{"id":8212,"date":"2015-10-27T04:30:24","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/?p=8212"},"modified":"2015-11-05T09:01:55","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T15:01:55","slug":"global-expansion-a-natural-next-step-for-nsr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/global-expansion-a-natural-next-step-for-nsr\/","title":{"rendered":"Global expansion a natural next step for NSR"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ian<\/a>
Continuing his father’s legacy, Rusty Rigney leads NSR’s unprecedented international growth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

National Scouting Report<\/a> is an American success story.\u00a0\u00a0 Founded in 1980 by Bob Rigney in Birmingham, Ala., NSR was America’s first college recruiting organization.\u00a0 During the past three decades,\u00a0NSR has enjoyed\u00a0continuous growth domestically and abroad.\u00a0 Current expansion, however,\u00a0has the company moving forward\u00a0at an unparalleled pace.<\/p>\n

Today, the company is firmly in the capable hands of Bob Rigney’s son, Rusty.\u00a0 To prepare him to someday take over the company reins, the older Rigney put his son through\u00a0rigorous, on-the-job\u00a0training.\u00a0\u00a0Brought up in the business, Rusty, 47, has worked in every department, including scouting prospects in\u00a0his own\u00a0territory.\u00a0 And through\u00a0his formative\u00a0years, the\u00a0younger Rigney was charged with creating and heading up NSR’s video and IT departments, both of which were innovations in the recruiting\u00a0industry at the time.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, Rusty Rigney now\u00a0oversees a vastly different NSR than his father initiated.<\/p>\n

“At this point in time, NSR is growing faster than ever across the U.S. and across the globe,” Rusty Rigney said.\u00a0 “As we have hit this surge, we have\u00a0also\u00a0seen\u00a0tremendous interest from some\u00a0extremely well-qualified people around the\u00a0world who are prepared to open up NSR offices.\u00a0 It’s a very exciting time for us.”<\/p>\n

About 15 years ago, South Africa was first to see an NSR scout on foreign soil.<\/p>\n

“Our first international venture, interestingly enough, started right here in America,” Rigney said. “NSR was partnering\u00a0with\u00a0the Future Masters, a series of junior golf tournaments here in the southern part of the U.S.\u00a0 A South African man, here to chaperone several young golfers, saw what NSR was doing and asked if we would be interested in setting up an office in his homeland.\u00a0 We jumped at the chance.”<\/p>\n

\"Marco<\/a>
Marco Maisano has helped NSR Australia win numerous business awards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five years later, through various connections with\u00a0NSR’s people in South Africa, Marco Maisano, a former professional soccer player\u00a0and member of\u00a0the Australian national team, approached\u00a0NSR about establishing National Scouting Report in Australia.<\/a>\u00a0 Within a matter of months, Maisano had\u00a0been trained and taken NSR to Australia and New Zealand.\u00a0\u00a0Under his leadership, NSR\u00a0has\u00a0seen\u00a0outstanding success.\u00a0 NSR Australia\u00a0has won a number of impressive business awards<\/a> and placed hundreds of Aussie athletes\u00a0with American colleges.<\/p>\n

“NSR Australia began helping youngsters 10 years ago, but it didn’t take long for us to recognize that there\u00a0was a need for National Scouting Report to grow globally,” Rigney said. “But to do that, selecting great people to\u00a0represent\u00a0the NSR brand has been, and will continue to be, the key.”<\/p>\n

The NSR model is unique.\u00a0 Most of NSR’s competitors are Internet based with no actual scouts and no one ever seeing or meeting the athletes and their parents\u00a0in person.<\/p>\n

NSR hires scouts and then trains them on the nuances of evaluating talent, writing scouting reports, understanding the recruiting process, building relationships with coaches at all levels, and being familiar with NCAA rules.<\/p>\n

“NSR scouts are the standard bearers for college recruiting,” Rigney explained.\u00a0 “We do the same work in the field that college coaches do at the outset of the recruiting process.\u00a0 We do not accept prospects unqualified\u00a0athletically or\u00a0academically to\u00a0be a college\u00a0student-athlete.\u00a0 And we do not cut corners\u00a0when it comes to professionally and thoroughly promoting\u00a0NSR athletes to college coaches.<\/p>\n

