Allie Kabat has a piece of advice for those aspiring to play college soccer:

Be proactive.

“So many kids say they want to play at that next level but if they don’t act on it and put in the work to make it happen, it might not,” Kabat said. “If you really want to play you need to be an athlete that will put aside the T.V. time and maybe hanging out with friends a little bit so that you can put the work in and dedicate yourself to playing at the next level.”

Kabat would know, she works for the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA), a group that matches college coaches with qualified student athletes based on the best possible fit.

Finding a college is never a simple process, but the NCSA works to guide student athletes through it while giving them the exposure they need to find schools that suit them athletically and academically.

Kabat has seen hundreds of  young players work through the process, and one of the common denominators she’s seen with athletes is their lack of knowledge when it comes to their options.

“Many kids only know of the popular (school) names out there, when there are so many schools that they’ve never heard of,” Kabat said. “We try to find them more opportunities that they need and let them know what they’re qualified for. It starts with college coaches coming to us and letting us know what kind of athletes they’re looking for.”  

The NCSA puts athletes through an evaluation process which helps all parties learn of their needs. And while the NCSA gives the athlete the insight and tools they need much of the procedure falls on the athletes, including, providing video and statistics and researching prospective schools.

“Video is vital for us and the coaches in evaluating a player,” Kabat said. “We want to get as much information from the athlete as we can. We’re always taking a look at their history – how long they’ve been playing, what tournaments they’ve played in and what club they’ve played for. What really makes an athlete successful in the recruiting process though, is being proactive.”

Click here to see a video interiew with Allie Kabat