Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Target the clubs you may be interested in your player trying out for. Go on their website and contact the clubs coach in your player's age group. Send them an email asking if your player can attend one of their practices this spring.

This will let your player get to know the coach and other players and will let the other club evaluate your player. If they think it is a good fit, they will ask them back to participate in some additional practices.

This is a good idea. At U15 or U16 it's pretty much the only way to operate. At U11 a lot of decisions are made at the tryouts themselves.

+2 to the approach. Practicing with a team/coach is always the way to go to get a feel for the club, the coach, and the team. The only issue will be that sometimes there can be shifts closer to tryouts, even during tryouts. Make sure you like the club and the specific coach, but know that the coach could change.

The 48 hour thing is nonsense. Clubs will try and strongarm you into committing, but in reality if they want your kid they will wait forever. If they refuse to wait it's because your kid is probably marginal for the team and may not have got all that much playing time in any case.

Oh - and by the way - as a parent of three kids with many years of playing this game I can tell you that some clubs will happily accept your commitment and turn around three months later (right before the season starts when you have nowhere else to go) and tell you that they found a better kid so they don't want your kid after all.

This is so true. Be realistic about were your kid will be viewed on the target team. If your kid is not one of the top five players or at least in the top half, they will almost always be replaceable. It is not unusual at all for a team to rope you into committing to a higher tiered team and then drop you kid to a lower team when the season begins. Go into the process with this awareness.

Anonymous wrote:Target the clubs you may be interested in your player trying out for. Go on their website and contact the clubs coach in your player's age group. Send them an email asking if your player can attend one of their practices this spring.

This will let your player get to know the coach and other players and will let the other club evaluate your player. If they think it is a good fit, they will ask them back to participate in some additional practices.

This is a good idea. At U15 or U16 it's pretty much the only way to operate. At U11 a lot of decisions are made at the tryouts themselves.

Anonymous wrote:For 2011B Va:
Looking at changing clubs unfortunately, disappointed with club.
Seems like tryouts are all roughly same time and then want commitment 48 hrs
Open to staying with club and will get an offer there but ready to see if there is a better fit for fun and development
(Current club will put players in pretty fixed positions instead of rotating - already seeing it)
For any who have been thru this appreciate advice.

The 48 hour thing is nonsense. Clubs will try and strongarm you into committing, but in reality if they want your kid they will wait forever. If they refuse to wait it's because your kid is probably marginal for the team and may not have got all that much playing time in any case.

Oh - and by the way - as a parent of three kids with many years of playing this game I can tell you that some clubs will happily accept your commitment and turn around three months later (right before the season starts when you have nowhere else to go) and tell you that they found a better kid so they don't want your kid after all.

Target the clubs you may be interested in your player trying out for. Go on their website and contact the clubs coach in your player's age group. Send them an email asking if your player can attend one of their practices this spring.

This will let your player get to know the coach and other players and will let the other club evaluate your player. If they think it is a good fit, they will ask them back to participate in some additional practices.

When you contact them initially you have to let them know that you're trying out at multiple clubs so they should not expect an immediate 48-hour offer acceptance

For 2011B Va:
Looking at changing clubs unfortunately, disappointed with club.
Seems like tryouts are all roughly same time and then want commitment 48 hrs
Open to staying with club and will get an offer there but ready to see if there is a better fit for fun and development
(Current club will put players in pretty fixed positions instead of rotating - already seeing it)
For any who have been thru this appreciate advice.