Connect Experience

Connect Experience is our add on service to our core recruiting service College Connect. Noting is more powerful as an international student athlete, within a college athletics recruiting cycle, to be able to go out and visit programs who are showing interest in you directly on the ground in the USA. Our Connect Experience service, when combined with our College Connect service provides the opportunity for our clients to be directly recruited on the ground in the USA by coaches who have already shown interest in them via our core service offering.  

What is Connect Experience?

Connect Experience is an optional addition to our base level College Connect service. Includes *: 

  • Highly tailored and personalized itinerary of college campus and professional club visits across a number of locations across the USA

  • Potential opportunity (dependent on availability for personalized 1:1 training by MLS, USL and semi professional coaches among our vast network in the USA

  • Meet coaches who are actively recruiting you via our College Connect (base service) face to face

  • Personalized tours of college campuses with coaches that are actively recruiting you

  • Training opportunities (in full compliance with major collegiate governing bodies rules and regulations) with college coaches and teams

  • Attendance to college camps and combines where coaches have personally recruited you to attend via our extensive and ongoing work with our College Connect (base level service)

*Note: Above options vary drastically dependent on time of year, location you are visiting & coach | club or college availability. The Connect Experience service is tailored around the timing of your trip throughout the year, location and the availability of coach | club or college. 

What is the value of Connect Experience?

When our clients visit a college athletics programs, & or, train with semi professional and professional coaches it can provide immeasurable value for both the athlete and the coach in their recruiting cycle, and Connect Experience will allow you:

  1. First-hand experience: The visit allows the student athlete to see and experience the campus, facilities, and overall atmosphere of the program. You want to make sure you have the right vibe from the coach recruiting you, and your prospective team mates, and also get a feel for your local surrounds and what college life at the school your visiting may be like. 

  2. Opportunity to meet coaches and current team members: The visit provides a chance for the student athlete to meet and interact with the coaching staff and current team members, which can help them gauge their fit with the program and culture. Meeting coaches is a vital step in making sure that the coach feels you area good fit for their program, seeing how you interact in training with other team members, and also really getting a live view of your ability up close and personal. 

  3. Evaluating academic resources: The visit allows the student athlete to see and evaluate the academic resources available to student athletes, such as study halls, tutoring, and support services. Being able to see what the academic facilities are like, what resources are provided for you at the school that is recruiting you as a student athlete, and what career pathways are available to you first hand will arm you with the knowledge that you are taking the right step with your education. 

  4. Making an informed decision: By visiting the college athletics program, the student athlete can gather the information needed to make an informed decision about their athletic and academic future. Nothing is more important than seeing first hand the prospective school, their facilities, the coaching staff and academic resources available to you as a student athlete first hand. It allows you to feel comfortable that if a prospective coach you are visiting is recruiting you, that you are making the right choice for your journey as a student athlete. 

  5. Gauging the level of play in the semi pro and professional level: Getting out to the many semi professional teams across the USA, and training with these teams during your visit to the USA via the Connect Experience service, allows you to see first hand what the level of play is outside of college soccer, and given many of these same coaches are currently college coaches themselves, or have been over their coaching career, could expose you to more opportunities to be recruited by college coaches that have an affiliation with the club and coach you are training with on your visit. 

Overall, visiting a college athletics program can provide a valuable and meaningful experience for a student athlete, allowing them to determine if the program is the right fit for their athletic and academic goals.

Benefits

Upper 90 College is more than just a third party database, we are a personalized, 1:1 service that aims to give the most fulfilling opportunity for any of our clients to be recruited by coaches in our vast network across the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA in a very direct manner. In 2020, we took this same personalized approach we’ve become renowned for over the past 13 years to another level!

Connect Experience is a new, and optional addition to our base level College Connect service. We’ve worked closely with key stakeholders in our business based out of the USA, who themselves are current professional coaches in global markets, and have had years of experience at the top flight of college and professional coaching in the USA and abroad, to create a personalized USA college and USA professional soccer recruiting experience like no other on the market today.

Combined with our College Connect (core) service, Connect Experience provides the most robust suite of USA college soccer and professional coaching and recruiting services on the market today. Being able to visit college coaches and train with clubs across the semi professional or professional landscape in the USA is a game changer in the recruiting cycle for international student athletes looking to be recruited into a USA university athletic program. 

College coaches typically recruit college athletes via video analysis, and this can be it and miss for many coaches. By investing in a journey over to the USA to visit coaches that are actively recruiting you, we have found that this can provide a universe of benefits for a student athlete and family. You get to see and experience first hand what college athletics is all about, you live a day in the life across whichever program you decide to visit, and in turn, the coaches that are recruiting get to see you up close and personal, outside of just assessing film and talking to you on a video call. 

Since we started the Connect Experience service, those of our clients who have invested into this, on top of the work already provided them through our core College Connect service, find that they can enhance scholarship value markedly. Coaches want to see a student athlete live, and Upper 90 college has an extensive relationship with coaches across the college, semi professional and professional game in the USA.

