Thinking back to his transition from high school to college soccer, Ted Priestly admits he had no clue about the recruiting process. "I didn't know how to talk to coaches on the phone, and I relied on partial information and word of mouth," he says. "I ended up going to a school that I had never visited or seen play, and without meeting the coaches."

Now the Head Men's Soccer Coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Priestly sees the same lack of knowledge in today's student-athletes--and he's decided to do something about it. That's why, on June 5, he spearheaded a special seminar at his school titled, "Opening the Door to College Sports: The College Recruiting Process from A to Z."

Offered for free and aimed at area high school student-athletes, the two-hour event featured speeches by nine panelists, many of which included video clips or a slide show. Kerri Mead, Director of Admissions, spoke about the process of being admitted to a school, while Head Men's Ice Hockey Coach Blaise MacDonald, who leads the Division II school's lone D-I program, talked about playing at the NCAA's highest level. Other topics included finding balance as a student-athlete, choosing a school that fits an athlete's personality, NCAA eligibility, and performance enhancement.

The evening concluded with a question-and-answer session that proved to be the highlight of the event. "Taking questions from the audience gave us an opportunity to relay our personal experiences and complement the presentations," says Priestly. "It also filled in any gaps we missed."

Each person who attended the seminar left with a brochure packed with recruiting information. The material included links to helpful Web sites, as well as tips on getting started and navigating the process.

"During their time recruiting on the road, our coaches have found there is a lot of bad information out there," says UMass-Lowell Athletic Director Dana Skinner. "There are a lot of pieces to recruiting, and it's important to figure out how to tie them together with a common thread. We're hopeful the seminar was able to do that."

Skinner adds that the event wouldn't have been possible if not for legislation approved at the 2007 NCAA Convention that relaxed recruiting contact restrictions for schools conducting legitimate community activities. "Division II is particularly interested now in reaching out into what's called the community engagement initiative," Skinner says. "We're trying to figure out ways to reach into our communities and provide services that attract people to campus."

The entire event was put together in about five weeks, says Priestly, who adds that several high school athletic organizations helped publicize the event among their memberships. "We also tapped into our personal resources and relationships," he says. "Our coaches basically told everybody they knew--people in the coaching community, players they were recruiting, and kids that go to their camps--about what we were doing. That grassroots marketing really worked well."

With a successful first run, the university is hoping to turn the recruiting seminar into an annual event, with some improvements in the works. Skinner is considering bringing in speakers from outside the UMass-Lowell community, especially some from Division I and III institutions who can provide different perspectives.

For anyone looking to hold a similar event at his or her school, Priestly advises keeping the audience's needs in focus. "Make sure you have the right information," he says. "Look at things through the eyes of the attendees, not just the experts.
Consider what they want and need to know. Try to make it interesting and have some quality reference materials they can take home with them.

"I also think it's important to be inspirational, and encourage them that although it can be difficult at times, the recruiting process has plenty of benefits," he continues. "There's something really special about having college athletic dreams, and it's worth the work to meet them."