Over recent years, our experienced team has helped student-athletes from over 30 different countries to get recruited to play sport at a UK university.
Our applicants come to us with a desire to play a wide range of sports and varying levels of ambitions.
Whilst some students simply wish to get recruited to play socially alongside their UK university degree, others have ambitions of going on to pursue careers in their respective sports such as signing professional contracts and competing at the Olympic Games.
Our recruitment experts have stated that having video footage is the most important tool in helping our applicants in securing interest from UK university coaches.
In addition to helping applicants to secure interest, video footage is often the biggest factor in helping a coach determine if they wish to offer a sport scholarship.
What is a sport recruitment highlight video and why is it important?
A highlight video brings together a series of clips from your sporting career to act as evidence of your ability. These clips when joined together will make a short film that can be distributed to coaches.
A well-crafted highlight video can make a significant impact on your recruitment journey, enhancing your prospects of being recruited by a UK university and receiving a sports scholarship offer.
5 things to consider when creating your highlight video
With video being such an important part of the UK university sport recruitment process, we put together our top tips for creating a highlight video that will help you to stand out from the crowd.
Duration
Duration
A highlight video doesn’t need to be a feature length film. Approximately 5 to 10 ten minutes of footage of you excelling in your preferred sport showing your full range of your skills and abilities will be enough for a coach to determine how you could potentially benefit their team.
A highlight video doesn’t need to be a feature length film. Approximately 5 to 10 ten minutes of footage of you excelling in your preferred sport showing your full range of your skills and abilities will be enough for a coach to determine how you could potentially benefit their team.
First Impressions Count
First Impressions Count
UK University coaches will receive many videos from potential applicants and may make a decision after the few clips, without seeing the full video. With that in mind, you need to make a good first impression. Put your best clips early into the video to set a great first impression.
UK University coaches will receive many videos from potential applicants and may make a decision after the few clips, without seeing the full video.
With that in mind, you need to make a good first impression. Put your best clips early into the video to set a great first impression.
Games and Training
Games and Training
Coaches will always prefer seeing you play in a competitive environment. It’s important for them to see how you positively impact your team and perform your individual duties.
However, it’s not always possible to display your full range of abilities each match. Combining your highlights from competitive games along with individual training clips will help a coach to fully evaluate your skill set.
Coaches will always prefer seeing you play in a competitive environment. It’s important for them to see how you positively impact your team and perform your individual duties.
However, it’s not always possible to display your full range of abilities each match. Combining your highlights from competitive games along with individual training clips will help a coach to fully evaluate your skill set.
Stand Out!
Stand Out!
Whilst it’s going to be easy for you and your family to recognise yourself in a highlight video, a UK university coach who has never seen you play before may have no idea who you are, or which player to look for.
Be sure to highlight yourself so that it is obvious who you are in every clip of your highlight video.
It’s going to be easy for you and your family to recognise yourself in a highlight video, though for a UK university coach who has never seen you play before may have no idea who you are or which player to look for in a certain clip.
Be sure to highlight yourself so that it is obvious who you are in every clip of your highlight video.
Music
Music
Your taste in music may not be the same as your future UK university coach. Since most coaches tend to watch your video on mute, consider including the natural background sounds from your games and training footage, or alternatively, remove all audio and let your skills do the talking.
Your taste in music may not be the same as your future UK university coach. Since most coaches tend to watch your video on mute, consider including the natural background sounds from your games and training footage, or alternatively, remove all audio and let your skills do the talking.
Tools to create your sport recruitment highlight video
While there are paid software options available for video editing, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Filmora, it’s essential to know that there are also free tools that can help you create an impressive highlight reel.
Some popular free video editing software includes Shotcut, Lightworks, and DaVinci Resolve. These programs offer a range of features, from basic to advanced, allowing you to piece together your best moments on the field or court.
Whether you opt for paid or free software, the key is to focus on clear, high-quality footage, concise editing, and emphasizing your strengths as an athlete.
Completed your video? It’s time to start the UK University Recruitment Process!
With universities throughout the UK focusing on different sports and offering different degrees, it can be hard for future university students to work out where could be the best destination to pursue their sport alongside their studies.
The UK university sport recruitment process is our specialist area of expertise. Our staff are in contact with coaches on a daily basis, helping them to connect with our future university applicants.
As part of our free service, we help you identify opportunities that best suit your grades, academic preferences and sporting ambitions, then distribute your details across the country.
You can register your details for our free recruitment service on the link below!
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