Break-Down of Evaluation/Tryout Days:

A team of evaluators watch players each day and record a rating on each player. Volunteer evaluators may include current and former SVSL coaches, SVSL board members, soccer playing parents and community members, local college athletes, and hired professional coaches. Evaluators must demonstrate their knowledge of soccer, be approved by the board, and attend the meeting prior to evaluations. Evaluators agree to keep their evaluations confidential and are required to provide the evaluation forms to the Coaching Director immediately following the evaluations.

1. On evaluation day, players are checked in and given a numbered pinnie/number. That number is the player’s identification for the day. All observations are recorded by pinnie number on standardized forms. This entire process is repeated for both days of evaluations. Players need to save their pinnie number to re-use on the second day of evaluations.
2. Players will go through an age-group warm-up and will be instructed by the coach in evaluation activities as instructed.  Coaches explain the activity and then evaluators watch the players. Players perform a variety of skill and technique based activities, small-sided games and bigger field scrimmages. For example, one try-out activity the evaluators may be scoring on individual technique (Pass, Receive (1st touch), dribbling and small sided game play. Other try-out data may be evaluated on the Tactical play of a player (Defending, Field awareness & Game play).

Players are scored on their individual ability. Evaluators will also look at the player’s desire to learn and how they interact with other players.

3.  Each night, the evaluator’s forms are collected from each evaluator and the evaluation data is compiled.
4. The scores from the tryouts are collected and averaged before being ranked. This is done by the Board.  No individual scores are shared; only the average score and final ranking of the players.

SVSL Board members and coaches collaborate on roster formation based upon the performance of the players who attend evaluations. Player movement between programs and teams is fluid as sometimes there are not enough players at a competitive level to warrant a travel team at that age group and/or combining age groups and making Coed teams. There may also be times where players do not progress with their peers and need to change to a developmentally appropriate program.

Evaluation scores and rankings, trainer & coach feedback from the previous season, and team needs are factored when selecting players for a team. A final roster will be selected and sent to the Board for approval.

If there are multiple teams in an age & gender group; the higher-flight team (A) selects players first, using the above guidelines.  Once the A team roster is finalized the B team selects from the remaining players in the age group.

5. SVSL aims to conclude team selection within two weeks of the last tryout date for each age group.

Coaches will notify every player who attended a tryout for the age group.  Notifications are made by email and phone. Coaches are encouraged to speak with players who are not offered a spot, they should offer feedback for those wishing to receive it. 

Players have 48 hours to accept or decline the offered roster spot by submitting their registration and deposit to signal acceptance or declining by sending an email to the coach.  

*Players may decline a roster spot on a higher-flight team (A) to secure a roster spot on a lower-flight team (B). Approval from the Director of Coaching and/or the Board of Directors is required.

Player scores and rankings are not shared with parents or other members of the club due to the sensitive nature of such information.

6.  Acceptance to a team confirms a player’s commitment to the team from August 1 of that year to July 31 of the following year. Players may switch teams with the approval of the Director of Coaching during this time. Such instances are done with the long-term development of the individual player in mind.