How to help your child get ready for football trials

Updated 6 November 2026 · 6 min read

At a trial, coaches who don't know your child have a few hours to see what they can do. Most of what helps happens before the day: knowing how the club picks its teams, arriving rested and ready, and sometimes a short video the coach can watch. Here is what is worth doing, and what isn't.

Find out how and when the club picks

Clubs post their trial dates on their websites, often weeks ahead. Read what they ask for: registering before the day, a fee, a medical form, and which age group to come to. In the US, age groups go by birth year, and most clubs hold trials in late spring for teams that start in the summer. Some leagues and state associations set when trials may be held and when offers may be made. Elsewhere it differs by country and club, so ask.

Ask the club, too: how many sessions there are, whether players are seen in games or in drills, how many places there are, and when and how families will hear.

Talk to the current coach first

Your child's coach has watched them all season. Ask honestly whether they're ready for a higher team, and what to work on before the trial. If you're thinking of moving clubs, tell the coach yourself rather than letting them hear it from someone else. A good word from a coach who knows your child counts for more than one good afternoon.

Get ready, not worn out

In the weeks before: lots of touches on the ball and small games with friends. Build fitness gradually; a crash course the week before is how players get hurt.
Boots: nothing new on the day. Bring boots for grass and shoes for turf if you don't know the surface, shin guards and two bottles of water.
The night before and the day: sleep, water, and a meal two or three hours before. Arrive early enough to find the field and check in calmly.

What trial coaches look for

Rarely just goals. Coaches watch the first touch, the decisions, how a player copes under pressure, how hard they work to win the ball back, whether they talk to teammates, and how they react to a mistake. They also watch whether a player listens and tries what's asked. Goalkeepers are watched for handling, footwork, kicking and throwing, and organising the players in front of them.

So the best advice for your child is simple: work hard, be a good teammate, try what the coach asks, and shake off mistakes quickly.

Send video only when it helps

Some clubs welcome a short video, especially of a player they can't see play during the season, or one who is injured on trial day. High school and college coaches often ask for it. Keep it short: one to three minutes, the best moment first, with your child's name, number, birth year and position on a title card. Choose clips that show them with the ball and without it. Send it with a short note to the coach who will be at the trial, once, not to everyone at the club.

For older players thinking about college, see the college recruiting guides.

On the day, stay on the touchline

Coaching from the touchline makes it harder for your child to listen to the coaches, and coaches notice the parents too. Watch, clap, and stay back. In the car afterwards, ask what they enjoyed and what they learned, not how they think it went.

If it doesn't go your way

A trial is one day. Ask the coach, politely and later, what your child could work on. A place on a second team often means more time on the ball, which is what players need to improve. Children grow at different speeds, and in a birth-year group a child born in December can be almost a year younger than one born in January. Look at other clubs' trials, keep playing, and try again next season.

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