DMVCoach wrote:

Arch wrote:It boggles my mind that if a parent's child is happy where they are at when this young that they feel the need to shop around.

Not sure if this was a dig at me or not, but OP didn't state why they were looking elsewhere. Plenty of reasons to know what your options are, even if you're happy where you're at.

Sorry about that, no dig intended, and I understand and can respect knowing what the options are. My choice of words earlier was poor--what I meant to say was why folks feel the need to move on so quickly. Knowing what options are for down the the line and when you are "stuck" for a year makes sense to me. But moving so quickly when a child is obviously happy where they are and making positive developmental progress at such young ages is what boggles my mind. But to each their own.

Arch wrote:It boggles my mind that if a parent's child is happy where they are at when this young that they feel the need to shop around.

Not sure if this was a dig at me or not, but OP didn't state why they were looking elsewhere. Plenty of reasons to know what your options are, even if you're happy where you're at.

It boggles my mind that if a parent's child is happy where they are at when this young that they feel the need to shop around.

soccer_dc wrote:Consider tryouts a two way street. The club is trying out for you as much as your child is trying out for them. It's very hard to get a good feel for a club from just the public tryouts especially at the younger ages. As many here have already said, it's much better to contact the club now and try to attend some of their practice sessions. I would also go and observe some of their games in the spring to see how the coaches and players and the other parents behave in a game situation to see if it's a good fit.

Can't emphasize how important this is. Boggles my mind how little research parents put into who their next coach/team is going to be. Attend some practice sessions, watch them play! All it costs you is some time or you could be regretting is for a whole year of time AND money.

Consider tryouts a two way street. The club is trying out for you as much as your child is trying out for them. It's very hard to get a good feel for a club from just the public tryouts especially at the younger ages. As many here have already said, it's much better to contact the club now and try to attend some of their practice sessions. I would also go and observe some of their games in the spring to see how the coaches and players and the other parents behave in a game situation to see if it's a good fit.

Like mentioned above, you can contact clubs directly to see if your kid can come to a practice. That is usually a good way to get coaches to see your kid and for you to see how the club is run. I am not sure any club has posted the spring tryout dates yet, but I would definitely get in touch with the youth director of whatever perspective club you are interested in to see if you can bring your kid to a practice before that.

As others have mentioned already, if you're really unhappy there isn't much reason to wait to look at options. Yes, soccer is a small world and someone may find that you are window shopping for clubs, but honestly if you're keeping up your end of the deal in the meantime your child shouldn't be penalized. If she is then that might be another reason to look elsewhere.

I think some teams are already doing I.D. sessions, like Arlington.

retiredref wrote:If you really want to explore your options don't wait for tryouts. See what teams are around you with coaches you might be able to work with and reach out to the coach or the manager. Most teams will let you come to a practice or two to see what it's like. If they are playing futsal or indoor you could guest play with them then or during a preseason tournament coming up soon. Tryouts may help coaches evaluate players but they don't give parents or players any insight into the coach or the team. You need to go to a couple practices and ideally have an opportunity to guest with them to really get a feel for the team and how DD would fit.

Guesting with a different club in a preseason tournament seems like a great way for your current club to find out you’re looking to leave. I have a kid who may look to change clubs after this spring, but I wouldn’t want them to do anything that might jeopardize their position with their current club going into spring season.

retiredref wrote:If you really want to explore your options don't wait for tryouts. See what teams are around you with coaches you might be able to work with and reach out to the coach or the manager. Most teams will let you come to a practice or two to see what it's like. If they are playing futsal or indoor you could guest play with them then or during a preseason tournament coming up soon. Tryouts may help coaches evaluate players but they don't give parents or players any insight into the coach or the team. You need to go to a couple practices and ideally have an opportunity to guest with them to really get a feel for the team and how DD would fit.

I definitely agree with with checking out a practice, although also think about what you're looking for and why you're looking to leave after just 1 year of travel soccer. Better team and no challenge? School friends on a different team? You don't like the coaching style? You've moved and its not as convenient? Identify a couple clubs near you that you're interested in, grab coaches contact info from the website, and email them asking to come to a practice. Depending on where you live at BRYC, you have several options. VYS is one direction, Springfield the other, Go Premier or Villareal in the Annandale/Falls Church direction, Burke Athletic Club, and FPYC in Fairfax City. Many other options just on the other side of those clubs or starting to go west also. The downside is that coaching announcements won't have come out yet, but it's still helpful to get a feel for practice and test out the different drive from your house.

If you really want to explore your options don't wait for tryouts. See what teams are around you with coaches you might be able to work with and reach out to the coach or the manager. Most teams will let you come to a practice or two to see what it's like. If they are playing futsal or indoor you could guest play with them then or during a preseason tournament coming up soon. Tryouts may help coaches evaluate players but they don't give parents or players any insight into the coach or the team. You need to go to a couple practices and ideally have an opportunity to guest with them to really get a feel for the team and how DD would fit.

If I remember correctly- some VA clubs pushed it up sooner to April last year and people were complaining on the short timeframe to make a decision without getting to tryout at other clubs.

Yes, usually in May.

If your DD was older than U10, I would suggest having her request to attend training sessions with teams that you're interested in throughout the spring. Might still be a decent idea--at least to get to know other coaches' styles, get acquainted with driving distances, etc.

When are tryouts for next season?
We have a U9 DD at BRYC but would like to explore our options. Are tryouts for clubs typically in May?