Not everyone will call coaches (even thought they should), but if you intend to be recruited, you HAVE to email coaches. This is the most basic form of communication and marketing when it comes to the recruiting process and it is essential that you know how to correctly and professionally do so. If you can write a professional and informative email that markets yourself efficiently, it will go a long way in how a coach perceives you as a player and person and how well you will be recruited.
Before we get into the details here are a few reminders:
-Your freshman and sophomore year, coaches cannot directly contact you. They cannot respond to your emails, and they cannot approach you in person. All communication must be initiated by YOU!
-Your Junior year is when coaches can respond and reach out to you, but even then you may not get responses all the time. This does not mean they are not interested, as college coaches are very busy people. Be persistent in your communication.
Now that we have those reminders out of the way, lets begin.
You Email Coaches To…
Introduce Yourself:
You may just be starting the recruiting process and marketing yourself, or you may be reaching out to a particular school that you think may be interested in you. This is the first email you will send to college coaches and it is important that you include the right information within it!
What to include:
-Full Name
-High School, Club
-Jersey Number
-GPA
-Position(s), Stroke, Event, etc.
-Special Stats IF applicabe (Ex. Swim or Run times)
-Information on why you are interested in the particular school you are contacting
-Your Coaches Phone #
-Upcoming Games, Meets, etc. and when you will be competing (ex: 1st half)
Following Up After a Competition:
This is an email to let coaches know that not only are you interested in them, but you are paying attention. It’s a great way to start building a relationship with the coach, and get them to come to more of your games. If coaches are attending your games, you an start to assume that they are indeed interested in you and then you can move on to the next phase of communication.
What to include:
-Same as the above
-What competitions you saw the coach at
-The next competitions you want the coach to attend
-Your coaches phone number
Why Include Your Coaches #? Because coaches CAN contact him/her about YOU!
Take The NEXT Step:
This means that you have been asking a coach to come to your games for awhile now, and they have reciprocated interest by attending. It’s time to take the next step in your “relationship” with this coach and organize a phone call. (For more information on CALLING coaches, please view the post)
What To Include:
-The most recent competitions you saw the coach attend
-Interest in the particular school
-Statement that you want to contact this coach over the telephone
-When you plan to call
-Coaches #
Having trouble setting up a phone call through email? Have your coach contact the college coach directly and set up a set date and time. OR just give it a shot yourself. Leave a voicemail if they don’t answer. (For more information on CALLING coaches, please view the “Everything You Need to Know About Calling Coaches” post)
Every sport is going to be a little different, but you should be able to use this information to get the right idea and to use as a guideline to help you communicate with college coaches.
Have questions that weren’t answered in this post? Use the Q/A section to ask personalized questions and get fast responses!
Finally, thank you for visiting Making The Team! I hope that this post was useful to you , and if it was feel free to leave a comment or review. We love your support!
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