How do I get an athletic scholarship?
The details of getting an athletic scholarship vary from sport to sport, but the most important aspect of getting an athletic scholarship is reaching out to coaches to introduce yourself.
Many athletes feel just because they are good at their sport a coach will discover them. This may be true for a very small percentage of elite athletes; but for the vast majority nothing could be further from the truth. Coaches are the ones who offer athletic scholarships–not the NCAA or a university.
Coaches in most sports have very limited recruiting budgets and they cannot afford to search for athletes. Coaches rely on athletes to be proactive and contact them.
Setting up a resume highlighting your academic and athletic attributes and skills is a great way to begin the process. Coaches’ contact information is available on the school’s athletic website. Create a list of schools and get the contact information for each coach. Then send them your resume.
If they don’t respond in a week or so send a follow-up email and give them a follow-up phone call.
Once you’ve established contact, coaches are going to want to see you play. Creating a highlight film is the first step. After coaches view your highlight film they will likely want to see full-game film. If a coach likes what he sees, there is a good chance he’ll want to see you compete live. This involves either you attending a camp or them coming to one of your competitions.
Once you are communicating with coaches, you may have to register for either the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Centers.