“Thirty-five years of working with high school athletes and coaches has\u00a0taught us that the most effective way to get a prospect on a coach’s recruiting list is to connect them in as many ways as possible.\u00a0 That may be the availability of video, our scouts pointing\u00a0NSR athletes to coaches at events, sending coaches detailed profiles of the athletes, visiting coaches in their offices to talk candidly about our athletes, or making\u00a0NSR athletes’ information as accessible as possible to coaches.\u00a0 In short, NSR has the experience, the ability, the staff and the dedication to do\u00a0what is best for each individual athlete.\u00a0 Each one’s ultimate success is why we do what we do.”<\/p>\n

\"NSR<\/a>
NSR scouts such as Ohio’s Sheila Thiery (center) work closely with athletes through every stage of the recruiting process.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The top priority of NSR’s international scouts\u00a0will be\u00a0to help young athletes realize their dreams of being college athletes in America.\u00a0 For many this dream has had no concrete bridge to the U.S.\u00a0 Suddenly, their dreams\u00a0can come to fruition, helped by NSR’s stellar reputation with college coaches at every level.<\/p>\n

“We place prospects at every level of college competition by matching the coaches’ needs with NSR athletes that specifically match those needs,” Rigney said.\u00a0 “We serve both the athletes and coaches simultaneously and we have proven time and again, year after year, that we are the very best at this type of work.\u00a0 We are extremely proud of the results.”<\/p>\n

College recruiting is very tough process, even for American prospects.\u00a0\u00a0It is especially difficult for foreign high school student-athletes\u00a0who previously\u00a0had no\u00a0discernible link between them and U.S. college coaches.\u00a0 This has historically put international athletes and coaches\u00a0at a tremendous disadvantage.\u00a0 That all changes when NSR scouts\u00a0arrive on\u00a0the scene.<\/p>\n

Today’s technological advances also has opened doors. NSR\u00a0is ushering prospects, one at a time,\u00a0through those doors.<\/p>\n

“We have capabilities\u00a0now that weren’t available to us just a few years ago,” Rigney said. “And we keep up with and implement\u00a0every new advancement.”<\/p>\n

By staying in step\u00a0tech-wise, NSR puts international\u00a0athletes on equal footing, at least athletically, with U.S. athletes.\u00a0 However, the struggle\u00a0international student-athletes always will have is\u00a0in clearing their grades with\u00a0NCAA and NAIA eligibility centers.\u00a0 The process of complying with initial eligibility requirements is complex, made more so by foreign countries’ diverse\u00a0academic curricula,\u00a0which must be verified.\u00a0\u00a0That can take an inordinate amount of time and can be very frustrating for families, especially if\u00a0they are unprepared.\u00a0 NSR scouts and experienced home office staff, in addition to an in-house\u00a0NCAA Compliance Officer, make registering with the eligibility centers a smoother and less stressful experience for NSR prospects.\u00a0 That’s something families consistently appreciate about NSR and its customer-oriented service standards.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/a>
NSR-Ireland’s Paul Lowler tours the athletic facilities at University of Montevallo during training.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We are a purpose-driven organization,” Rigney said.\u00a0 “Yes, this is a business for us, but our overriding focus, our purpose,\u00a0has always been, and will continue to be, that our\u00a0success as NSR scouts and as a company is directly tied to the success of\u00a0the athletes we work with.\u00a0 Every NSR scout\u00a0is drilled on these\u00a0two crucial\u00a0points:\u00a0 Uphold NSR’s standards and always do what’s best for the student-athlete.”<\/p>\n

Now, NSR is expanding internationally.<\/p>\n

“What we have\u00a0accomplished in Australia\u00a0has given us the confidence that we can and should expand,” Rigney said.\u00a0 “Marco and his team have excelled there and we are determined to build on that success.\u00a0 Right now, in fact, we already have extremely well-connected\u00a0scouts on the ground working in\u00a0Ireland and Scotland.\u00a0 Jerry Vance<\/a>, who played soccer professionally in Ireland and America, is heading up our team in both countries.\u00a0 He has already brought aboard Paul Lawlor,<\/a> who is highly respected there as an accomplished evaluator of soccer talent.\u00a0 Plus, he’s a media analyst for several local outlets.\u00a0 That puts Paul at the epicenter of soccer there.<\/p>\n

