The Frisco Flyers are generating buzz with a new facility on the way, but their use of video for recruiting is attracting attention, too.

Already one of the most successful clubs in Texas, the Frisco Flyers have a lot to look forward to this season, including their new state-of-the-art facility. Located in the heart of Frisco, the 50,000 square foot building is scheduled to be completed in August. It will allow the club, which had six teams qualify for National Qualifiers and won a national championship in the 13-year-old division in 2016, to give more private lessons, host tournaments and hold recruitment camps for college coaches.

After dipping their toes into the water of video analysis last season, the Flyers are also excited to dive into everything Hudl has to offer this year. Frisco added Hudl midseason and only used it for a handful of its 53 teams, but they plan on taking full advantage of its capabilities this time around. Talent around the city is taking notice.

"We can get kids to come to our club by saying, ‘We have these recruiting tools to get you to college if that’s your interest,’” club director and coach Bill Raitt said. “If there is a kid that’s deciding between two clubs and you say, ‘We’re going to help you create highlight videos throughout the season. We’ll show you how to help yourself get noticed.’ I think that would make them lean more toward your club rather than just having mom or dad do the video with a GoPro.”

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Players have a greater chance at getting noticed by highlighting their strengths in videos.

Most club volleyball players’ motivation is to get to the next level, and highlights help them make that leap. Raitt explained that recruiters typically identify prospects by attending qualifying tournaments. When an athlete catches their eye, they’ll want to see more.

This is the point where having a striking highlight can make all the difference. If an athlete has a strong video that clearly displays their strengths and capabilities, they’ll truly garner the attention of college coaches and scouts. Once interest is piqued, Hudl allows recruiters to watch entire matches and get the full scope of a player’s skills.

“(College coaches) will ask for recruiting videos,” Raitt said. “You make a three-minute clip from ten different games and you send that out to the colleges. That’s what they really look for and what sparks the interest. If they like what they see, they’ll contact you and want to see more. It’s a great recruiting tool for (recruiters) to see more than just two games they saw at a qualifier.

“Hudl is a great way to create those clips and send it to them. I’m sure that college coaches like having that tool so they can see more than they saw on just one weekend.”

Hudl helps in recruiting, but even in the short time he’s used it, Raitt has also seen it boost player development. Today’s generation of athletes are very comfortable around phones, tablets and computers, so video helps meet them where they’re at to teach more effectively.

“A lot of kids are visual learners,” Raitt said. “If they see something being done correctly or incorrectly, it can help them out. It’s better than us just explaining it to them. We’re looking forward to having our new place so it will centralize everything and we can utilize Hudl better and film some practices and all that fun stuff.”

With the new facility on the way and Hudl in tow, Raitt believes things are just getting started in Frisco.

“We’ll be able to utilize Hudl better because I’ll be able to see my staff on a regular basis,” he said. “Once we have our own facility, I’ll be able to have coaches meetings and we’ll use Hudl better for training purposes and getting clips to the members of the team.”

Want to see how Hudl can help your club? Learn more.