Tryouts... Really?

Tryouts are part of club soccer and something any player who wants to participate must go through at some point in the current system of youth soccer. Throughout the country, club teams all have their own approach to selecting kids and placing them on teams for the upcoming year. Often, the identification process is influenced by the rules of the governing leagues or state associations, so players’ experiences may be different depending on where they live. These rules dictate when and how tryouts can be done and the manner in which organizations notify players about which team they made or did not make. Despite these differences, tryouts all share many of the same frustrations and anxiety saturated situations that make the experience less than ideal for the players and the their families.

A question I have about the tryout process… Is there a need for tryouts for majority of the kids who attend? You may be asking yourself what I mean. Let me explain. For most clubs, the majority of the kids at tryouts are kids who participated with the club the previous year. For the past 10 months, those players have been practicing and playing games with the same staff who is now “evaluating” them during a tryout to decide their placement for next season. Are these players spots going to be determined by their development over the past 10 months or by a few days of tryouts? Which makes more sense?

I would assume that the previous 10 months of coaching and watching those players practice and compete would be enough information to determine where they should be placed for next year. What are the same coaches going to see in an extra three days of tryouts (roughly 3 to 4 hours) that was missed throughout the entire previous year? If the club was organized in a way to allow all the coaches for a particular age group to interact and coach all the players in that age group over the course of the year, it would be very easy for those coaches to look at that group of players and decide where each player should be placed before going through any type of “tryout” process for the following season.

For these players at tryouts, what can they do to help or hurt their chances of making a certain level team? Does a player who struggled during the season get the nod to move up a team because of a good day at tryouts? Or vice versa? I cannot see a coach moving a kid down a team due to struggling at tryouts after having an outstanding year. If a coach or club’s approach with returning players is that their placement on teams is solely based on the tryout, and the previous year is not considered, then I can see a need for those players to "tryout" as it is an actual tryout since everyone is starting with a "clean slate" and performance in those couple of days will determine placement. Since this is not the case, there is not a real need for those players to go through that process. Nothing is gained or lost for those players, so to call it a “tryout” is misleading and can create the wrong impression of what is going on for both the players and parents. Players show up looking to show their best, but in reality, probably a lot has already been determined before showing up (and it should be).

Think of it from a different perspective. If you were a coach who wanted to be rehired to coach next year, how would the club determine whether or not to bring you back? I think we would want to be evaluated over our body of work from the entire year versus having the club bring coaches in for a couple days to to run a couple sessions, and based on those sessions, it is determined whether which teams we coach or not given a team to coach. As coaches, I think we would logically ask, "Why is my placement being based on a couple of training sessions, when a significantly more comprehensive amount of information is available to evaluate my performance as a coach?"

What about the “bubble” players? Even with these players, I think coaches have a pretty good idea of where they fall, and again, I do not think a couple days of tryouts make a difference for these players either. If players were close in ability during the season, I do not think it makes sense to use tryouts to set them apart. I think that is an easy way out for coaches or club. Instead of really sitting down and analyzing how each player did over the course of the year, strengths and weaknesses, potential for growth, attitude, consistency, etc… it is easier to just let the kids compete for one or two more days and pick who came out on top. Easier for us to say, “Hey, it was close, but this player had a better tryout” than “we took some time to really look at the season as a whole and this is what we decided.”

If those players are not at tryouts, we might lose them because they go to another club’s tryout. If a player wants to change clubs, they will change clubs. Having them attend your tryout does not stop that from happening. If the club has provided great value and experiences to the player over the course of the year, then why would the player leave? If the club did not, having the players attend tryouts just tries to limit options due to fear a player will leave because of not following through on what was promised previously. In short, that is not a good enough reason.

One of the HUGE benefits of this would be the ability for the staff to really focus on evaluating and working with new players. The coaches can spend extra time getting to know the players and families of kids who are trying out for the club for the first time. Working with them in a smaller group environment and being able to spend the limited time of tryouts really getting an understanding of the players’ abilities and goals. When there is a massive number of kids at tryouts, everyone gets lost in the crowd. Each player gets limited time on or around the ball and has much fewer opportunities to be evaluated by the staff. Even with more evaluators, often there is not enough information gained during the tryouts to really have a good evaluation to base a decision on how, where, and why to place a kid on a team. Often, with imperfect and incomplete information, there is a lot of “guessing” on where newer players should be placed or not placed, and there is more of a chance for error.