“In Scotland,\u00a0Jerry selected Ian Rankin<\/a> to spearhead NSR’s scout team.\u00a0 Ian was a top player in his own right and is now revered as an excellent soccer coach.\u00a0 We expect that together they will make a significant impact on youth soccer in those nations. We are\u00a0already interviewing and selecting\u00a0scouts to work for us in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, we are sending a team of our best U.S. scouts to\u00a0London to train\u00a0new scouts\u00a0in December.\u00a0\u00a0Following that, we expect to set up\u00a0an office there to continue that process\u00a0while pushing our momentum toward countries such as Spain, France\u00a0and Germany, where there are so many really\u00a0talented high school athletes that we can help get\u00a0on American college rosters, added NSR’s president.”<\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0NSR has a high-profile scout focusing on\u00a0world\u00a0youth tennis.\u00a0 Ernesto Ruiz\u00a0Bry is a former member of\u00a0Argentina’s\u00a0Davis Cup team.\u00a0 He has been at the forefront of professional and youth tennis for nearly 30 years, having coached some of\u00a0the world’s greatest players, including Mary Jo Fernandez and Guillermo Vilas.<\/p>\n

“Although Ernesto now lives in the U.S., he has close connections all over the world in tennis,” Rigney said. “His impeccable reputation as a coach will help NSR open markets in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East\u00a0and the Pacific Rim.”<\/p>\n

\"Ernesto<\/a>
NSR international tennis scout Ernesto Ruiz Bry (right) poses with Alan Parham, NSR’s NCAA Compliance Officer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NSR’s ultimate success rests upon having qualified scouts on the ground who actually scout\u00a0high-school age prospects, thoroughly evaluate their skills, review their academic qualifications, and then personally meet with the athletes and their parents. College coaches, as they have for more than three decades, depend on NSR to do that on-site work prior to recommending athletes to them. Without that element in place, Rigney said NSR would be just another online company with no meaningful connection\u00a0to prospects who could not speak to college coaches regarding their firsthand knowledge of the athletes.<\/p>\n

“One thing we are extremely proud of is that\u00a0NSR has never veered from that basic, proven approach,” Rigney said.\u00a0 “That’s why our placement rate with colleges is nearly 100 percent.\u00a0 We do the initial work for them.\u00a0 We are there, on the ground, scouting and getting to know prospects.\u00a0 This saves coaches a lot of time, expedites the process, and saves them recruiting expenses.\u00a0 And we will continue that process in other countries, too.”<\/p>\n

The same formula will work overseas, Rigney said.<\/p>\n

“All you have to do is look at college rosters to realize that they put a high value on foreign talent,” he said.\u00a0 “We know how excited college coaches are when we present them the right international\u00a0prospects.\u00a0 Over time, we have\u00a0proven that\u00a0U.S. college coaches\u00a0flock to NSR prospects from abroad, regardless of which countries they come from.<\/p>\n

“NSR is constructing the building blocks for massive International expansion. That said, we will not compromise our standards for the sake of growth.\u00a0 Again, our success will rely on the quality of people we find who are willing to work\u00a0diligently at identifying and evaluating deserving prospects\u00a0that qualify to be college athletes in America.\u00a0 We are proud to be an integral\u00a0part of these\u00a0young athletes\u00a0coming to America and living their dream of becoming college student-athletes here.”<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Scouting Report is an American success story.\u00a0\u00a0 Founded in 1980 by Bob Rigney in Birmingham, Ala., NSR was America’s first college recruiting organization.\u00a0 During the past three decades,\u00a0NSR has enjoyed\u00a0continuous growth domestically and abroad.\u00a0 Current expansion, however,\u00a0has the company moving forward\u00a0at an unparalleled pace. Today, the company is firmly in the capable hands of … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[301,11,273,29,31,313,56,302,311,264,312,222,265,266,310,239],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8212"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8371,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions\/8371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}