How Do You Write A Thank You Note To A Coach?
One of the most important parts of recruiting is building relationships with college coaches. The key to building a relationship with a college coach is to communicate with them consistently with relevant updates. A great way to stay in touch with a coach is to write a thank-you note, usually sent over an email. But how do you write a thank you note to a coach?
To write a thank you note to a coach, you should start by introducing yourself and then thank the coach for the specific reason you’re reaching out. Close out the email by connecting the experience back to your interest in the school and how it will help you going forward. There are many reasons to send a thank you note to a college coach, including after a campus visit, a phone call with the coach or camp. The key is to be genuine and keep the email short and to the point.
Email is usually the best way to send a thank-you note to a coach, but any form of communication will work. You can reach out to a coach over the phone, by writing a letter, sending a text or sending a social media DM. A handwritten letter is the least common form of communication for recruits, especially as digital communication becomes more prevalent in recruiting.
Format Of A Thank You Note To A Coach
Whatever form of communication you choose, a thank you note should have the same basic parts. You can adapt the tone and wording slightly for calls or texts, but in general, the example below is an excellent template to follow.
Introduction: Start with a short subject line that includes your name, graduation year, position and the reason you’re reaching out. In the email, introduce yourself briefly to remind the coach of who you are, especially you’ve met before. If you don’t have a previous relationship with the coach, you might add more personal details, like your athletic stats or test scores.
Reason For Reaching Out: There are many reasons to send a thank you note to a coach. If you came back from an official or unofficial visit or a camp, talk about your experience and include something positive that you took away from the experience.
Say Thank You: If the coach took the time to call you or watch you play in person, thank them for their time and explain how their actions were beneficial to you. Keep it short and sweet, but tell the coach how much their attention meant to you.
Personalize: All of your communication with college coaches should be personalized, but especially in a thank you note. Close the email by connecting the experience back to your interest in the school and team. Explain how the visit or sports camp showed you that the coach’s team is the one you want to be on.
End the email by thanking the coach again, and let them know you’ll be in touch in the future. You can include your contact information and where you’re playing next, in case they want to see you play. Don’t stress about the format of the email; the most critical part of the email is your tone. You want to be genuine about the impact the experience had and why you think you would be an excellent addition to the program.
When To Send A Thank You Note To A Coach?
Now, you know how to write a thank you note to a coach, but when should you send one? A thank you note sets you apart from other recruits by showcasing your manners and character. Coaches are looking to recruit players that have positive attitudes and strong character, and sending a thank you note can prove that you have those qualities.
It’s appropriate to write a thank you note to a college coach for many reasons, but especially so after a campus visit or other in-person interaction with a coach. You don’t want to wait too long after the event to follow up, though. It’s best to send the follow-up thank you within a day or two after the event.
After A Visit: Whether you’ve taken an official visit or an unofficial visit, it’s polite to send an email thanking the coach for their time. They’ve likely set aside some time to talk with you and answer your questions. It would help if you mentioned something positive you noticed about the school on your visit and why you’re interested in attending the university.
After A Tournament: If the coach saw you play in person, whether at a tournament, showcase, sports camp or home game, it’s appropriate to send a thank you note. The coach went out of their way to see you play, and you want to show appreciation for their time and thoughtfulness. It’s also likely that the coach is seriously interested in recruiting you at this point in the recruiting process if they are evaluating your performance in person. You should do your best to keep in touch with the coach to find out where you are on their radar.
After A Phone Call: Similar to sending introduction emails to ask a coach questions about their recruiting process, you might schedule a phone call with a coach to learn more about their program. Sending a thank you note is a great way to follow up with a coach after taking the time to call you and answer some questions.
Depending on your sport, Division I and II college coaches are not allowed to communicate with you before June 15 of your sophomore year or September 1 of your junior year. This makes it tricky if you send a thank you note before the above dates and don’t hear a response from a coach. They may be interested in you as a recruit and not be able to respond, or they may not think you’re a good fit for their program. The only way to know is to keep reaching out to the coach, especially after the dates the NCAA has allowed coaches to respond. The best way to navigate the recruiting process is to build a relationship with college coaches, which you can do by consistently communicating with a few coaches through thank you notes or other follow-ups.
Other Reasons To Reach Out To A Coach
Consistently reaching out to a coach creates name recognition and reminds them that they know you, which can be helpful after a sports camp or other event when they’ve recently seen you play. There are many reasons to reach out to a college coach, besides saying thank you.
Get Feedback: If you’re wondering if a coach is interested in recruiting you, there’s an easy way to find out. You can email the coach and ask them for feedback on your highlight video if it’s recently been updated. You can also ask for feedback in a thank you email as well.
Congratulate Them: You can contact a coach to say congratulations if they had a successful season or just won a significant game. This is a great way to reach out to a coach because it shows that you’ve been keeping up with their season. You can personalize the message by mentioning specific things about the coach’s coaching style or game-time decisions that you admired.
Plan A Visit: When planning an unofficial visit, you’ll need to contact the coach to schedule a meeting during your time on campus. This is an opportunity to introduce yourself and give the coach more information about you while you get to know them.
The goal of reaching out to a coach is to establish a rapport with them and update them on your progress as a student-athlete. Don’t have your parents reach out to a coach or write a thank you note for you because it robs you of a chance to develop a relationship with a coach one on one.
Things To Keep In Mind
Proofread Before Sending: It’s essential to proofread before sending off an email or text. In a short email, it’s much easier to notice typos, which makes it look not very careful or rushed.
Include Highlight Video: If you can, find a way to include a link to your highlight video in your thank you note. That way, coaches can find out more about you if they want to.
** Coach’s Schedule:** Coaches are very busy, so it says a lot for them to take time to recruit you specifically. A thank you note can go a long way by showing your appreciation for the coach.