Each of us watches professional soccer players on tv. We read about them online and we try to learn from them. However, the true details behind their success is often not discussed. Recently, Goalden was fortunate to interview Honefoss Bk goalkeeper Steve Clark about his success in division one college soccer at Oakland University in Michigan and his transition to the professional game. Honefoss Bk is a club in the professional Norwegian league. Clark’s story is a great example of hard work, dedication and the passion for pursuing a dream no matter the challenges ahead of you.
Tag: D3
Is your goal to play college soccer? If so, what level? Is your long term goal to play in the MLS? Whatever your goal may be, do not look past division 2, division 3 or NAIA soccer. There is still plenty of talent and competition within those divisions to greatly improve your soccer skills and knowledge of the game which can help you achieve the goal of playing at a higher level and eventually the MLS.
If you want to play soccer in college, obviously the best situation is to be recruited by a top school, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Whether due to injury or not getting in front of the right coach, some players just don’t make a connection with the coaches at a school they want to attend, yet they want to play soccer in college.
In that case, the player might try walking on.
What Does “Walking On” Mean?…
If you’re a high school soccer player and want to continue playing in college, start planning as early as your freshman year. While premier-level teams or developmental programs like ODP usually market their players and are well known to college coaches, some other teams aren’t so organized.
If your team is lacking in the marketing department, you can still make a college squad. It will just take a little more effort on your part. To make sure you find a spot on a roster when your time comes, consider doing the following.
Athletic scholarships drive college searches more than they should. Some parents seem to think the money they’ve “invested” in training, teams and travel should come back to them by way of college scholarships.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality. Athletic scholarships should not drive the college selection process and it’s important to understand the advantages—and disadvantages—of receiving them.