Parental Guide to Youth Soccer Tryouts
June 5, 2013

It comes around every year, bringing parents nothing but stress and anxiety, the dreaded soccer tryout. Tryouts can be just as stressful for the parents as it is for the players. As parents all you want is the best for your children so you want to see them succeed. How they perform at tryouts is up to them, but there are a few things you can and should do to help them be successful in their tryouts. This year, keep your stress level to a minimum and your support to a maximum by following this parental guide to competitive youth soccer tryouts…

Register Early

You don’t want little Jack to have to spend the first 20 minutes of his tryout sitting next to you on the sideline as you fill out paperwork because you forgot to do it before hand.

Be Realistic

Being realistic and honest with yourself as well as with your child is the most important thing you can do before, during, and after tryouts. From watching countless hours of your child playing soccer, you know how they compare to their peers. Do not set little Jack up for failure by pushing him to believe he should be on the A team when in reality his skills would be better suited for the C team.

Talk to Your Child

Tryouts for youth are just as emotional as they are physical. Communicate the possibility of getting cut. It’s not the end of the world if they don’t make the squad, but they might feel like it is. So mentally prepare them for either outcome just to be safe. Remember that your attitude will reflect in your child’s attitude so stay positive.

Have Options

Trying out for multiple teams is always good practice. Even if a coach has already guaranteed your child a spot on the team before tryouts have taken place, it is still a good idea to tryout with at least one other club if not two. This is a general rule to follow every year. By doing this you familiarize yourself and little Jack with other coaches and clubs. This extra tryout could lead to invitations for Jack to guess play with other teams as well. At the end of the day though, it’s always good to have options.

Coaching is Key

There are a lot of good coaches out there and there are some bad ones as well. Some coaches stress winning while other coaches focus on player development and every coach has their own unique style. Before you commit to a team be on the same page as the coach, because if the coach’s style isn’t what you were looking for or not what Jack responds to than you’re in for a long season. To know if this coach would good for your child to play for talk to the coach and to players/parents that have experience with the coach too.

Follow these five guidelines and tryouts will be easier on both you and your child.