Soccer ID camps and showcases are a major line item for recruiting families — and one of the hardest to evaluate. A single college-run ID camp costs $150–$400. A weekend showcase tournament can run $500+ once you add travel and lodging. Multiply that across a year of events and you're spending thousands on opportunities that may or may not put your athlete in front of the right coaches. The challenge for soccer families is that the camp ecosystem is more fragmented than in most other sports. College-run ID camps, third-party showcases, ECNL and MLS NEXT events, and regional combines all serve different purposes, attract different coaches, and deliver different results. Understanding those differences is the first step toward spending your money wisely. For a broader framework that applies across all sports, see our guide on whether college recruiting camps are worth it.
Types of soccer recruiting events: ID camps vs. showcases vs. combines
Soccer families encounter three main categories of recruiting events, and confusing them is one of the most common — and expensive — mistakes.
| Event type | Run by | What happens | Recruiting value |
|---|
| College ID camp | A single college program, usually on campus | Training sessions and small-sided games evaluated by that program's coaching staff | Can be high if the coach is actively recruiting your athlete's position. Can be zero if it's a revenue event with 200 players and two coaches watching. |
| Showcase tournament | Third-party organizer (e.g., ECNL, MLS NEXT, US Club Soccer, private operators) | Full 11v11 matches played in front of college coaches from multiple programs | Depends entirely on which coaches attend and whether they're scouting or just listed on the flyer. |
| Combine / tryout event | Third-party or conference-affiliated | Athletic testing, technical drills, short-sided games | Produces measurable data for your athlete's profile. Less common in soccer than in football, but some regional events draw legitimate college staff. |
ID camps are run by a specific college program. Your athlete is being evaluated for that program's roster. The value is narrow but potentially deep — if the coach needs a player at your athlete's position, a strong showing can lead directly to a campus visit or offer.
Showcase tournaments put your athlete's club team in front of dozens of college coaches at once. The value is broad but shallow — coaches are scanning many players across many games, and follow-up depends on whether your athlete catches someone's eye during a 25-minute half.
Combines are the least common format in soccer recruiting but occasionally appear at regional or conference-level events. They're useful for building a recruiting profile with verified athletic data, but they rarely lead directly to offers.
The distinction matters because families often treat all three the same way. They're not. An ID camp is a targeted audition. A showcase is a broad exposure opportunity. Choosing the right format depends on where your athlete is in the recruiting timeline.
Which soccer camps do college coaches actually attend?
This is the question that separates useful events from expensive weekends. Not all camps and showcases draw real decision-makers.
College-run ID camps reliably have the host program's coaches present — that's the point. But "present" can mean different things. At a well-run ID camp, the head coach and position-specific assistants are actively evaluating during scrimmages. At a poorly run one, the head coach gives a welcome speech and disappears while graduate assistants run drills for 150 players.
ECNL National Events and MLS NEXT Showcases draw the highest concentration of college coaches of any soccer recruiting events. These are the tentpole events on the youth soccer calendar, and D1 and D2 coaches plan their scouting schedules around them. If your athlete plays in one of these leagues, these events are built into the season — and they're where a significant portion of college recruiting happens.
Third-party showcases vary enormously. Some — like certain US Club Soccer regional events — draw legitimate college coaching staffs. Others advertise "100+ college coaches" but can't produce a list of confirmed attendees. The difference is everything.
Conference-specific events (like those run by individual college conferences) can be valuable because the coaches in attendance have a direct pipeline to roster spots. These tend to be smaller and less well-known, which often means better athlete-to-coach ratios.
The rule of thumb: if the event organizer can give you a confirmed list of attending coaches — names, programs, and positions they're recruiting — the event has potential value. If they can't or won't, assume the coaching attendance is aspirational, not actual.
How to evaluate whether a specific soccer camp is worth the cost
Before you register for any soccer recruiting event, answer these questions:
Does the program have a roster need at your athlete's position?
Check the program's current roster and recent commitment lists. If they signed two center backs in last year's class and have three more on the current roster, their ID camp is not a center-back recruiting event — it's a revenue event. This single question eliminates more bad investments than any other.
Has a coach communicated directly with your athlete?
