One of the biggest errors that clubs make when conducting a tryout, particularly at the youngest levels, is to let the person who will be coaching the team, conduct the tryout and rate the players. I can already hear the cries of indignation! What?..not let the coach have a say in who is on his/her team. What we have found is that coaches, no matter how altruistic, have definite prejudices for kids whom they know and whom have played for them in the past. That leads to countless charges of favoritism from parents, particularly of the kids who do not make the team. Is there a compromise? Certainly. We generally have 2/3 of the team selected by the rating process, independent of the coach and the last third to be the coaches selection. As the kids move up in age we lessen the percentage of rater selections and increase the percentage of selections made by the coach until at U12, it is entirely the coaches choice as to whom plays for the team and who does not. So who should actually do the rating. The best process we have found is to have the coaches from the previous year’s team actually do the rating. They have direct and recent experience as to what it takes to play at the level the children are trying out for. Look to get at least four (4) coaches to rate your tryouts. You may need more if you have a large turnout. Try to have all the raters see all the children so that you get a diversity of opinions. What we think you’ll find using this methodology is a broad consensus for the top 10 or so players in your club and a definite dividing line between these players and the next tier.

See you on the Field

NOONY

A lot of soccer parents with good intentions give a 30 minute lecture, covering all the players supposed deficiencies and giving playing advice, in the car on the way to each match. The kids arrive far off their optimal mental state, and dreading the critique they are likely to hear, whether they want it or not, on the way home. Kids who are massaged in this way tend not to play badly, they just tend to not play, possibly to avoid making mistakes. The easiest way to detect this problem is just to ask the player if it is a problem. Kids are more than willing to share this grief. The easiest way to correct this problem is to speak to the parents, as a group, about your expectations, and to cover this as a routine problem. Many of the parents will recognize themselves if you can present this problem with humor and illustrate the importance of the kids having fun and arriving in a good state of mind. For best results, parents should memorize and use the following.

Before the match

I love you Good luck Have fun

After the match

I love you It was fun to see you play. What would you like to eat?