How To Contact Overseas Basketball Teams [FREE & EASY METHOD FOR ANYONE]

Contacting overseas basketball teams doesn’t have to be hard and complicated.

In fact:

In this post I’ll show you a FREE and EASY way that literally ANYONE can use to contact pro basketball teams regardless of:

• Skill level

• Playing background

• Connections

• Age

…etc.

So let’s begin.

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CONTACTING OVERSEAS BASKETBALL TEAMS

When contacting overseas basketball teams there are a few key elements including highlight films, resume, email address and/or social media accounts that must be present regardless of where or who you are messaging.

Otherwise:

The chances of success are quite slim.

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Now full disclosure:

The method I am about to show you already has a very low success rate.

There is a reason why it is FREE and EASY.

Literally anyone can do it.

How low is the success rate, you ask?

I’d say around 5-8%.

In fact:

I recently began tracking my own success with this form of contacting overseas teams and so far I’ve received 8/150 (5.3%) favorable messages (I’ll update this as I continue to do it. I’m planning on messaging 1000 teams).

When I say favourable messages I am referring to teams expressing interest by:

1. Wanting to sign you

2. Wanting to see more film

3. Wanting to know more info about you/your background

4. Forwarding you to a higher-ranking person to speak with (i.e. Team President)

Here’s a recent favourable response I received from a Spanish club.

In it, they say while they like my game their import slots are currently full.

But this eventually led us to the discussion of possibly working together to get the highly coveted Bosman A passport for me.

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So please don’t expect for the replies to be flooding in if you are attempting this method.

This is likely the lowest form of contacting overseas basketball teams.

Remember:

As mentioned in many other posts, teams/clubs/managers will always reach out to those they are most familiar with - and to those who they have established a solid foundation and relationship with over the years.

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At the same time:

You only need 1 team to be interested.

That’s all it takes for YOU to get your overseas basketball career started.

So with all that out the way, let’s dive into it.

PRO BASKETBALL TEAM CONTACTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

To easily message overseas pro basketball teams and contacts throughout the world, every player must familiarize themselves with Eurobasket.

This website is the hub of international and overseas basketball as it has a HUGE database of nearly all overseas pro teams, players and coaches throughout the world.

STEP 1: GO TO EUROBASKET.COM

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

Yes, it is FREE to access!

STEP 2: DETERMINE WHAT COUNTRY AND CONTINENT YOU WANT TO PLAY IN

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

While the name - Eurobasket - may clearly have you thinking this is a purely European website, this platform actually covers all leagues worldwide.

So by hovering over the tabs at the top of the page, you have access to every continent and country across the world.

Now when determining what country you want to contact/play in, it’s important you consider various KEY factors including:

1. Skill level/competition: What type of players (e.g. NCAA D1) do they recruit?

2. League history: Is it a beginner league for rookies or for established pros?

3. Nationality/citizenship: Are you considered a national or import where you’re looking?

4. Season period: When is the season happening? Are you applying during the right time?

…and much more.

Depending on this, your search should first be geared towards these specific regions of the world.

I call these the 4 key pillars of relevance when networking and they can literally make or break a search.

Afterwards, if you want, you can contact other countries.

Remember:

The response rate on this method is already very low.

So don’t make it even lower by searching for irrelevant countries (i.e. leagues outside your ability).

Be honest with yourself.

STEP 3: ACCESS THE COUNTRY

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

After having considered all of the above factors, hover over the continent and let the drop-down menu appear with the available countries.

Click on your country of choice.

For the purposes of this example.

I’ll choose Colombia.

STEP 4: FIND THE APPROPRIATE LEAGUE

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

Depending on the country there may be multiple leagues available on the upper tab.

For example:

In Colombia there are two main leagues currently listed on Eurobasket - LPB and Copa Federacion (tournament style league).

1. Click on the league you want to play in (top arrow in picture).

   In this instance, I want to play in the LPB since it is a longer season (more money).
   

2. Find the league standings on the right side of the page (bottom arrow in picture).
   Click on the desired team you’d like to message. I always start off with the lowest-ranking teams since they are more likely to give you an opportunity.
   
   Higher-ranking teams usually have their preferred or established imports they want.

STEP 5: MESSAGE THE TEAM COACH

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

After having clicked onto the team name, two key elements may appear:

• Team Roster (very often)

• Team Coach (less often)

If the coach (or coaches) are listed then you have your first lead.

Immediately find them on social media and make your pitch.

If you are unsure whether it is the same person on social media as it is on Eurobasket, look for things like:

• Is his/her job title posted on social media?

• Do we have mutual friends (basketball community is very small so it’s likely you will if you have been growing your global network)

• Match up photos between Eurobasket and social media to see if they look similar

• Look through their photos on social media (do they involve basketball?)

• Then make an educated guess

Now obviously not all coaches will have social media accounts so if you don’t find them quickly then skip onto Step 6.

Otherwise…

HOW TO CONTACT OVERSEAS BASKETBALL TEAMS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Pro basketball players should focus on connecting with overseas basketball teams and coaches on Facebook rather than Twitter or Instagram since Facebook is the most popular social media site worldwide and thus most accessible.

As well:

To privately message someone on Twitter, you need them to follow you back.

Instagram and Facebook don’t have that issue.

For your social media message create a simple template and switch out the coach’s name when relevant.

