Tips for Team Managers during Soccer Tryout Season

I'm done quite a few posts (see also here and here) on navigating the Spring soccer tryout season. I won't rehash them here but I was glad to see a supportive and similar post on Soccerwire.com.

A quick read, it is written by a coach with tips for players, coaches, parents and everyone: "What’s better, your child on the bench 75 percent of the time on the ‘top’ team or playing 90 percent of the time on the ‘second’ team? If you say ‘bench on the top team,’ then you’re in it for you, not your child."

He does leave out "tips for managers", so I'll take a stab at it.

Tips for Managers

• Stay out of player decisions. You are an interested party.
• Don't gossip. You will know things that the rest of the team does not, especially if you've managed for a while and have a good relationship with the coach. Keep your mouth shut.
• Be honest with interested players or parents contact you. Follow up. Be enthusiastic.
• Be organized. Keep track of player names, parent names, phone numbers, current teams, and if they've spoken to the coach or not.
• Compile information. Create a short document that outlines everything a new player and parents will need to know for next season. (See below)
• Be cordial and gracious if a new player doesn't make it. Who knows, maybe they'll be back in the future. Find out where they wound up. Stay in touch.
• Do not be the one to break bad news to current or new players - that is the coach's job. (Good news is easier!)
• Be OK with the fact that your child is trying out too and may not get chosen. Don't guilt your child about "all the time you've spent managing" - that was your decision, not theirs.
• Keep it all in perspective as it is a game that is supposed to be fun.

Preparing a welcome letter

I've made a point of having a email or a PDF ready with important information about the team. This has really made new parents and players feel welcome and sets expectations. Be willing to talk this over with prospective parents during or before tryouts. Some things to include are:

• Budget, how payments are collected, and if fees can be refunded.
• What is included or not in the budget (Are uniforms included? Travel?)
• Training times and locations and absence policy
• Summer plans
• Winter plans
• Playing time expectations
• How to volunteer and be involved.
• Communication systems
• Rostering process
• Parental/Sportsmanship guidelines
• Contact information for coaches and other team members.

Tryout Process

My daughter's coach prefers a tryout system where interested players are encouraged to come and train with the team for a few times. There are clear pros and cons to this system. Coming to train a few times gives the coach a better idea of the kid's ability in the context of the current players and a chance to see how a player fits in socially and as a teammate. For the player, it is a chance to get the know the team, coach, and style.

However, for the new player, this can be stressful as it is a slow process. Since the coach isn't seeing all potential players at once, some might hold out for several weeks before making a decision. For existing players, they have to decide if the new kid is a threat and so it may not be the most comfortable atmosphere. Since this can take several weeks and is mid-season, players who perceive themselves to be "on the bubble" may be anxious and distracted.

The manager has to keep all of this going. Make sure the coach is communicating. Make sure that prospects have information. Keep track of who is coming to which training session. 

In short, it is hard. Good luck.

Other clubs may elect to have one or two 'tryout' dates. The benefits of this are that all potential players are seen at once and coaches can pare it down from one date to the next. A draw back for coaches is that this form of mass tryout rarely accurately captures such important elements as work rate, teamwork, leadership. For players, this instantly makes everyone an enemy but at least it is over quickly.

If the Club is running tryouts, managers have little to do here.

If it is a team doing tryouts like this, the manager has a lot to do! One year, I did medical waivers, information sheets, tryout numbers for players (never met a coach who can keep names straight), etc. Tailor it for your own ability but remember, the player and parents' first impression with the team is the manager!