A mass email invitation is marketing. A personal message referencing your athlete's club team, a specific game, or their highlight video is recruiting interest. If a coach suggests attending their ID camp after direct communication, that camp moves to the top of your list. If the only contact has been a generic brochure, the invitation means nothing.
What's the athlete-to-coach ratio?
An ID camp with 40 players and a full coaching staff gives each athlete meaningful evaluation time. A camp with 200 players evaluated by two assistants is a glorified clinic. Ask the number. Programs that cap enrollment are prioritizing evaluation quality.
How is the event structured?
Live game situations — scrimmages, small-sided games with tactical demands — reveal what coaches actually need to see: decision-making, positioning, composure under pressure. Drill stations and fitness testing tell coaches very little they can't get from a highlight reel. The more competitive play in the schedule, the better.
Can you verify past results?
Talk to families in your club. Search recruiting forums. If athletes who attended previous years received follow-up from coaches, offers, or campus visit invitations, the event has a track record. If no one you know has ever heard back after attending, that's your answer.
What to do before, during, and after a soccer camp
Showing up and playing well is not a strategy. The athletes who get recruited from camps are the ones whose families treat the event as one step in a larger process.
Before the camp:
Email the coaching staff two to three weeks ahead. Introduce your athlete, include their highlight video and recruiting profile, mention their jersey number and position, and state that they're attending the camp. This ensures the coach knows to watch for your athlete specifically. For guidance on how to write that email, read our guide on how to email a soccer college coach.
During the camp:
Play your game. Coaches are evaluating soccer IQ, not just athleticism — positioning, first touch under pressure, communication with teammates, and how your athlete responds to mistakes. Be coachable. Ask questions. Make eye contact with coaches during instruction. The intangibles matter more than most families realize.
After the camp:
Send a follow-up email within 48 hours. Thank the coach for the opportunity, reference something specific from the camp (a drill, a conversation, feedback received), and restate your athlete's interest in the program. This is where most families drop the ball — they attend the camp and then go silent. The follow-up is what converts a camp appearance into an ongoing recruiting conversation.
Red flags: soccer camps that are cash grabs
Soccer's fragmented camp ecosystem creates more opportunities for low-value events than most sports. Watch for these:
- "You've been selected" language in a mass email. If your athlete received the invitation without any prior contact from the coaching staff, it went to a purchased mailing list. It's not selective.
- No confirmed coaching attendance list. Legitimate showcases publish the names of coaches and programs attending. If the organizer says "coaches from 80+ programs" but won't name them, the number is invented.
- Enormous registration numbers with no caps. A camp that accepts 300 players is optimizing for revenue, not evaluation. Coaches cannot meaningfully evaluate that many athletes in a weekend.
- The camp operator upsells recruiting services. Some organizations use camps as a funnel into $2,000–$5,000 recruiting packages. The camp is the hook. The service is the product.
- Uniformly glowing evaluations. If every participant receives a positive written assessment, the camp is manufacturing repeat customers, not delivering honest feedback.
- No follow-up from any coach after attendance. If your athlete attends a program's ID camp and hears nothing afterward — no email, no call, no film request — the camp was not a recruiting event for your athlete.
The bottom line
Soccer ID camps and showcases can be a direct path to a college roster — or an expensive distraction. The difference comes down to whether real coaches with real roster needs are genuinely evaluating your athlete, or whether you're paying for access to an event that exists primarily to generate revenue.
The best investments are targeted: an ID camp at a program that has communicated with your athlete and has an open roster spot, or a showcase tournament where confirmed college coaches will be watching your athlete's games. The worst investments are broad: attending every camp invitation that hits your inbox hoping something sticks.
Your family's recruiting budget is finite. So is your athlete's time. Spend both on events where the coaches who matter are actually in attendance — and where your athlete has done the work beforehand to make sure those coaches know exactly who to watch.
For a complete picture of soccer scholarship opportunities, or to map out where camps fit into your athlete's full recruiting timeline, start with those guides. For the NCAA's official recruiting calendar — contact periods, dead periods, evaluation periods, and how the dual-season structure drives soccer recruiting — our NCAA soccer recruiting calendar maps every period month by month. And when you're ready to reach out to coaches directly, our guide on how to email a soccer college coach walks you through exactly what to say.