In your social media message, 7 key elements should be present:

1. Brief introduction hoping they are well

2. Introducing yourself

3. Listing any relevant passports

4. Expressing your desire to play

5. Briefly listing off your accomplishments/credentials

6. Highlight film

7. Call to action

Here’s the template I use:

Notice how the message is:

1. Brief

2. Respectful

3. To the point

4. Free of spelling errors

5. Grammatically correct

Don’t forget to translate the message into the country’s official language.

So in the Colombia example, I’d translate this message into Spanish through Google translator.

Coaches and teams are busy so don’t waste their time.

Make your message as brief, readable and accessible as possible.

Remove as many reasons as possible for them to click away.

Yes, while this is a basketball job and not a formal office position, it is still a job at the end of the day.

That means you need to be conducting yourself with a level of professionalism, efficiency and class if you want coaches to take you seriously.

STEP 6: CHECK FOR SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS

Photo credit: Eurobasket.com

Next:

After having added and messaged the coach on social media, head back to the Eurobasket page.

Look for the team’s social media icons right below the team name and click on it (arrow in picture).

Again:

If there are multiple social media accounts, always prioritize Facebook.

STEP 7: CHECK FOR ABOUT SECTION (EMAIL, WHATSAPP, WEBSITE)

Photo credit: Facebook.com

From here you will be taken to their Facebook page.

This is an extremely valuable resource for some teams as it can provide some juicy leads.

First:

LIKE the team page so that you are up to date on team events in the future.

Next:

Message the team page with the same template provided in Step 5.

Just switch out the coach’s name with the team name.

Usually there is a MESSAGE icon right where the LIKE button is (although this particular team doesn’t have one - very rare).

Also notice the left hand side or the ABOUT section.

These can provide HUGE leads such as:

• Direct email addresses

• Website (possibly more contact info or listing of team coaches)

• Whatsapp phone number (add them, remember to add the area code for the country if they don’t provide it, and message them with the same template)

Remember something very important:

In many of these lower or middle-tier teams/leagues, there is NO marketing team or department.

Typically the team’s publicity is handled entirely by the board of directors or by the President him/herself.

So that means if you can get this info, you are literally talking to the HEAD decision-maker in the organization.

This has happened plenty of times to me using this method, leading to some positive discussions.

how to contact overseas basketball teams by EMAILs

While social media messages to overseas basketball teams should be brief and only include a highlight film, email messages can be slightly longer and should include attachments and a compelling subject line to enhance your credibility and message to the pro club.

This all comes down to the psychology of both platforms.

On social media we are looking for brief interactions as it is an instant messaging app.

In contrast:

Emails are more widely accepted to get across longer messages.

Grab the coach/team’s attention immediately with a compelling subject line.

This is what coaches see before - and if - they open up an email.

So it has to be convincing.

What is it that you think is your most powerful:

• Achievement (e.g. playing on a certain team)

• Award (e.g. Conference MVP, League All-Star)

• Accomplishment (e.g. winning a big-time championship)

• Asset (e.g. passport in relevant country or 7’0ft tall)

Whatever that is, put it in the subject line.

For example:

Since I’m a national in Canada and I’ve won multiple scoring titles in Latin America, I believe these to put my two strongest assets when applying for jobs in Canada’s pro leagues.

In terms of possible attachments to add onto the email, itself, here are some ideas:

• Table of your career stats

• Screen shot/PDF of being recognized for winning an important league award

• Links to articles praising you

Here’s what I attach:

Photo credit: Latinbasket.com

STEP 8: FOCUS ON ONE COUNTRY AT A TIME

I always do one country at a time for two main reasons:

1. I don’t have to keep on translating the message into different languages

2. I don’t have to keep on switching out the country name in each message

For instance:

Currently I’m messaging only Spanish teams in EBA.

So my template looks like this:

Notice:

The only thing I’m ever switching out is the team name/person at the top of the message.

Everything else stays the same.

This way I’m able to Copy + Paste to as many teams as possible.

STEP 9: DEDICATE 1-2 HOURS PER DAY

Over time, your focus and concentration will start to decrease.

I would only recommend 1-2 hours per day MAX.

STEP 10: REPEAT

Finally - understand something:

This method is meant to be like a shotgun - spray it everywhere.

Don’t get stuck on one team.

If you can’t find a coach’s social media account or the team doesn’t have a social media account, skip them and go onto the next club.

You should be able to rattle off 20 teams in an hour - possibly more.

So that means you have to be as efficient as possible.

CONCLUSION

This method is something that unsigned and unknown players can do in their spare time ONLY AFTER having completed their:

• Basketball resume

• Basketball highlight video

• Networking with agents/fellow players

• Personal workouts

That’s an important distinction:

This is NOT something you should spend your entire day doing since it has such a low success rate.

There are better ways to get started in overseas basketball.

But essentially:

Instead of wasting your nights watching playing video games.

Why not try to get your name out there while learning more about the overseas basketball market?

It can only help.

I’ve personally dedicated 1 hour a day to doing this method to see what results it can yield.

All that is needed is time, patience and understanding who and where you should be contacting.

Have you ever contacted overseas basketball teams through this Eurobasket method?
Have you ever contacted a pro team out of the blue and got a response in your favour?

Let me know in the comments below and let’s discuss!

Jose Colorado is a five-year professional basketball player helping others achieve their goals of pro basketball through a proven, research-based approach.

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READ MORE

• Basketball Passports
• Basketball Salaries
• Basketball Scams
• How To Play Overseas Ball
• The Overseas Mentality

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