The Neurotic Genius of Soccer in the Digital Age.

I wrote this post for the NSCAA blog in an effort to help coaches better navigate the social media world with their players, from youth coaches to college coaches. Click here to view the full post.

Our players are on Facebook. And whether we like it or not, they’re probably using Twitter, MySpace and YouTube as well. They’re friending and liking people and products all over the Internet that we have no knowledge of. We certainly don’t need to know all the details, but as their soccer coach, it’s in our players’ best collective interest to understand how these social communities affect recruiting so we can guide them to make smart decisions.

This blog post will help you with two specific areas of social media:

1. Learning NCAA recruiting rules.
2. Setting expectations with your players.

NCAA recruiting rules

The NCAA has developed rules regarding social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and as coaches it’s smart for us to understand these rules. Keep in mind social media is constantly evolving, so for updated information please visit the NCAA website.

According to NCAA.org, “Divisions I and II look at social networking less in terms of the technology being used and more in terms of its recruiting impact.”

As a Division I or II coaches and institutions can:

1. Set up social networking pages like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to promote their school and program.
2. Send messages to recruits through a social networking program’s email function.

They cannot use the school’s social networking pages (or any page belonging to someone affiliated with the institution) to:

1. Feature photos of prospective student-athletes
2. Contact individual prospects publically (like Tweeting an @reply or writing on their Facebook wall).
3. Discuss specific recruits on any wall or public forum.
4. Contact prospects when it is impermissible as per NCAA recruiting laws.

There’s more to this section! Click here to view the full post at NSCAA.com/blog.

Set expectations with your players

How our players use social media can affect their lives, including college recruiting efforts, so it’s a good idea to help your players think through various scenarios before posting, tweeting, tagging, friending and liking. Here are a few suggestions to kick-start an open dialogue, and help you set expectations as their coach. Check out the full blog post at NSCAA.com/blog to talk with other coaches their strategies for talking to players about social media.

1. Learn the privacy settings – With most social sites, it’s easy to create groups that offer various permissions to certain groups. For example, a player might want her school friends to see her photo albums, but she doesn’t want those photos out there in the public space. That’s not difficult to sort out if you take a few minutes to learn how to do it.
2. There is no undo – As soon your player hits send or presses enter, that information is now in “cyberspace.” Even if the player tries to delete those messages, there is always someone out there who can retrieve them.
3. There are consequences to every action – Before they type any message, remind your players to think about the consequences that this information may have on them, their teammates, their friends, their coaches, their teachers, their club, their family and more. Personally I treat every tweet, post or comment as a public statement, and I set the expectation at the beginning of each season that if I see an inappropriate post, there will be consequences.
4. Think about your career – People often search social sites like Facebook to learn more about future employees or players. No coach wants a troublemaker on his/her team no matter how good they are at soccer, and employers want to hire people they can trust. If players’ social media sites have inappropriate comments or photos, that employer will probably think twice about bringing them in to represent the organization.

There’s more to this section! Click here to view the full post at NSCAA.com/blog.

What’s your experience?

Hopefully this information and tips help you engage in a meaningful dialogue with your players about how social media can affect college recruiting, but I’d like to learn more about how you’re navigating this new space.

Check out the NSCAA blog to view the full post and talk with other coaches about your experiences with social media.

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