Frequently Asked
Tryout Questions
Questions about
Tryouts
Tryouts take
place each May, and allow teams to replace players who have dropped
off or who have moved on to other teams. Tryouts also allow
hardworking and ambitious players who have improved their playing
ability to join stronger or more competitive teams.
Tryouts are
successful when every player
is selected to a team that has a training and competitive plan that fits the
player's interests and needs, with a budget and time commitment that
matches the parent's willingness to support the player.
Many of the
questions below have been asked often, so we share answers for your
convenience. Additional questions can be sent to
Bill@teamboca.com.. If you are currently a member
of another club you may not get a specific response ( & only a
generic one) until after
a contact date established by FYSA (May 23rd this year for all players), when contact is
permitted, but we'll try to anticipate your basic questions and provide answers
here.
Q.
When are tryouts held?
Formal Tryouts for Team Boca teams are held after the FYSA Final Four state cup tournament
and usually the day after Memorial Day. This year it will be
Tuesday May 31 thru June 4, 2011, due to the preceding Memorial Day weekend. Players can be
permitted to attend team practices prior to tryouts
if they are not registered to another club, or if registered to
another club they would need to either be officially "released" from
their club prior to contacting us,
or we must receive written permission from their clubs Director
to attend a practice. If you have further questions regarding
practicing with a team please contact
Bill@teamboca.com
Q. Do I need to register for
tryouts?
Yes, you must register with Team
Boca online prior to tryouts. If you are a current member and do not
have access to a computer you may also register at tryouts.
Q.
How does a player make the team?
All players must compete for roster positions. Having played for
Team Boca in previous years does not guarantee one a spot on the
team.
Q.
What do the coaches do?
Coaches have primary responsibility for the coordination of age
group tryouts for the team entrusted to him/her, with assistance
from our technical trainers
Q.
What do the coaches look for in players?
While tryouts vary from team to team, all coaches look for players
who have the potential of becoming high-level, competitive players.
Throughout the tryout, coaches assess several player qualities,
including but not limited to:
1.
Technical skill.
2.
Tactical awareness.
3.
Physical abilities.
4.
Psychological dimension.
Q.
Does the coach have any help during tryouts?
Coaches are required to use multiple evaluators at the tryouts.
Generally, other coaches in the program assist the team's coach
during tryouts.
Q.
What happens after the last tryout?
At the conclusion of the tryouts, each coach nominates players for
their roster.
All coaches and trainers involved in the tryout process will meet to
discuss the roster choices and then the teams are then given a final
approval by the Club Director / Director of Coaching.
Q.
How long before we know what the outcome is?
Usually 7 - 14 days after the last tryout, all teams will be posted
to our website, in some cases sooner.
Q.
What if a player does not get selected?
All players not selected will be omitted from the team lists once
they are posted to our website after tryouts. Effort will also
be made to contact each player by phone. This in no way suggests that they are not quality
players, or that they should give up their hopes of playing travel soccer.
It simply means that the coach feels there were other players better
suited for this team's level of play. All checks paid at
tryouts together with all paperwork will be immediately mailed back
to you if the player is not selected. If a player is only trying out
for a specific Premier Level team and they are only selected to our
Second (Navy) team and that player does not want to play for that
team they are NOT required to do so. All checks and paperwork
will be mailed back the same way as if they did not make any team.
However, you must inform us prior to tryouts if if it is the
player's intent only to tryout for a Premier team.
Q.
What if a player is selected?
If a player has been selected, their name will be posted online to
the appropriate team after tryouts. Effort will also be
made to contact the player by telephone.
Q:
Are tryouts open to all boys & girls?
A: Yes, tryouts
for each team are open to all boys & girls of the correct age.
Q:
What travel obligations will we have?
A: Each team's
annual plan will be outlined prior to tryouts usually before the
Saturday scrimmage session. The coach's
along with the training staff have determined the league and
tournament needs for each age group. There are some required events for White and
Navy teams, but, outside of this, each coach, working with the
team's trainer, team
manager, parents, and players, will organize an annual plan for the
team. Typically, we begin to travel within the state at U10
and out of state at U12 or U13 for our Premier A "White" teams. These tournaments are a way to expand
the competition level, exposure to college scouts, and to experience
soccer in another region. Out of state tournaments consist of
WAGS, Capitol Cup, Dallas Cup, Adidas Final Four Showcase, Raleigh
Shootout, & Blue Chip Showcase to name a few. See the coach at tryouts to evaluate the basic plan for the
team.
Q:
My son/daughter is currently not registered to Team Boca and wants to tryout. Does he/she have to
attend all tryout dates? There are other teams she may
want to tryout for also.
