How to Email a College Soccer Coach (The Right Way)

A question I’ve been asked thousands of times by players and parents is, “How to email a college soccer coach”. 

There are some very basic, necessary steps that you need to make sure your email provides the right information and gets the attention of the college soccer coach.  

One thing to keep in mind and think about is, college coaches get 100s of emails a week from players similar to you.  Those coaches, usually the assistant coaches or recruiting coordinators have to go through those emails and figure out which ones would be a good fit for their program.  

You have to find a way to stand out and also be unique and authentic in your interest.  College coaches are not looking for players that are spamming 100s of college coaches weekly.  They are looking for players that are specifically interested in their program, for specific athletic, academic and social interests.  They want to know that you have done your research and you genuinely want to go their school and play on their team! 

Here is what you need to do to make sure you get their attention and stand out amongst the rest.

1. Make sure you send the email to the full coaching staff, including Head Coach, Assistant Coaches and any Recruiting Coordinators.  I also recommend cc'ing some of your References on the email.  For example, your current Head Coach for club or high school, Trainers, College Guidance Advisors, College Placement Directors, Academy or ECNL Directors, Technical Directors etc...  

2. Subject line: This should include your Full Name, Graduation Year, Position, Club Team, GPA - something related to the school.  For example, their mascot name or their school name.  If you are attending an ID Camp or Showcase, you can replace the school name with the event in the title. 

3.  Body of the email:  I will use an Introduction Email as an example.  This is the first email you send to college coaches, to express your specific interest in their program.  Introduce yourself and let them know you have done your research.  Express 1-3 specific reasons why you have selected their school as one of your top schools.  Keep it simple and not too wordy.  Focus on athletic, academic and social interests that you have in their school and program. 

4.  Body of the email:  Include access to your Player Profile link so they can get insight on your Athletic and Academic Achievements. 

5.  Body of the email:  Include access to your Highlight Video.  Since college coaches received so many emails, it is very important to get their attention by using a Highlight Video.  This is your commercial to showcase and highlight your strengths as a player and footage of you in action.  This could be a variety of technical training, but most importantly game footage.  The coaches want to see how you play the game, your movements, skill set and decision making skills on the field in the game!  The video should be easy to watch, attractive, professional and less than 5 minutes - with the best highlights in the beginning.  

6.  Body of the email:  Invite them to come watch you play in one of your upcoming events.  Include a link to your upcoming schedule, league games, tournament, showcase or event.  It is very important to include the link so it is always up to date and in case there are any changes.  This is the best way to get them to come watch you play in action!  Then they can get an assessment of you level of play and if you would be a fit for their team. 

7.  I would also include some of your References inside the body of the email as point of contact for the college coach.  Due to NCAA Rules, college coaches are limited in their ability to communicate directly with potential student-athletes, especially if you are Sophomore or younger.  But, a good way for them to find out more information about you is to refer them to one of your References.  If they want to, they can reach out to your Reference and ask more detailed questions about you as a player and how your skill set and character might fit into their program. 

8.  Thank you the college coaches for their time and let them know you look forward to meeting them!

9.  If you have not done so already, I recommend creating a unique Personal College Recruiting Email Address.  For example:  [email protected] or [email protected] 

Pro Tips:  

Your Highlight Video should be embedded into your Player Profile.

You can also use add an additional separate link using YouTube, Vimeo or your preferred hosting platform.

Here are some Sample Subject Lines:
Sarah Smith 2024 Midfielder GPA 3.8 – All World FC Team – Pepperdine University

Jane Doe 2024 Impact Player - Future Trojan - All World FC

Sarah Smith 2024 Forward GPA 4.0 – All World FC Team - Surf Cup

Michael Smith 2024 GK GPA 4.0 – All World FC Team - ID Camp Attendee

Updates and Timelines:

May 31, 2021: The Dead Period opens up for DI coaches to do live recruiting. They will be actively recruiting June, July and some of August. Middle of August they will start transitioning to pre-season training for their Fall season. You have a short period of time to get them to come see you in action.

Sophomores - June 15 college coaches can contact you and have recruiting conversations.
Juniors and Seniors - that is open for college coaches to have those conversations with you now.

Keep working hard and stay healthy and do something every day toward getting closer to your goal!!

For more information or insight on what you should be doing to get recruited. Contact me at [email protected]