On the face of it, an athletics scholarship in America seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. But does it suit everyone?

With the prospect of student loans, mounting debt and miserable weather in Britain, who wouldn’t be lured by the promise of sunshine and scholarships to the USA? A current boom for athletes seeking track and field scholarships has almost certainly been buoyed by the success of athletes based Stateside, including Charles Hicks at Stanford University and Josh Kerr at New Mexico.

The American Dream is alive and kicking, but not every experience of the US College system is a positive one.
Sarah Inglis, a recruiter for Streamline – a track and field specific service with a database of over 1700 universities – competed as a junior at the World Cross Country Championships and was offered an athletics scholarship to do her masters degree in education at Trinity Western University (TWU) based in Vancouver, after graduating from the University of Edinburgh.

“It was a unique opportunity and allowed me to pursue running at a high level again and travel across North America,” she says. “It was the best decision I made in terms of improving athletically, travelling the world and meeting team-mates who are now lifelong friends.”

However, Inglis is the first to admit there are pitfalls for which many who make the move are not prepared. “You really need to do your background work for it to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience,” she says.

Jonathan Illori, founder of the UK-based Right Track recruitment service, says those who have a bad experience in the States are usually the ill-prepared and ill-informed. Whenever anyone mentions UK athletes heading to the USA, there’s inevitably a rolling of eyes and warnings about burnout by some coaches. Illori says the reputation is a hangover from the 1980s and 1990s.

“I’d be lying to say there are not programmes and coaches out there that we would suggest athletes avoid,” he says. “But if you prepare well and choose carefully it will be a process that only sees you improve.” 

But where to start and what do you need to know? Here’s the experts’ guide to pursuing the American Dream:

Who shouldn’t consider the USA system?

It’s easy to get lured into believing a USA Scholarship is a dream ticket, but it won’t suit everyone. “If you are someone for whom athletics is more of a hobby and a social outlet away from school, then you should think long and hard before considering the US collegiate system,” says Illori. “When you are out there you simply cannot opt out of training sessions because you don’t feel like it and can’t pick and choose when you compete. It’s the closest thing you will get to being a professional athlete.”

Are all US coaches looking for future stars?

Inglis says there’s a wide scale of requirements from coaches, but that it is certainly not just junior superstars they are looking for. “I would say the NCAA Division I programs are known for attracting standout juniors compared to NCAA Division II or NAIA programs who tend to recruit more developmental athletes,” she says. “But, really, there are so many opportunities and programs for every level of ability, it is just a case of finding the right fit.” 

What will an athletics scholarship cover?

Athletic scholarships in the USA can range from one to 100 per cent in terms of what’s paid for. “Some will cover everything including tuition fees, room and board, books, personal expenses and travel, while others will cover just some of these components,” says Illori. “Some universities offer spending money on top of these basic living costs.”

What you will get as a member of an athletic team on any size of scholarship are the added extras. “You will be treated like a professional athlete and have access to facilities and coaching, be given kit, competition expenses, availability of therapists and medical staff,” says Illori. 

Are academics important?

Yes, the more so the closer to Ivy League standard you get. “How much a university offers depends on how valuable they consider you to be to their team,” Illori says. “So they will be looking not just at your athletic performances, but at academic achievements and personal attributes. It’s the whole package.”

As a minimum, you must achieve passes across a range of subjects at GCSE level and above. “Good grades are important regardless of the level of academic school you are hoping to get to,” adds Illori. “And the higher your grades, the more likely you will be eligible for an academic scholarship on top of an athletic scholarship, which could open the door to a wider range of strong colleges.”

Prior to the pandemic, all prospective athletes had to complete an SAT or ACT assessment, multiple choice aptitude tests designed to measure core reading, writing and maths skills that are accepted by all universities. “They are each offered roughly five times per year at various locations around the UK, but have become less of a prerequisite in the last couple of years,” he says.

How do you choose a location?

Where you choose to study is more important than many athletes realise. “If you live in a city, you might not like to be somewhere that is very quiet and out in the sticks,” says Illori. “You also need to think about the climate and how easy it will be to train somewhere that is very warm or very cold.”

You need to be happy living there for the four or five years, regardless of athletics. “Injuries can happen so finding a location where you can still enjoy life away from the track is important,” says Inglis. “People overlook it, but where you study is important.”

 How do the college seasons work?

For middle distance athletes, the year is split into three distinct phases. “Cross country season runs from August until November and some teams will prioritise that above all else,” Illori says. “Officially the indoor season starts in December, although most schools start competing in January, and it runs through to March and the NCAA Indoor champs. On paper there is no transition period before the outdoor track season begins in March, although a good coach and school set-up will allow a break after indoor competition.”

Don’t expect to be racing non-stop and the competition year “always ends in time for students to get back and do the National under 20 champs in the UK,” says Illori.

 Is it necessary to sign with a recruitment service?

Not at all. But if you do it on your own, you must familiarise yourself with what’s required. That means, researching the college system, arranging campus visits, registering for NCAA eligibility and obtaining visas when needed. A good recruiter will plug some of those gaps, but there is still a certain amount of work you will need to do yourself. “Part of my role is finding out from the coaches what their programme is like and at times visiting their university campus to get a real picture,” Inglis says. “By getting to know athletes I can then send them opportunities that I feel will be a good fit academically and athletically.”

Illori says it is worthwhile working with a recruiter if the whole process seems overwhelming. “It can be a minefield,” he says. “When I first went to the US I ended pulling out because I hadn’t fully understood the scholarship being offered and went to the wrong university. A recruiter doesn’t provide a guarantee you will get what you want, but they should provide the logistics and the glue to pull the application process together.”

How much will a recruitment consultant cost?

There are many different options, largely dependent on the level of service you require. Most services require an athlete to create a profile with personal information, performances and academics which gets sent to university coaches – the recruiter acts as an intermediary. 

At RightTrack, the fee (around £2400) includes a comprehensive athlete profile, NCAA registration, Visa support and a mentor system for those who sign for colleges. “It’s a bespoke service and we really get to know each individual athlete,” Illori says. At the other end of the scale is Streamline, a track and field specialist, which offers a free basic service with options to upgrade to an elite service for £5.99-£7.99 per month. “We flipped the model, and the universities pay us to find them athletes,” Inglis says. “An athlete can use our search tool and contact up to two coaches at a time directly from our platform.” 

Do your own research

One of the biggest pitfalls is to find yourself with a coach on a university programme that doesn’t work for you, so it is imperative to do some groundwork. “Contact athletes who are currently on the team, and those who have graduated from the college,” Inglis says. “Find out what their experience was like, ask questions about team culture and get a real insight into what it would be like to be there.”

Social media is a useful tool for research. “Collegiate athletes are now sharing their experiences more openly via Instagram and this is something to use,” adds Inglis. “Look at what the seniors on the team run in their first year and final year of the program and look for schools that have a pattern of improving athletes throughout their time there.”

Don’t ignore Canada

Canada is often overlooked, but while its track & field collegiate system – called U Sports – doesn’t have the depth of the US NCAA system, it has does produce very high standard competition. “Canadian Olympians such as Melissa Bishop and Gabriela Debues-Stafford both competed in U Sports,” Inglis says. “And there is no age limit with U Sports, while NCAA is for athletes aged 25 and under.” Tuition scholarships are available at Canadian universities but they cannot offer a “full ride” scholarship that includes all living costs. “It means accommodation and food would have to be covered by the athlete at Canadian universities,” Inglis says. 

Find more about Streamline here and Right Track here