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The Difference in “Walking On”
It is the summer after senior year and almost all graduated high school student-athletes know what their plans are for the upcoming fall. There are those who have accepted financial aid – athletic, academic or otherwise – and are playing soccer at the next level. There are those who realized that college soccer isn’t for them, and they are attending the college that is the right academic and social fit. Then there are those who are attending a college that is their right academic and social fit, but they still want to see if they can play soccer there too. These players may consider “walking-on.”
Walking-on to a college or university means that a student-athlete will attend a general try-out at the beginning of the year. Coaches will hold try-outs if they have roster spots they still need to fill. Players that try out and receive roster spots on the team are true “walk-ons.” Once they are given a roster spot they will be treated just like any other member of the team, accept they won’t be receiving any athletic scholarship money.
There are other cases, where coaches have roster spots to fill, but recruit players to fill those positions. These recruited players, who are not receiving athletic aid, are considered “recruited walk-ons.” Every college soccer coach has a specific number of scholarships available each year, as well as a specific number of roster spots they need to fill. The number of scholarships and the number of roster spots do not always match up, in fact, in most cases these numbers are very different. For example, a Division I men’s soccer coach with a fully funded program has 9.9 athletic scholarships available. The average college soccer team carries more than twice this number, so even if a coach divides up his scholarship money, there will likely be some players on his team who do not receive any financial assistance in the form of an athletic scholarship. If a coach invites you to play for his team, without the guarantee of an athletic scholarship your freshman year, this means you would technically be a recruited walk-on.
As you can see walk-ons range from prospects that show up to try-outs unannounced, to those who have been legitimately recruited by the coach. Attempting to walk-on to a college soccer team without being in close contact with the coach is very risky. Even if you are better than some of the other players, if the coach has invested time and money in those players, he/she is obligated to give them preferential treatment. It is in your best interest to find out where you stand with the coach well in advance.
But, if you haven’t been in contact with a coach, and are still interested in trying out for the team – don’t be shy! If teams are holding open try-outs, then they need players, so don’t be afraid to step up and give it all you got!
NCSA, the “Official Scouting Organization and Provider of Recruiting Education” for Cal South, is the premier source for matching high school student – athletes with colleges and universities across the country. NCSA is the "Eyes & Ears" of more than 35,000 college coaches, who rely on NCSA's experienced scouting team and instant response capabilities to provide them with quality prospective recruits. NCSA prides itself in educating high school student-athletes and their families about the college recruiting process. Visit www.ncsasports.org for more information about NCSA.
