A modern solution to the two-sided problem in college recruitment.
Next Gen is a discovery-feed platform that bridges the gap between collegiate soccer recruits and coaches, moving away from the current flawed system of mass outreach or the agency route by putting players into the spotlight of relevant coaches, thereby eliminating wasted time and effort on both sides.
I played at 3 different Colleges, each coming at me in a different way. An agency, a mutual and an email. I was very lucky to be presented these opportunities in a difficult recruitment system.
“I sent out 100+ emails and only managed to get 2 replies”
“I tried an agency and got lots of offers, but none of them fitted what I was looking for”
Academy of Art was one of the two replies!
Players rely on mass emails, expensive agencies and costly showcases, with no guarantee of getting into the coaches’ spotlight.
Coaches are buried under a lot of unfiltered interest, leaving them missing out on a lot of talented players that fit their program.
The Reality
1-3%
Is the expected chance of a reply to an email
100+
Is how many emails a Coach can receive daily in peak times
30s
Is how long a coach will typically watch your tape
How May We Put the right players into the right coaches’ spotlight at the right time.
I previously made Next Gen, following instructions as a social media platform for up-and-coming athletes, essentially another version of Instagram. This just creates the problem even further, turning it into another popularity contest. So after re-evaluation, some research and personal experience, I pivoted to remake it, now solving a validated problem.
James Hogan
“I’ll rarely recruit through my emails, I’ll get 60+ a day so most just get lost in there”
“We recruit very specific player profiles”
“Most highlights I’ll have decided within a minute whether I’m watching more or not”
Coaches get buried under so many emails a day it becomes a matter of right time, right place. They hold the most power in recruitment — so any solution has to serve them first.
Next Gen
A discovery feed focused app for players to upload 30 second clips to get into coaches’ spotlights, taking them onto their full profile where they can find all other recruitment related information.
Player profile set up
Next Gen gives players a platform to create a quick and easy profile to put themselves into relevant coaches’ spotlight.
Coach filtering feed
Next Gen gives Coaches a discovery feed filled with players that match their College and can be filtered down further for specific recruiting roles.
Coach messaging
Next Gen gives Coaches a watchlist where they can keep updates on players. They are also able to make the first contact, with Coaches having to send the first message.
We need to focus on short form videos to catch a coach’s attention early, with most coaches deciding within a minute.
A watchlist is needed to make sure coaches don’t lose players they want to keep in their spotlight, helping both player & coach.
Filters should allow coaches to search for specific profiles while ensuring players are in the right coaches’ spotlight.
Notifications are needed to give players clarity on whether their clips, profile and highlight are being seen.
Lessons
- The ADDY version looked good but didn’t serve any real purpose — it must be purposeful first, beautiful second
- You can learn a lot from indirect competitors — LinkedIn’s notification model shaped how I thought about player visibility
- Interviewing the right target market users changed the direction of the whole solution
- Simple and easy to use is always best
Next Steps
- Test the prototype with more active college coaches to validate the solution
- Validate the 30-second clip format with players — is that enough time to get a coach onto a player’s profile?
- Define the business model — if agencies profit from the broken system, Next Gen needs a clear answer for how it sustains itself
