Part 2 of a Parents’ Guide to Tryouts Continued from Wednesday April 4th.

How do I determine if the club is a good fit for my child?

When you are trying out for a team, whether it be at a town club or a private club, here is a list of important questions you should ask before making your commitment to a new club!

• Please tell me about your training staff.  What coaching licenses do they possess? How much experience do they possess?
• What league do you play in?  How far will our games be? Tournaments?
• What are your guidelines around playing time?
• What are your costs? (and what does that include) How much are uniforms (uniform kits)? Is summer training or winter training included? Are there any additional costs I should be aware?
• Has the team been together or is this a new team? In private soccer clubs, players may be able to move up and down to various team in an age group.  How does this affect my child?
• How often do you practice and where?
• What is the club philosophy?

If you don’t like the answers you get, or a club/coach is being indirect with you, it is probably best to look elsewhere with the plethora of options around.

Author:

Eric Offenberg has been around youth soccer for his whole life, first as a player, referee, coach, manager, Executive Vice President for the Monroe Township Soccer Club, and currently a member of the Executive Board for the MOSA (Monmouth Ocean Soccer Association).