student-athlete to a program if the person who runs it COMPLETELY understands how it works, the different levels of the game, and etc. Otherwise, the agency would be killing itself in the market because coaches and universities are our main assets.
2 - It does not matter if the video is slow, what matters is the agency word!
After you saw the representative’s curriculum, now you can trust him a little more. If the video of the highlights you received is slow, it does not mean the player will not play in the USA. As stated in my article What To Expect From an International Soccer Player at College the game speed in Brazil is much different. We rotate the ball around the field with no pressure to get to the attacking side.
If the agency tells you that this is the player you need, trust him our fly to watch the athlete play LIVE!
3 - Ask the agency to be honest regarding the student-athlete
Informed and well-studied agencies know the game level each athlete can compete. If you ask if a specific player is NCAA D1,D2,D3, NAIA, NJCAA level, the agency will tell you the truth!
We know there are different universities who fit the profile of different student-athletes, and we want both, you and the player, happy with the recruiting decision.
4 - If the agency is honest, they will tell you to prospect other player if they do not hear an official response from the student-athlete
We have faced SEVERAL student-athletes who procrastinate and shop around for offers and we DO NOT LIKE this type of behavior.
Usually, student-athletes want to evaluate themselves to test if their curriculum is really that good to increase their ego, and this is the reason why they want to shop around, which is an attitude we do not like.
However, many other student-athletes do this because they want to find an offer, anywhere and independent of the program level, which fits within their budget (the most important aspect).
5 - Last but not least, RESEARCH the athletes
If there are any pictures or any other supporting materials that can be used as a proof that the players you are recruiting played at the level you are looking for, you will become more comfortable about coming up with your decision!
If you enjoyed what you just read, share it with your other friends!
To recruit a player