Tips to communicate with coaches

Tips to communicate with coaches

Things to consider before emailing coaches
  1. Coaches are usually called Coach "Surname". E.g., if coach John Smith has been in touch, you start with "Coach Smith" at the beginning of your phone conversations and emails. You should also call them by their last name until they say you can use their first name.
  2. The coach wants to speak to you, the athlete, the most and not your parent/’s! They want to get to know you as an individual and get an understanding that you are ready to move to the US. They need to see that you can do things independently and do not rely on your parent/’s to do everything for you. Having your parents involved in conversations is fine, but you should lead 99% of the conversations. Do not have your parents reply to emails. 
Responding to a coach
  1. Coaches contact you because they are interested in knowing more about you. Do not wait to respond to the coach's email - it is important that you show interest. Keep in mind that the coach is in touch with many athletes and will not wait for you if you do not seem interested or appear "arrogant" by hesitating to reply. There is no reason not to start an email dialogue straight away - this is the most exciting part of the process so make sure you show commitment and you are keen and curious about school information!
  2. Think before spending time on social media or such, could this time be spent responding to a coach instead? It could be the difference in thousands of dollars in scholarship!
  3. You should take time to respond to the coach properly. An answer such as "Hello coach, I am very interested. Best regards." sends a signal to the coach that you are not interested in knowing more. Keep in mind that this email will be the coach's first impression of you and it's your chance to give a good impression! Therefore, do a good job with this email and write a comprehensive answer. Please tell them about yourself, both as an athlete and student, and ask questions about the team and school. You can find an example reply and some good questions below.
  4. If you really cannot find time to send a full reply, send them a holding email such as: “Coach NAME, thank you for your message. I am very happy you are interested in me. I will look more at the university and the team then get back to you with a longer email with my thoughts and more questions very soon. Regards.” Do not copy and paste this message, word it yourself and indicate when you will send the follow up email. Sending a holding email such as this should be a last resort. As mentioned, coaches are talking to many athletes and will not wait for you.
Setting up a video call
  1. It is important to get to the point where you can set up a video call with the coach you are speaking to. That way they can provide you with a lot more information face to face and you can ask any questions you may have. It may be a good idea in your initial response to a coach’s email to ask if they have certain times and dates they are free for a video chat. You can include times within the email that work for you as well. Rather than having numerous email chains going back and forth, you can speak over the phone and cover everything. It is also a great way to build initial rapport with the coach.
  2. It is important that you ask questions about all the things you're wondering - there are no stupid questions!
    1. Check the school's website carefully and read the information available before asking your questions.
    2. Feel free to ask these questions in the initial response, or when you have set up a time to speak on a video call. Have the list of questions ready for when you set up a time to speak.
    3. Although the school may not be where you want it, it is important that you do not reject the coach. It is important to show that you are interested and that you listen to what the coach has to say. It takes time to research if a school will suit you - we will of course help you with this too!
  3. It is important that your sports person is involved in your communication with coaches. Add them in the CC field in emails you send to coaches.
    1. That way, your sports person has an overview of what you are talking about and may be helpful if needed. Remember this!
  4. Do not ask what the coach can offer you in scholarship at the beginning. This is because coaches will want to get to know you and talk to you on the phone/video call before they start talking about scholarships. Just because the coach contacts you does not mean that they will automatically offer you a scholarship! They will want to get to know you as a person and a player before offering anything.
    1. Your sports person will of course be the one who runs the scholarship negotiation in the background. If you get questions from the coach about the finances, you should talk to your sports person before answering that question. Do not say yes to a scholarship offer without having talked to your sports person first!
    2. If a coach does talk scholarships on the call, ask them to direct these conversations to your sports person.
  5. You should ideally be on the call alone. Parents can be in the room but as mentioned before, coach wants to speak to you, not your parents. 
Questions you can ask coaches
General questions
  1. How a day/week looks like for an athlete at school during the season and during the off-season.
  2. Where will you live (on or off campus)?
  3. What is the city/town like where the school is located?
  4. How the climate is during the season and for the rest of the year?
  5. How big the classes are at school, i.e. how many students you have lessons with?
  6. How many of the students are girls compared to boys?
  7. How many students attend the school?
  8. Can you work a part-time job? If so, what opportunities are there?
Study related questions
  1. What can you study at the school?
  2.  The school's academic level and accreditation. You may request links to academic rankings/accreditation.
  3. What kind of study help they can offer?
Sport related questions
  1. What is the coach's philosophy?
  2. What sort of system does the team/coach play?
  3. How the coach sees you fitting into the team?
  4. What the coach is looking for current new players/athletes?
  5. What the team's goal is?
  6. How many freshmen (first-year students) will be recruited next year?
  7. What opponents will the team play against the coming season?
  8. If the coach has had international players in the team before?
Example of initial response to a coach
Below you will find an example of an email template on how you can respond to a coach when they first reach out to you. Do not copy and paste the below template, use it as a guide and make sure you make the message unique from you.

Hi Coach,

Thank you for taking the time to review my video and credentials it is great to hear you are interested in me joining [ENTER COLLEGE NAME].

I will do some research on the school but would love to set up a video chat so I can learn more about the [SPORT] and academics and ask some questions that my family and I have. When is best for you to do a video call?

I am free [ENTER TIMES AND DATES].

Kind regards,
YOUR NAME

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