If you are a 15-20 year female soccer player who is interested in earning a soccer scholarship in America I am sure you will enjoy this highlight and campus tour videos of NCAA D2 St Leo University, Florida. Head coach Ged O’Connor has been speaking to United Sports Usa’s Andy Newman regarding his recruitment needs for the 2015 Fall Season.
The program are actively seeking additions to help the current squad who are ranked 4th in the Sunshine State Conference in Florida. The SSC Voting seen Rollins College head the conference rankings and are favourites to take the title in 2014/15.
2014 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Women’s Soccer Poll
Rank – Team, Points (1st-place votes) 1 – Rollins, 60 (4) 2 – Barry, 59 (5) 3 – Tampa, 51 4 – Saint Leo, 39 5 – Florida Tech, 38 6 – Florida Southern, 30 7 – Nova Southeastern, 22 8 – Lynn, 15 9 – Eckerd, 10
Coach O’Connor would like to add to the 3 English female soccer players he currently had in his roster, he currently has Rosie Young, an ex student of Balby Carr Academy in Birtley and helped her high school soccer team to the English Schools Under 18 Championship.
Also in the squad are striker Katie Waddell from Nottingham, England, signed from Doncaster Belles LFC and fellow striker Saffron Jordan who started all 12 games last year scoring 4 goals.
With a strong squad of 25 female soccer players, coach O’Connor top 5 tips for gaining a soccer scholarship in the USA are:
1. Seek professional advice to determine if you are at a suitable level to enter college soccer.
2. Start early, my advice is to begin this journey 2 years in advance of leaving on a football scholarship to the USA. Given the competition it is vital you give yourself the best chance
3. Take the SAT exam as early as you can and more than once. Increasing your SAT score provide you with more option when looking to gain a football scholarship in America.
4. Register for the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Centers if you want to receive financial aid, be allowed to practice and compete in college soccer you must be cleared to do so by the governing bodies.
5. Be realistic in what you are trying to achieve, it is very competitive to achieve an American University Sports Scholarships and students are applying world wide. Be patient it doesn’t happen overnight.
Good luck in your quest of achieving a female soccer scholarship in America.
Coach O’Connor
St Leo University
Florida