With the recent signing of Gianluca Busio to the Sporting KC senior team, several players currently making the jump from the Academy to the Swope Park Rangers as professionals, and a number of other Academy players representing U.S. youth national teams, it’s clear that the club’s “Pathway to the Pros” initiative is currently thriving.
To that point, 2017 also marked the year where the first Academy Affiliate players signed professional contracts within the club, with Felipe Hernandez (Sporting Nashville) and Parker Maher (Sporting Springfield) earning minutes in USL with the Rangers.
However, despite this tremendous success, Sporting KC and the Sporting Club Network, presented by Price Chopper, recognize that this pathway is not accessible to everyone. With that, the club and its Academy Affiliates have been working together to enhance and improve upon the opportunities to reach the collegiate levels of the game. This began in earnest when Sporting KC recognized the more than 175 players making college commitments from affiliate programs, and the hope is that this number continues to increase annually.
More important than recognizing the players that have already made college commitments, though, is the efforts being put in place to improve the actual process of youth players getting recruited. Sporting KC took a huge step toward this by announcing the launch of SHOWCASE KC, enhancing a long-standing college showcase tournament managed by SCN member GSI Sports.
Beyond the typical tournament play, Sporting KC will be adding numerous events to improve the experience of all coaches, parents and players involved. These will include a coaches reception, individual player and goalkeeper ID combines, coaching education, and the hosting of numerous educational panels on the collegiate pathway. For more info on this event and to register, click here.
In addition to events like this, Sporting KC is also updating an existing resource, currently exclusive to Academy Affiliates: an online College Prep Program. This online tool will be re-launched this month, and aims to help prepare student athletes for the recruitment journey and playing at the college level. From age-specific recruitment rules and timelines, tips for speaking with coaches and much more, this resource has been created in the hope that it can help each player pursue college soccer, if interested.
Beyond these steps though, the club and its affiliates recognize that improving the college recruitment process isn’t something that will happen overnight. Looking ahead towards 2018, a number of College ID Combines will be rolled out for these affiliates, offering players a different opportunity and environment to get exposure in front of college soccer programs.
Finally, Sporting KC has been exploring a number of partnerships with various services geared toward helping parents and players navigate the recruitment process. This year, both iSoccerPath and ScoutingZone have been working in partnership with Sporting KC to provide educational content in monthly newsletters that go straight to Academy Affiliate families, while also working to tailor their services to the specific needs of these clubs. iSoccerPath will also be hosting the college pathway educational panels at SHOWCASE KC.
For more information on Sporting KC’s Academy Affiliate program and the overall Sporting Club Network, click here or follow the SCN on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
