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If a South Carolina player wants to play at a college level in South Carolina, does it make much of a difference in which state she/he plays while being recruited? Does her/his high school or club matter? Is there a difference between girls and boys soccer with respect to this question?

Here is a great paper that breaks down the dynamics of recruiting from a slightly different spin, yet I think your question can be answered from these pages.
http://scoreattheshore.com/images/Dynamics%20of%20Mens%20%20Division%201%20Soccer%20Recruiting.pdf

I think a lot of it depends on where you want to go (i.e. size of school). If you want to attend a bigger school (Clemson, USC, C of C) who recruits at a regional or national level, then it might help for you to seek out the top club in your area. If you live in a smaller town, it might mean driving to play for CESA, the Bridge or one of the Charlotte clubs.

If you are looking to play for a smaller school (Limestone, Erskine, etc), then you might be able to get away with playing for your local club no matter how good they are.

The more important thing is where you live b/c that determines whether or not you will qualify for in-state tuition and thus how much of the scholarship budget the program will have to use to obtain your services. For instance, if you are an above average player but not a superstar who lives in Charlotte and want to attend a S.C. school--- would it make sense to move to Rock Hill a year before you go to college to establish in-state residency?

Even though they are both "1 scholarship", in general 1 in-state scholarship is less expensive to a program than 1 out-of-state scholarship. That is unless of course, the institution has an out-of-state fee waiver for scholarship recipiants.

>>[TVOR] I think a lot of it depends on where you want to go (i.e. size of school). If you want to attend a bigger school (Clemson, USC, C of C) who recruits at a regional or national level, then it might help for you to seek out the top club in your area. If you live in a smaller town, it might mean driving to play for CESA, the Bridge or one of the Charlotte clubs.<<

Let's assume it's a Division I school. In your opinion, does a player go to a top club in her/his area in order to get seen by a D1 school or does a player go to a top club in her/his area in order to become a better player and thus have a better chance to be recruited?

>>[CIWS*GK] Here's a great paper...<<

I've actually read this before -- I agree with you, it's a good paper. However, when I read this, I come to the inescapable conclusion that the best chance of getting recruited is to play on absolutely the best team possible (and thus one that can get accepted into the higher brackets in elite tournaments.) Is that your take away from this?

Chico, absolutely! I went to the ODP subregional this weekend (recommend reading the comments in the latest ODP forum). I saw many games in various age groups. The role of the ODP is to showcase individual talent from within the state. However, a lot of comments are being made about the level of play at this friendly being low or equal to regular club play. I observed that also, the break point seemed to be at the '91 and below age group (U14ish). SC 91's blew out the WV & AL teams 5-0, 5-0 (could have easily been 10-0). I believe the same thing happened with the NC1 team. SC was scheduled to play the NC2 team on Sunday but instead played the NC1 team which, as I understand, players were moved between NC1 & NC2 to build the best possible team (NOTE: most all of these states' players had not practiced as a team before this weekend). The score was 0-0 at the half and NC1 ended with the win 2-0 (tremendous game). Teams younger than 91 mostly played kickball and it was very hard to see individual talent. Players for the SC and NC1 91 teams could easily showcase their talent with other talented players, it was great to watch. The older age groups had more experience and again it was easier for individuals to showcase their talent as well.

So, to answer your question; Yes, playing on the "best" team will get you into the best tournaments & it allows you to really showcase the "individual". On another point, the coaches of ODP are mostly collegiate, I noted CofC, Lander, Erskine & USC coaches at tryouts and the subregional. ODP gives you tremendous In-State exposure as well as top club and tournaments.

Chico:
I think that if you are younger, it is important to seek out the best coaching which tends to be at the bigger clubs but not all the time.

As you get older and decide that you want (or better said-- that you have the skill) to play at a bigger D.1 school, then it is important to play for a club that has some name recognition or plays in tournaments where they will get seen. However, many players today rely too much on this visibility and do not fully market themselves. Also, many players and parents feel that since they play for a bigger club, that automatically entitles them to a D.1 scholarship.

For instance, you play for a team that goes to Disney or the Dallas Cup or any of the other showcases. Well, great. But, do you sit on the bench the whole time? Is that better or would it be better to play for a second tere club that goes to fewer or less glamorous tournaments but be a starter and big contributor on that team?

Visibility is one aspect of the recruiting process, but so is skill, proper marketing and classroom performance.

And Connections....It has become clear to me than knowing someone that knows someone is definetely a plus. If you play for the best team and at the best tournaments and you do not have the connections you may not be as seriously considered, I would guess that this may fall in the marketing area that Voice is speaking about.

Does the club actively market their players? How do they do it?

Another form of self-promotion is attending the competitive summer camp of the college of your choice. If you are a good player, but don't necessarily play for a super club (time, travel or financial constraints), you can always attend the school's summer soccer camp.

Do this as early as U-14 and get yourself on the head coach's "radar screen".