Even if you want the returning players to attend tryouts, why not be up front and let them know, that they are not being evaluated during that time. Those players’ evaluation and placement is based off the entire previous year, and not just a couple of days. It could be good to have the players there to interact with new players, and to see how new players interact with current players. But, the focus of the coaches can still be solely on the new players to try to gain as much insight about their current level of play and where a good place within the club would be for that player. It is a great service to provide for the kids who are showing an interest in your club or team.

Although this is a big change (or maybe not), it would not be that hard to implement, and I think it would be a welcomed change for players who are currently part of your club. It is tremendous customer service from the parent’s and player’s perspective. The club is saying, “We have done our job to coach and teach your child over the past year. We are very familiar with his or her abilities and will place him or her based on our observations over the past year.” If the player is nervous about placement, as many kids have an idea where they stand, they can take that time to look at another club as well, which they probably would do anyway. The tryout process is not a couple of days at the end of the year anymore, but instead a culmination of what a player has done over the course of the season. Now, when the season is over the player can relax, and trust the coaches to make the best decision based on what the player has done all year. I think we all would prefer to be evaluated in this manner, over what we have done over an extended period of time, versus just a couple days.

An even bolder idea would be for the clubs to offer spots before tryouts to all the current players. Then, tryouts are used to help each team meet its individual needs, and spaces left on the roster from players declining a spot. If a club is really focused on developing players, than it should not be that concerned about picking up better players at tryouts to make a team better. The club should be more concerned about continuing the development of its current players the following season. If the club or coach are confident in the current players’ potential for growth in their development system, than bringing in new players is not a priority or how the club relies on making teams better.

I think it is clear that tryouts are not just a way to place kids in appropriate level teams and competition (which is not always the case), but a way clubs battle with one another to try to make their teams better by recruiting players in from other clubs. Often clubs questions a player's “loyalty” when a player leaves their club for another for whatever reason. It is often in the context that the club has provided (although the player paid for) a tremendous experience and training to get better and the player “just leaves” after all these seasons.

But on the other hand, when a club cuts or demotes a player due to “better” players coming into the club, the “loyalty” question now comes from the player and parents. In their mind, they have committed to this club and its philosophy, and then just like that, they are moved off a team (they have grown close to) or cut from the club entirely. After the thousands of dollars, volunteer work and helping the club in various ways, they are shown the door or moved closer to it.

You may feel I am painting an unfair picture of the tryout process, but I think it is time we talk about the part of the process that gets swept under the rug or just accepted as “that is how we have always done it.” Being part of a club or team used to mean a lot more. Like most clubs, when you join, pay your dues, and put in the needed work to build the club and promote the club, better yourself within the club, and represent the club to your highest level, you would think the club would not show you the door as soon as someone comes along who has more value in their eyes.

If we are going to have tryouts, that is fine, but let’s at least do it in a way that does not make us look borderline reckless with the kids we work with all year round. The kids that are in your club, should not have to tryout for coaches who they have worked with all year long. You know where they stand, or you should. Let them know where they stand at the end of the year, and then let them decide what they want to do. During tryouts, focus your attention and resources and really evaluating and getting to know new players interested in the club. It will help to really know if A) the player is a good fit for the club and B) that the club is a good fit for the player by the added time given to observing the player and discussing the club’s philosophy/programs.

For your returning players, they should already know where they stand based on the 10 months of practices and games leading up to those tryouts. To make them feel like they are "trying out" for their placement for the following year seems illogical and unfair. The benefit of being part of the club the previous year(s) is that the coaches know these players already and there is no evaluation needed at that point. Those players, if they wish to return, can relax after all their hard work from the previous year and be placed accordingly. If they are returning, the end of the season does not mark the start of the most anxious time of the year, but time for a much needed vacation.

Is this an irrational attempt of changing a system? Maybe… but that is my idea. What is yours?