My grand daughter has been playing on higher ranked club teams in the area. They have gone to several nationals and done quite well. She is tall, strong, dedicated and a lefty. I understand these can be desirable things for playing volleyball. Yesterday the daughter got a call from an agent wanting to represent the grand daughter. She is still too young to be approached by college recruiters and that cannot happen until she is a HS Junior in 2023. This is very new territory for the family as none of us have been exceptional athletes.
To those of you that have been in this position, do you have any advice? At present, I told daughter to sit back, wait and don't make any commitments to anyone. Anything else we should be watching for?

I would send an email to Chellim1 and see if his brother's family might be willing to speak with you. His nephew was a successful high school and college baseball player, later drafted by Atlanta, and now playing for Baltimore.

Other than that, I might be able to find a sports attorney here to ask a few questions of on your behalf.

A

Friend of the family just got a college scholarship to play volleyball, several colleges were interested, and she visited each one before making her mind up (based on the academics of each place, i.e. the value of the degree she'll earn. Smart cookie! ) It's a happening thing, is college volleyball - glad your daughter is in!

Generic negotiation advice, not specifically athlete/agent - be polite, show interest but be non-committal. Also, don't get flustered or emotional. If one agent called out of the blue, then your granddaughter is good enough that others will also. Don't negotiate against yourself, or feel locked into giving this first caller any preferential consideration.

I will also suggest being careful not to do anything (or allow anything to be done, or accept anything tangible) that could run afoul of ethics or jeopardize amateur status. There are some arcane rules/guidelines and you won't want to find you inadvertantly wind up on the wrong side of those. Find the live wires, and stay well inside.

That line of work (athletic agency) does not attract shrinking violets. I just read an article about an NBA star whose grandmother brought her shotgun out when agents were sniffing around, trying to bribe her high-schooler grandson. If something seems ethically to be a grey area, or might be considered by someone else to be a grey area, steer clear. Shotgun optional, of course.

I go along with the "beware" advice. The agent has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Congrats on her success.

An "agent"? I would be highly suspicous of that. Probably looking to get her in to some half nekkind beach volleyball deal. Or worse.
Protect her with everything you have. Predators are everywhere when it comes to young, athletic girls. She will have legitimate opportunities at good major colleges when the time comes if she is that good. Keep "Agents" the hell away from her. My opinion.

If she plays for a big club team the club coaches will have experience guiding players through the process. Lean on them as they are your trusted advisor in this process.

One of my daughters was a nationally ranked swimmer, both NCAA DIV 1 and USA Swimming. She qualified to compete in the 2012 and 2016 US Olympic Trials, swam in NCAA Div 1 SEC and National Championships every year while in college as well as the USA National Championships since she was a high school senior.

The agent probably wants to market your grand daughter to colleges when she is of age. As others have said, proceed with caution.

If she is nationally ranked, college recruiters will have their eye on her even though they cannot approach her yet.

If she is that good and has interest in an athletics scholarship, she and her parents should start looking into what is allowed and not allowed so that all are prepared.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
If she plays for a big club team the club coaches will have experience guiding players through the process. Lean on them as they are your trusted advisor in this process.

They are not a bad starting place for initial advice. As this progresses, consider hiring a sports lawyer as well. That may not be needed for a while, or it may be.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
I go along with the "beware" advice. The agent has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Congrats on her success.

This^^^

I don't follow volleyball very closely, but is it a sport like baseball or hockey where players regularly bypass college to go pro (i.e., minor league farm system)? From what I know, it is not. At least in the US, the players w/ pro &/or Olympic potential come enitrely from the NCAA Div 1 ranks.

Agents are for professional athletes. If an athlete aspires to play in college, get a scholarship, etc, any contact w/ an agent can jeopardize the athlete's amateur status.

There are counselors and advisors that parents hire to help their kids navigate the college admissions process. They do not represent the kids and talk to coaches on their behalf, b/c that would be an agent and a NCAA violation. Parents or other close family members can be the go-betweens between coaches & players. The NCAA has very strict recruiting rules about when, where, what, how college coaches can recruit HS players. It also has very strict rules about preserving amateur status.

Unless you are describing the person as an agent incorrectly, then the agent sounds all wrong.

an 'agent' involved for amateur sports ? for a minor child ?

run away and don't look back

(two of my kids were 4-year D1 college athletes so i am familiar with the college recruiting process -- one Mountain West and one Conference USA)

congrats to the grand daughter -- she likely has a bright future but there is a recruiting process for college and it does NOT involve agents

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Two of my children were college athletes. Let this one go. Nothing in it for her at this point.

Yeah, TMK, no legitimate agents for HS, maybe in baseball.

A friend of mine is a collegiate scout, but that's for football. Not sure how much carry over there is.

Agent for HS aged athlete = run the other way.

Every "agent" comes with a fee to represent a kid. Usually anywhere from 1,500 to about 6K (for national recruiting firms). The type of "agent" I am referring to is one who will represent the kid to get a college scholarship.

quote:

Originally posted by BigJoe:
Every "agent" comes with a fee to represent a kid. Usually anywhere from 1,500 to about 6K (for national recruiting firms). The type of "agent" I am referring to is one who will represent the kid to get a college scholarship.

Talked to daughter further and that is the type of "agent" that they were talking with. hey have decided to relax for a bit and see how she does in camps etc. The camp she goes today is affiliated with USA Volleyball.

quote:

Originally posted by bettysnephew:

quote:

Originally posted by BigJoe:
Every "agent" comes with a fee to represent a kid. Usually anywhere from 1,500 to about 6K (for national recruiting firms). The type of "agent" I am referring to is one who will represent the kid to get a college scholarship.

Talked to daughter further and that is the type of "agent" that they were talking with. hey have decided to relax for a bit and see how she does in camps etc. The camp she goes today is affiliated with USA Volleyball.

good deal

absolutely attend various camps and tournaments that will get her 'on the radar' of coaches. the club coaches will know about these tournaments and likely 'advertise' what colleges are likely to scout. you are correct the college coaches can not contact her yet.

SHE however can absolutely contact THEM as much as she wants. Send coaches periodic emails about her GRADES, games, results, progress, etc. You need to get on the coaches' radar sufficiently early to get included in their long-term recruiting plan.

ask any questions you want. its a bit of a convoluted process with various timelines but having gone through it -- it kinda makes sense. understand that D1 women's volleyball -- if FULLY funded by the university AD -- only offer 12 full scholarships PER team. So MOST of the scholarships will b partial. IE if there are 25 players on the squad ... it will average out to .5 per player. Some -- the upper class high impact players will get more ... the walk-ons possibly nothing... The scholarships will be re-evaluated annually but generally won't go down unless a serious problem occurs.

and she could get academic money also -- if she qualifies... so all rolled up it could make a nice dent in the $$ of attendance. my kids loved the playing / traveling / training... a great experience for them -- time management, handling pressure, preparation, etc.


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Go for the academic scholarships. As noted above volleyball is frequently a .5award, not a complete scholarship. It also comes with a crazy commit to volleyball. The coaches could care less about your grades as long as you remain academically eligible. The big money is football and basketball. My two kids played college tennis so I have a pretty good idea.

I was a college athlete, in a Big 10 school. I would advice that you and your granddaughter stay away from any agents, whatever they may say.
She will be recruited by legit college teams, and the coaches/recruiters will know how to find her and how to contact her and her parents. Please stay away from any people claiming to be agents. Getting involved with such "agent" types, could potentially negatively affect her being recruited by legit college teams, and could get her to run afoul of NCAA rules.
Just my take on the whole "college recruitment racket".