By choosing to add on the Connect Experience service to our core College Connect service gives our clients an exceptional advantage of gaining real time insights from coaches, and also gaining invaluable progress with their recruiting process which leads to more scholarship dollars provided, and better outcomes for both the coach recruiting you, and college athletics program that you choose to attend to play your chosen sport. 

FAQ’s

Important questions about visiting college campuses, official visits and training with college athletics programs! 

Campus Visits

  • A college campus visit for student athletes is a opportunity for them to visit a college or university they are interested in attending, meet with the athletic staff, tour the facilities and campus, and get a feel for the school’s environment and community. While working with Upper 90 College, you will receive interest from coaches directly via our marketing efforts for you. Via our Connect Experience service, clients who have gained interest from coaches in the USA athletics system, can now have the opportunity to meet with those coaches that are directly recruiting them. 

  • Visiting a college campus as a student athlete can provide a valuable perspective on the college experience and help you determine if the school is a good fit for you both academically and athletically. It also allows you to ask questions, learn about the resources available to student athletes, and get a sense of the coaching staff’s approach and philosophy.

  • Traditionally, you would contact the college or university’s athletic department to inquire about scheduling a campus visit. You may be asked to provide information about your academic background, athletic achievements, and areas of interest. Via our College Experience service, we organize all of this for you, by working with coaches directly in our network, that have a keen interest in you as an athlete, and would want to see you directly. 

  • Bring a notebook and pen to take notes, any questions you may have for the athletic staff or coaches, and comfortable walking shoes for a campus tour. You may also want to bring a copy of your athletic resume or highlights if you have one. Once a coach clears you for the visit with the compliance officers at the school, you may be able to practice with the team as well (there are a lot of variables that go into this though), so bringing your training gear with you would be handy as well. 

  • During a campus visit, you can expect to meet with the athletic staff, tour the athletic facilities and campus, attend a class or two, and learn more about the school’s academic programs and student life. You may also have the opportunity to meet with current student athletes.

  • Yes, visiting multiple colleges before making a decision can be beneficial. It can help you compare and contrast different schools and determine which one is the best fit for you. It’s a good idea to visit schools that are at the top of your list as well as a few backup options. With Connect Experience, the college visit process is enhanced, as the coach has already analyzed your footage and CV (for those clients signed up to our core College Connect service offering)

Practicing with Teams

  • It depends on the specific rules and regulations of the college and the athletic organization (such as the NCAA). In general, high school students are not allowed to practice with a college team before committing to attend the school and being eligible to compete at the college level. However, some colleges may offer camps or clinics that high school students can attend, but participation in these does not guarantee a spot on the college team. It's important to check with the specific college and athletic organization for more information.

    With Connect Experience, we work closely with the schools that show interest in you visiting, and also provide guidance around specific camps that a coach may want to see you at so they can gain real time visibility of you as an athlete. 

  • Yes, there are rules and restrictions set by the athletic organization and the college. The most common restriction is that the student athlete must still be in high school and not yet eligible to compete at the college level. It's important to check with the specific college and athletic organization for more information on their rules and restrictions.

  • Yes, participating in practices or competitions with a college team before committing to attend the school and being eligible to compete at the college level can impact the student athlete's eligibility. The rules for student athlete eligibility are set by the athletic organization and the college. With our Connect Experience service offering, we make sure that any potential opportunity to practice with a given college team is verified by the school via their compliance office. 

  • No, a high school student athlete is not eligible to receive financial compensation for practicing with a college team before committing to attend the school and being eligible to compete at the college level. This is a violation of the rules set by the athletic organization and the college, and can result in the student athlete being deemed ineligible to compete in college

Official Visits

  • An official visit is a trip paid for by a college or university to allow a prospective student-athlete to visit their campus and learn about their athletic program, academic opportunities, and overall campus life. Over the years, many of our Upper 90 Alumni have been very fortunate to gain the opportunity for an official visit. Official visits are typically rare, you will find that the NCAA DI will typically have funding to provide these opportunities to very high end athletes that they have been scouting for quite some time, and are playing at a very high standard. 

  • Only prospective student-athletes who have started their senior year in high school and have met NCAA initial eligibility requirements are allowed to take official visits.

  • A prospective student-athlete can take a maximum of five official visits to NCAA D1 or D2 programs, with only one per college. NCAA D3 is similar with a limit of 5 schools but you can have an unlimited number of visits to each of the 5 schools. 

  • The college or university pays for all expenses during the official visit, including transportation, meals, lodging, and reasonable entertainment expenses.

  • Yes, family members can accompany the prospective student-athlete on the official visit, but the expenses for their travel, meals, and lodging are not covered by the college or university.

  • Yes, college coaches are allowed to meet with prospective student-athletes during official visits, but there are specific NCAA rules that govern the length and nature of these meetings.

Our Services

  • College Connect

    Our core service, with end to end management of a student athlete throughout their 2 or 4 years in the USA college soccer system.

    Connect Now

  • Connect+

    Connect+ delivers additional support to our clients who may be looking at transferring out of their current athletics program in the USA during their time in the college athletics system in the USA.

    Connect Now

  • Connect Experience

    Provides the opportunity for our clients to be directly recruited on the ground in the USA by coaches who have already shown interest in them via our core service offering. 

    Connect Now

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