Casa Grande, Arizona – Dozens of players from around the country and internationally arrived at Grande Sports World to participate in the Exact Soccer Boys Select 30 ID Camp and train with some of the nation’s top college coaches in every tier of U.S college soccer.
“The Exact Camp experience allowed me to communicate with the coaches in a better way, and gave me some good tips on how to approach them,” said Lucas Purgato, a Grande Sports Academy midfielder from Brazil.
Among the programs represented were UCLA, Cal, Washington, Yale, Syracuse, Maryland, Indiana, Denver, Northwestern and U.S. Air Force Academy.
In total 18 US states and three countries were represented by athletes in attendance.
Coaches ran training exercises similar to those they run with their own teams in order to give players a first hand experience at what it might be like to train with their dream schools. At the end of the day, players were divided by age group and allowed to showcase their skills in full 11v11 games.
“[Being watched by many coaches] allowed me to showcase myself in a unique way,” Purgato said. “It also improved my confidence on playing in front of college coaches.”
But the Exact Soccer Camp is more than just a place for athletes to come showcase their skills and develop relationships.
“As you seek to get to higher levels…the pool slims down and all out of a sudden you’re left in a very competitive group,” Simon Clements, National Director of Exact Sports, said.
“Having an understanding of the mental skills necessary to succeed really sets up a 15 or 16-year-old kid with the foundation and training that others just aren’t getting.”
Professional athletes deal with immense amounts of pressure, which can affect their performance on the field, as well as their day-to-day life. For most, this is something that they will have to learn to deal with during their college career.
Exact Sports is using its expertise in mental empowerment to help athletes get mentally ready for life on and off the pitch.
“A major point of focus for us is the sports psychology and the mentality of it,” Samuel Morgan, Director of Event Programs at Exact, said: “This is an environment where players can develop key skills they need to be successful at the next level.”
The Exact Soccer camp also allows parents to become a part of the recruitment process and meet with the same college coaches that their children are talking to.
Parents said the camp provided them with the knowledge needed to be confident that their son was on his way to playing at the next level.
“Exact is promising an I.D. camp with skillset that is far above your average, every day I.D camp, and it lives up to it every time; never disappoints,” Susan Barclay said.
Barclay’s son has been to four Exact Soccer I.D. camps across the country. She said they keep coming back because of the way the camp prepares her son physically and mentally.
“I think it offers you insight into what what every level of play has to offer- what every school, what every division has to offer,” Barclay said. “I think that’s something the kids don’t understand unless they come to something that’s as organized and as structured as this is.”
Exact Sports understands that recruitment is a family affair, and that choosing a college affects more than just the player.
“If we can end the weekend with players and parents having an understanding of the recruiting process and how to deal with it, then they can leave feeling confident to take the next step in their process,” Clements said.
After lunch, parents and players are invited to listen in on a panel of coaches explaining why location and education is just as important as the level of soccer offered, when choosing a college.
“At the end of the day, it’s very very hard for a family to know, just from the get go, which schools are really a fit for them,” Clements said. “ When you talk to those programs and really follow our outreach strategy- which we teach during our recruiting sessions- you end up with a much better understanding of what to expect during the recruiting process.”
Check out our Camps and Tryouts pages for more information and details on all upcoming camps. If you’d like to sign up for the next Exact Soccer college ID camp near you visit the Exactsports.com/soccer , and make sure to follow @GrandeSportsA and @EXACTSports on Twitter to get updates on special offers throughout the year.