A general note to clubs about tryouts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

[Anonymous]

Just got our news. Newcomer with very little experience but lots of natural skill and iron drive got a second team offer at a big club. There was very little hope of first team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got our news. Newcomer with very little experience but lots of natural skill and iron drive got a second team offer at a big club. There was very little hope of first team.

Congrats!

[Anonymous]

Sigh. Still waiting to hear anything and the last tryout was Thursday. When my dd tried out for winter basketball we got an email the morning after the last tryout! And that was run by volunteers and not paid employees. What a drag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got our news. Newcomer with very little experience but lots of natural skill and iron drive got a second team offer at a big club. There was very little hope of first team.

That’s great! Congratulations!

My friend’s child got on a first team from outside and from a very small club comparatively. But they played in the same division as that top team and practiced a few times with the top team before getting an offer (which was made before tryouts).

FWIW, the kid is naturally athletic and had been playing soccer since daycare age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question about supplemental tryouts that are literally labeled as such… not just an additional tryout happening later than some others…

Are these only to try to fill out lowest team? Can a kid with decent skills get considered for a higher team if they only attend the supplemental tryout? Or should we assume all offers for higher teams have gone out and they would not displace any of those kids for a new kid at this point?

Related question — do coaches give feedback after such tryouts? Wondering the value of attending just to see how coaches think kid would fit into their system. Would not leave current team to join this club’s lower team but potentially interested for future…

.

My kid is only 12, but based on our experience trying out with multiple clubs this season (and hearing how things have played out for friends/teammates), I’d be shocked if there were still offers for higher level teams going out at this point.

My kid asked for feedback directly (from a coach who did not extend an offer, fwiw) and got some constructive feedback. Really recommend that they learn to do this themselves.

Yeah, not sure what to do over here. Kid has an offer in hand from current club s/he is being pressured to accept, but still waiting to hear from "Pallor". Their last try-out was this weekend. I really hate the pressure.

When did the current club offer come in? Do you feel comfortable asking current club for more time? We recently did that. It was a bit of a gamble but my child has been playing really well lately so I figured the club wouldn’t just let us go like that. I was right. Ultimately decided to stay put and coach seemed relieved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got our news. Newcomer with very little experience but lots of natural skill and iron drive got a second team offer at a big club. There was very little hope of first team.

That’s great! Congratulations!

My friend’s child got on a first team from outside and from a very small club comparatively. But they played in the same division as that top team and practiced a few times with the top team before getting an offer (which was made before tryouts).

FWIW, the kid is naturally athletic and had been playing soccer since daycare age.

It seems easier to break in from outside than to move up within a large club. Especially multiple levels. It’s like big companies that rarely promote from the inside. They always go for the outside hire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got our news. Newcomer with very little experience but lots of natural skill and iron drive got a second team offer at a big club. There was very little hope of first team.

That’s great! Congratulations!

My friend’s child got on a first team from outside and from a very small club comparatively. But they played in the same division as that top team and practiced a few times with the top team before getting an offer (which was made before tryouts).

FWIW, the kid is naturally athletic and had been playing soccer since daycare age.

It seems easier to break in from outside than to move up within a large club. Especially multiple levels. It’s like big companies that rarely promote from the inside. They always go for the outside hire.

This is not true for the club my kid will likely accept. They have spots to fill on the first team this year and the best newcomers made second team, so it only makes sense that they filled those first team spots with internal players.

And I certainly hope it stays that way - if we accept the second team slot, it will be in part for the opportunity to grow and move up.

[Anonymous]

Sounds more stressful than college admissions. Near-sighted parents and miserable kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds more stressful than college admissions. Near-sighted parents and miserable kids.

Especially with 9 year olds—describing them as having “iron drive” and mega talented

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

Nobody in the know tries out during actual tryouts, barring U9. You need to already be seen by the club before then. And just wait…she’ll likely be jerked around in Arl too. No club has the monopoly on jerking around and it is mostly coach dependent so can change every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

Nobody in the know tries out during actual tryouts, barring U9. You need to already be seen by the club before then. [b]And just wait…she’ll likely be jerked around in Arl too. No club has the monopoly on jerking around and it is mostly coach dependent so can change every year.

The bolded is not necessarily true. Don’t fuel this ridiculous arms race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

Nobody in the know tries out during actual tryouts, barring U9. You need to already be seen by the club before then. [b]And just wait…she’ll likely be jerked around in Arl too. No club has the monopoly on jerking around and it is mostly coach dependent so can change every year.

The bolded is not necessarily true. Don’t fuel this ridiculous arms race.

What’s not true about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

Nobody in the know tries out during actual tryouts, barring U9. You need to already be seen by the club before then. [b]And just wait…she’ll likely be jerked around in Arl too. No club has the monopoly on jerking around and it is mostly coach dependent so can change every year.

The bolded is not necessarily true. Don’t fuel this ridiculous arms race.

What’s not true about it?

+1

Especially in the older girls group. You’re not going to jump on Red/ECNL post U14
without first having gone to practices. (white, blue, black is a different story.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to share if you’re a seasoned travel sport parent, if your child was able to work themselves up from a lower level team to a top or near the top team at a big club.

How realistic is movement within a big club?

Or whether someone has successfully tried out from outside the club and gotten on a top team?

I know a girl who got a spot on Arlington Red from another team. She’s very talented and was getting jerked around by her old club. That being said- she was going to practices before the tryouts. Par for course.

Nobody in the know tries out during actual tryouts, barring U9. You need to already be seen by the club before then. [b]And just wait…she’ll likely be jerked around in Arl too. No club has the monopoly on jerking around and it is mostly coach dependent so can change every year.

The bolded is not necessarily true. Don’t fuel this ridiculous arms race.

What’s not true about it?

It is indeed possible to get first team offers, on the girls side, based solely on official tryouts without joining additional practices beforehand.