Anonymous wrote:The people making selections at tryouts are selecting subjectively based on what they like.

A bad coach who is looking for kick & run giants isn't taking your Barcelona qualities kid.
So it isn't a true measure of your kid's talent and skills against all others.

Not a singel soul reading this board is working with anyone with Barcelona qualities

Anonymous wrote:The people making selections at tryouts are selecting subjectively based on what they like.

A bad coach who is looking for kick & run giants isn't taking your Barcelona qualities kid.
So it isn't a true measure of your kid's talent and skills against all others.

This is (sadly) accurate

Anonymous wrote:Never trust that word of mouth BS from the coach. Always have something in your back pocket.

They never can tell after all the new kids show up at tryouts. I have seen so many kids and families get burned after tryouts are over and the kid is bumped down or cut.

+1000 coaches will screw anyone.

The people making selections at tryouts are selecting subjectively based on what they like.

A bad coach who is looking for kick & run giants isn't taking your Barcelona qualities kid.
So it isn't a true measure of your kid's talent and skills against all others.

Try out. You never know what will happen. DS played 3 years with the same team and was extremely happy. At the end of year 1, they announced a coaching change. DS loved his team and refused to tryout anywhere else. After tryouts, we didn’t hear anything for weeks. We weren’t alone. Parents started to panic because the other big clubs tryouts had passed. DS finally got the return offer but some kids were demoted and people upset. These were good players by the way. Years later he chose to skip tryouts and learned after clubs had filled rosters that the team he was returning to was not going to be competitive. He was a starter but most of the other starters had chosen to leave. And then the awesome coach was reassigned. He was stuck.

Anonymous wrote:I recommend going to tryouts.

Tryouts are a good experience. It helps prepare the player mentally, emotionally and technically. It’s also helps expose your DC to various coaches and their style of play/coaching and levels of competition. Heck, your DC might even like the new team more.

This is good advice, especially for younger kids. My DD was overwhelmed by her 1st tryout at another club, she really was nervous for 2 of her tryouts. A fellow parent had a similar experience, 1 new tryout at another club and her kid didn't even want to go back at all. Psyched herself out. But the this year, (next week) my daughter has turned the corner and is ready to try again. It builds up confidence and resiliency.

I would also say, its not a bad idea to have a backup plan incase you don't really love everything about your club. We had a coach we wanted laster year, that switched after he was the promised coach before the tryout. Then an new coach comes in over the summer and the new coach demoted some players and promoted others...wish we had a backup offer last year as this past year was a wasted year.

We are debating whether to tryout with the team we left last year. The new coach seems great, but the club is not really well organized. As the others have said, it is not over until your kid has an offer in writing…

I recommend going to tryouts.

Tryouts are a good experience. It helps prepare the player mentally, emotionally and technically. It’s also helps expose your DC to various coaches and their style of play/coaching and levels of competition. Heck, your DC might even like the new team more.

Anonymous wrote:Would your child consider doing tryouts just to see the placement? My child likes the current club and teammates. But we still do not have a firm offer from the team for the next season, even though the coach said she would at least stay in the current team. Would you do tryout as a backup, and to see the placement at a different club?

Finding a soccer team/club is like finding a job, nothing is official until you have that offer letter in hand and you've signed it. Even if you get a verbal offer, I'd still take my child to other tryouts to see what is out there, you never know you might find a better situation or you'll confirm that you're in the right spot after all.

Also there are countless stories across this forum that talk about receiving a verbal only for the coach to back out or ghost the families

It's like looking for a job. If you are comfortable that your current place still wants them, dont be afraid to look else where and let them know, BUT you have to be willing to have them call your bluff. My view is that is you are being 100% truthful, then be happy with yourself and if there are jerks out there, you are better off without them

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, wasting everyone's time and messing with the potential to have the club miss a kid who might actually be vying for a spot.

If the kid is actually good they'll get seen. I don't get this mentality that your kid is getting overlooked because of other kids. That's on your kid.

This. It's also very possible for a kid who has no intention of changing teams to like what they experience at tryouts and change their minds.

There are no favors in tryouts. Saying not to come because your kid might not shine is completely irrelevant to every player at the trout.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, wasting everyone's time and messing with the potential to have the club miss a kid who might actually be vying for a spot.

If the kid is actually good they'll get seen. I don't get this mentality that your kid is getting overlooked because of other kids. That's on your kid.

Yeah, wasting everyone's time and messing with the potential to have the club miss a kid who might actually be vying for a spot.

If you're definitely not switching, I would not do this. It is challenging enough for coaches to really get a good look at everyone, and let them focus on players who want to be there. Everyone has their own thought, of course.