How to help your child get ready for soccer tryouts
At a tryout, 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 tryout 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 tryouts in late spring for teams that start in the summer. Some leagues and state associations set when tryouts 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 tryout. 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.
- Cleats: nothing new on the day. Bring cleats 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 tryout 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 organizing 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 tryout 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 tryout, once, not to everyone at the club.
For older players thinking about college, see the college recruiting guides.
On the day, stay on the sideline
Coaching from the sideline 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 tryout 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' tryouts, keep playing, and try again next season.