January College Recruiting Newsletter 2024

Welcome to the Kings Hammer January College Recruiting Newsletter! The club is excited to work with you to accomplish all of your player’s goals for this upcoming soccer year, on and off of the soccer field. Each month, we will be providing this resource to help you navigate the craziness that is the college recruiting process. We hope you find value in this newsletter and we are excited to assist in this exciting process for your family!

This month’s College Recruiting Newsletter will discuss college soccer programs and goal-setting.

College Soccer – Starting the Search

Do you think you may want to play college soccer? If you are reading this, there is a high likelihood that the answer is yes! Chances are there may be more opportunities to play at the next level than you may think. With proper planning, preparation, and research, each athlete can find a school and level of soccer that fits what they are looking for in all aspects of their collegiate life. Believe it or not, there are over 1200 men’s soccer programs and 1400 women’s soccer programs that allow athletes to continue their soccer playing careers in college. Below are the number of teams in each division:

Men’s Soccer

NCAA Division 1 – 205 Programs

NCAA Division 2 – 206 Programs

NCAA Division 3 – 410 Programs

NAIA – 188 Programs

Junior College – 217 Programs

Women’s Soccer

NCAA Division 1 – 333 Programs

NCAA Division 2 – 265 Programs

NCAA Division 3 – 441 Programs

NAIA – 188 Programs

Junior College – 181 Programs

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is most likely the governing body for collegiate athletics that is the most familiar for potential student athletes. There are three divisions that make up the NCAA, and these were created in 1973 to align like-minded campuses in the areas of philosophy, competition and opportunity. To learn more about the NCAA and its divisions, use this link: NCAA Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is another governing body of athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall college educational experience. Each year more than 65,000 student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports at NAIA member institutions. To learn more about the NAIA, use this link: NAIA Athletics

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be at the forefront of championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. At NJCAA institutions, athletes will compete for 2 years before moving onto a 4 year institution to complete the remainder of their education and athletic eligibility if they choose to do so. To learn more about the NJCAA, use this link: NJCAA Athletics

Each of these governing bodies for collegiate athletics offers potential student athletes a different experience. Competition, balance in lifestyle, location, and cost of attendance as well as financial aid opportunities are all differentiating factors among each division as well as each institution.

Having a better understanding of all options will only increase the chance that you will select the perfect fit for your college soccer experience!

Personal Development – Goal Setting

January has always been a popular time to look at making changes or improvements in our lives. It seems like most people use the start of the new year to make resolutions, start new habits, or establish new standards. So, what better time than now to be intentional about what you want to accomplish?

Whether related to soccer, school, relationships, or anything else, having goals that can help keep you on track and hold you accountable could make this your best year yet. Below are 8 tips on how to set goals that are unique to you and that will push you to heights that you didn’t think were possible this year!

Start with WHAT – Ask yourself “what do I want to improve this year?” Whether it be in athletics, academics, or something else entirely, having an answer to this question will allow you to start the process of setting goals.
Not too much – Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many goals! Setting 3-5 goals that are related to your specific improvement will allow you to maintain focus while challenging yourself to accomplish them.
Make sure your goals are SMART
- Specific- what exactly do you want to improve upon?
- Measurable- how are you going to quantify success?
- Attainable- can your goal actually be achieved?
- Realistic- Can YOU specifically achieve your goal? Is it realistic to your development?
- Time-bound- what is your timeframe for reaching your goals?
Write down your goals and objectives – Having your goals in writing can help you to stay focused and reminded of what you want to accomplish and why you started in the first place.
Create a plan to reach your goals – If you know where you want to finish, where are you going to start? Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Keep track of your progress and don’t be afraid to make changes – There are things that may come up that are out of your control, but always take responsibility of your specific situation and adjust your goals along the way if needed.
Make it public – Let others know what you are working on. Knowing there are others around you (teammates, friends, family, etc.) that have goals of their own will help you to stay focused and push each other along the way.
Always keep perspective – You may not reach all of your goals, but this does not mean you have failed in pursuit of being a better version of yourself. The most important thing to remember is enjoying the process of becoming better and striving to accomplish the goals!