Earning a NCAA scholarship as a Canadian athlete is a great accomplishment. Being from another country and playing a NCAA is an opportunity like none other. The recruitment process for many Canadian students  is a mystery. High school coaches sometimes lack the knowledge to understand all the aspects that go into getting a recruit scouted. For international high school players there are few things each recruit has to take care of in order to get a college scholarship:

• Understand what courses are needed for you to be eligible with the NCAA Clearinghouse
• Create a high quality highlight tape
• Get exposure to college coaches

Understanding The NCAA Clearinghouse

For international high school athletes receiving good grades is crucial in helping you earn a sports scholarship. But receiving good grades is just one part; as an international student you must take the correct classes to become eligible with the NCAA Clearinghouse. No matter what college, university a student is applying to, good grades are always a crucial factor. Without standard grades, even the best of athletes will have a  difficult time earning a scholarship. The NCAA has clear specifications for students attempting to earn  scholarships. For instance Canadian students in Ontario must take University or University/College classes to be eligible with the NCAA. If you live in Ontario Canada and are only taking College level classes you need to upgrade to University/College level classes as soon as possible. Many Quebec students attend CEGEP to help better their chances of earning an athletic scholarship, a new rule passed in 2007 requires that CEGEP students complete their studies in 2 years instead of the custom 3 years. Each country, and sometimes each province has guidelines that must be followed for these athletes to become eligible to play college sports.

Creating A Quality Highlight Tape

For many athletes highlight tapes can make them or break them, for international students highlight tapes are everything. Not having a highlight tape as an international student will likely not get you a scholarship. Basketball players can sometimes get by without having a video because they may have played AAU or been invited to elite basketball camps across America. A football player on the other hand must have a highlight tape period. A highlight tape may be the only way a college coach can see you play, the chances are very slim that an NCAA school will take a trip outside of the country to watch one prospect play in person. With the economy being on a downside athletic budgets are being slashed by many NCAA programs across the country. Your highlight tape needs to focus on your very best plays and show you at the top of your game. Every highlight must be clear and easy to see, coaches hate it when they have to squint their eyes to see a player making a play, many times coaches just throw the tape in the garbage when a highlight tape is hard on the eyes. Check out or article on how to create a highlight tape for more information.

Get Exposure To College Coaches

To get recruited as an international student you have to be where the coaches are, if coaches don’t know who you are or every see you how will they recruit you?  For basketball players you have to spend a summer traveling throughout America on a AAU team. For football players your summer should be spent going to various camps and combines throughout America as well. A good camp for Canadian players to attend in Canada is the All-Pro Camp held every summer. This camp has actual NCAA coaches that help coach and run the camp. Visit AllCanadagridiron.info for more information about this camp.  If you would like more information about the importance of these events read our article on camps and combines.

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