College soccer recruiting guide · 4 min read
Are College Soccer ID Camps Worth It? How Coaches Say to Tell
Which ID camps are real evaluations and which are fundraisers, how coaches actually use them, and what to do before you pay — from what 350+ college coaches say in published interviews.
Updated September 4, 2026 · Coach remarks below are paraphrased from published interviews and attributed to the coach’s program — 18 programs quoted in this guide, drawn from what 350+ college coaches say, in their own words.
There are two kinds of ID camp, and coaches admit it
Coaches are candid about this: some camps exist to evaluate players, and some exist to make money. The difference is not the school’s division or the price — it is the ratio of coaches to players, whether the staff already knows who you are, and whether anyone from that camp has ever been signed.
The coach was initially skeptical that ID camps were a money grab, and now runs a small one specifically to evaluate fit and give recruits honest feedback both ways.
— College of Wooster · NCAA Division IIIBe wary of expensive ID camps that invite 200-plus kids purely to profit — nobody gets real individual attention there.
— Columbus State University · NCAA Division IICheck how many players actually get signed out of a camp, because some camps are really just a money grab.
— Catawba College · NCAA Division IIThe idea that ID camps are just fundraisers is wrong — most coaches use them to genuinely evaluate players.
— Gardner–Webb University · NCAA Division I
How coaches actually use their own camps
The pattern across levels: a program’s own on-campus camp is usually small, capped, and used to get a closer look at players the staff has already noticed — plus a chance for the recruit to see the campus and meet the current team. That is a very different event from a 300-player multi-school showcase camp.
The staff caps its own ID camps at roughly 13 to 15 players per coach so recruits actually get evaluated instead of lost in a crowd.
— John Carroll University · NCAA Division IIIOn-campus ID camps capped around 50 attendees give the staff a full day with a recruit, versus a brief look at a showcase — and recruits leave feeling seen rather than treated as one of hundreds.
— Cal Poly Pomona · NCAA Division IISmall, affordably priced ID camps mainly serve to get already-identified recruits on campus, rather than to discover brand-new talent.
— Hope College · NCAA Division IIISmall, invite-only ID camps exist mainly so recruits meet current players, whose feedback on fit weighs heavily in the final decision.
— Maryville College · NCAA Division IIIThe camp runs two full days instead of one, because a single off day from nerves or illness hides a player’s true ability.
— Missouri University of Science and Technology · NCAA Division IIThe program’s free ID camps — unlike costly club camps that draw a hundred disinterested attendees — exist purely to identify and connect with genuinely interested recruits.
— Indiana University South Bend · NAIAWorking ID camps at other universities, including D1 programs, is a key recruiting channel for a junior-college staff.
— Northeastern Junior College · NJCAA Division I (Junior College)
Before you pay: the three questions
- Does the staff already know I exist? Email the coach before you register. If the reply is a real, personal one, the camp is a follow-up, not a lottery ticket. A blast invitation to a camp is marketing, not interest.
- Could I actually play there? Look at the roster. If the program recruits from academies you are not in and the roster is full of transfers at your position, coaches say paying for that camp is unrealistic.
- How many campers get signed? Ask. A coach who evaluates at camp will tell you; a fundraiser will not.
A personal invitation to a school’s ID camp does not mean a recruit is actually on that program’s short list.
— Georgia Gwinnett College · NAIABefore travelling to a camp, confirm there is a real personal relationship with the coach rather than a generic mass invite.
— Catawba College · NCAA Division IIDon’t pay to attend an elite school’s ID camp when the roster makeup makes it unrealistic you would ever be recruited there.
— Oberlin College · NCAA Division IIIA short, personalized message before an ID camp — even just noting something specific about the school — stands out far more than generic outreach.
— Lake Michigan College · NJCAA Division II (Junior College)
Camps versus showcases versus your own games
Some coaches prefer to see you in a real game with something at stake. Others say an external camp signals you are willing to invest to get in front of multiple staffs. Neither replaces a highlight video and a personal email — those are what get a coach to come watch you in the first place.
The coach prefers watching recruits in high-stakes showcase games over ID camps, because camp games lack real competitive stakes.
— Lesley University · NCAA Division IIIExternal ID camps matter because they show a recruit is willing to invest extra time and money to get in front of multiple coaches.
— Howard Payne University · NCAA Division IIIID camps let the staff evaluate a recruit’s level in person while the recruit sees the campus and facilities.
— Mercer University · NCAA Division IOn-campus ID camps let the staff coach and evaluate recruits directly while recruits check out the school for themselves.
— Hampden–Sydney College · NCAA Division III
Frequently asked questions
- Do college coaches actually recruit from ID camps?
- Yes, from the right kind. Coaches say their own small, capped, on-campus camps regularly produce commits, usually from players they had already noticed. Large multi-school camps with hundreds of players rarely do.
- Does an ID camp invitation mean the coach is interested?
- Not by itself. Coaches say invitations go out broadly. A personal reply to your own email before the camp is the real signal.
- How much should an ID camp cost?
- Price is not the tell; the coach-to-player ratio is. Coaches describe good camps capped around 50 players, or 13 to 15 players per coach, and some programs run free camps for recruits they are already tracking.
- Should I go to a camp at a school I probably can’t play for?
- Coaches say no if the roster makes it unrealistic. Spend the money on a camp at a program that has already replied to you, or on getting to a showcase where several realistic programs will be watching.
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