What does a soccer recruiter look for in a highlight reel?

Over the past month and a half, I have had the pleasure to work with the UNC Women’s 2012 National Championship Soccer team. Under head coach Anson Dorrance, the UNC women’s soccer team claimed their 22nd national championship.

I had an opportunity to sit down with assistant coach Jason Sisneros. He has been coaching for 17 years, starting with youth soccer and now working with the UNC soccer program.

Because we at In Focus Studios produce approximately 300 soccer recruiting videos a year, I wanted to get his input on what he looks for when an athlete sends him a recruiting video.

He started off the conversation by mentioning that he does not want game film. He wants to see highlights and adds, “they should be highlights!” He went on to say that the video should be no longer then 5 minutes. I asked what he thought about adding music to the video. He said that most coaches do not like the music. Jason actually doesn’t mind the music, as it gives him an idea of the personality of the player.

One of the first things Jason looks for is how a player controls the ball with their feet. He can tell by watching the video if the player had been coached at a young age to improve their footwork. He mentions that to many coaches at the youth level stress positioning and not foot skills. Youth coaches can influence the players soccer future by working on these skills at an early age. Many seem to think that the youth player from 4-8 years old are not capable to master the skills. It is all up to the coach to instill the belief and work ethic.

I asked Jason if a player should include themselves making goals in the highlight video, since he feels footwork is so important. Jason said, “if that is what they do best, I want to see it. If they are great at heading, trapping, tackling, that is what should be in the video.” The whole point of a recruiting video is to get the coaches’ attention. If it isn’t your best stuff, the coach will move on to the next player that wows them. When Jason watches a video, he paints a picture in his mind as to how this player could fit on the team based on their strengths.

A good recruiting video can be the start to a successful recruiting process and college career. Contact us to give your athlete the best chance to play at the next level.