(Pictured Above: SoccerWire Featured Player Taylor Smith (2026) in recent action with FC Prime ECNL 2007)
After a big weekend on the soccer field, the social media work begins! Keeping up with one’s social media account can be a bit taxing after a long weekend, but providing updated highlights and information is important when going through the college recruiting process.
Here are some key tips on how to handle your social media account after a game or a showcase.
#1 Take Notes
Going through video footage can take forever and depending upon your club and your parent’s computer skills, it may be up to you to cut your highlights. After each game, write down some notes as to when you made key plays during the game. That will help narrow down your search later. When it comes to big plays like goals, you can ask your coach as they may have a more specific time in mind.
#2 Don’t Just Post Goals
Everyone loves goals and they certainly make for great social media clips. But remember, you want college coaches to see that there is so much more to your game than just your goal-scoring prowess. This is especially important for field players outside of the striker position. You want to show all the great things that you can do on the field, so never limit yourself to just one type of highlight.
Examples of good types of plays to show are: clean defensive tackles, great saves, your work off of the ball, dribbling sequences against defenders, and/or combination passes (this one is great because you can also tag in other players on your team).
#3 Make Sure To Highlight Yourself At The Beginning Of The Clip
Managed to get them twice with it. 2 GREAT passes by my teammate though!! #ECNL #Classof2025 #SoCalBluesU16 @ImYouthSoccer @SSN_NCAASoccer @SoccerMomInt @PrepSoccer @WSOCRecruits @TheSoccerWire @TopDrawerSoccer pic.twitter.com/OjsG2SqhP0
— Sydney Schuler (@sydschuler2025) May 17, 2023
Although video footage of youth soccer games has dramatically improved since the days of a parent holding iPhone 4 with a selfie stick, it still can be a bit difficult to sometimes see things like player numbers. That is why it is important that while editing the video to highlight yourself at the beginning. Video editing software such as Canva, iMovie, and Adobe Premiere Pro allow the user to freeze a frame at the beginning and highlight specific objects on the field. Doing so will help the person watching understand where you are on the field throughout the clip.
#4 Keep It Short
Individual highlight clips should be no more than 15 seconds. If you’re showing more than one highlight on the post, you can extend it (i.e. two 15 second clips = 30 seconds total). Videos on social media are supposed to be short, so you don’t want to have it drag on forever.
#5 Music In The Background Is Fine But Be Careful Of Copyright Laws
This is a major issue when it comes to the music that is used in player highlight reels. While it can be tempting to put out your recent highlights with your favorite song, it’s illegal to play copyrighted music in the background of a video unless you have consent. Especially when it comes to Twitter, moderators from major record companies are often scanning the platform and looking for breaches in copyright policy. Social media accounts can be taken and in severe cases those that are breaking copyright law can be sued.
It’s understandable that players will want to put something in the background of their highlights to cut out the usual background noise of a soccer match. But it’s also important to abide by copyright laws.
#6 Sometimes The Tough Results Are The Best Posts
It’s easy to want to post highlights after a big win or a strong result. But it’s harder to find any joy after a tough result. Still, if you do want to post something after a bad loss it’s okay to do so just make sure that you are hitting the right tone. What’s most important is showing good sportsmanship to your opponent, talk about how hard your team worked, and avoid being negative. Although it may be hard to post about tough losses, it shows a certain level of maturity and growth and will look good to college scouts.
my left footed goal this weekend at ECNL SC showcase vs. DKSC hard fought game from both sides with a tough loss 2-1. our team played exceptionally throughout the whole weekend and ended with a 1-1-1. #ECNL #eclipsesc #eclipsenation @EclipseSelectSC @ECNLgirls @TheSoccerWire pic.twitter.com/l6qZ5bVrZg
— Aybree Sanchez (@aybree_sanchez) May 17, 2023
#7 After Showcases, Do A Thank You Post
Showcases can be a grind and taking a moment to have fun and say thank you can feel like just one more thing. But it is important to take a moment and say thank you to all of the people who worked hard on the event and also to the college coaches who were there. Examples of good pictures are: a team picture in front of the big signs at a showcase, photos from a team dinner or hanging out at the hotel, or just a few fun photos with your teammates. Any will work but will be a nice way to show your appreciation for the event and break up the posts from the field.
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SoccerWire Featured Player since April 2023