A:
The
public tryout dates are important because they give your player the
best opportunity to be seen playing with the current team that will
continue in the year ahead. All players are expected to be at all
tryout sessions. If you cannot be at all sessions an
exception may be granted only by contacting our Director of Coaching in
advance for formal permission at
Bill@teamboca.com.
Each year there
may be a few players who are added to a roster that miss tryouts due
to relocation, injury, etc. These players may be invited to
train with and eventually be selected to the team based on the
circumstances of which they missed tryouts.
Q:
If my
son/daughter is currently registered to another club can I contact
Team Boca or a specific coach before tryouts?
A: You could
write to the coaches you are interested in and ask them to come
watch your player in any remaining league play or
tournament play. You would want to provide them with your player's
name, date of birth, team, shirt number, grade in school, and name
of current team and coach. By making known your interest, you may
get one or two of the potential coaches to come see your player,
enabling them to give you a better idea on contact day whether or
not they can offer a role for your player with their team.
Q:
What about on or after the date when contact is allowed?
A:
Once the State Cup Final Four is completed you can certainly call the coaches or
our Director of Coaching and talk with them specifically about your
son or daughter.
Q:
How soon will my son/daughter start with their new team?
A: All team rosters will be
posted to the internet within two weeks after the
completion of tryouts, usually sooner. Older early
season teams usually begin training in early August. All other
teams usually begin group skills training in the latter part of
August or early September. Some State Cup teams may form and
travel to tournaments immediately after tryouts. Please check with
our Director Of Coaching for
specific team plans.
Q: How many teams
are selected in each age group?
A. Depending on the amount of
players trying out, we usually we select two teams in each age
group. A level (White) teams and B level (Navy) teams.
In some age groups there may be minimal differences between the two
levels. In certain instances Navy teams may even play in A leagues
or tournaments also.
Q. Can a player
tryout for only an A White team?
A. Yes, please make sure you inform
the Director of Coaching prior to tryouts that your player is only
trying out for a specific team. In fact, it is absolutely
assumed that any player trying out for Team Boca will accept a
position on any team they are selected to. If that is not the
case you must inform us in advance and it will not be held against
the player in any way.
Q:
Can current Navy team players from Team Boca try out for White teams?
A: Yes. At Team
Boca, all players in each age group are evaluated together.
Q. Is tryouts the only forum where Team Boca staff
determines which players are selected to Team Boca teams?
A. No, the evaluation process additionally takes place
over the course of the season. Players are in essence trying
out for Team Boca teams every time they take the field.
Tryouts are merely an additional opportunity to show our staff how
much a player has progressed throughout the year, as well as give
them an opportunity to evaluate certain players together with other
players.
Q:
Which team does my son/daughter tryout for?
A: First, decide
which age group corresponds to your player's date of birth and
school grade. A player born on Oct 7, 1993 would play in the
U18 age group, according to the following chart. This player would
normally attend 12th grade during the 2011-2012 school year.
|
U9
|
8/01/02 – 7/31/03
|
|
U10
|
8/01/01 – 7/31/02
|
|
U11
|
8/01/00 – 7/31/01
|
|
U12
|
8/01/99 – 7/31/00
|
|
U13
|
8/01/98 – 7/31/99
|
|
U14
|
8/01/97 – 7/31/98
|
|
U15
|
8/01/96 – 7/31/97
|
|
U16
|
8/01/95 – 7/31/96
|
|
U17
|
8/01/94 – 7/31/95
|
|
U18
|
8/01/93 – 7/31/94
|
Q:
How can I send my name in to be contacted when coaches can call
players?
A: Players and
parents can send information at any time, it is just not permitted
for coaches or club officials to make a formal contact with the
player or parent until after the Final Four State Cup Tournament is
completed, (May 22nd). Information can be sent to
Bill@teamboca.com
When contact is
permitted, coaches will want to know the basics, including
-
your date of birth
-
your grade in school
-
your phone number
-
your parent's names and mailing address
-
your e-mail address if you have one
-
the positions you play
-
your current team
Q: How are the teams grouped and named:
The numeric designation with each
team indicates year of birth not school graduation.
-
White teams
are the most competitive and have a significant travel obligation
in age groups U13 to U18. The U9 to U12 White teams travel
within FL to regional cup, presidents cup, and tournaments as well
as to out of state tournaments such as the Raleigh Shootout and
Houston Shootout among others.
-
Navy teams
have a somewhat less travel requirement throughout the state of
FL, but have a similar training requirement. Some Navy teams may
also travel out of state.
-
Recreational teams play in the
SABR Recreational program that is administered through the Soccer
Association of Boca Raton. See more at
www.bocasoccer.com
Q: Can a
player play up in an age group?
A. It is the intent
of the Team Boca Technical Staff to define the process of the "playing up" guideline to avoid any misinterpretation of it's
intent:
Determining Factors
for Play ups:
The individual player must be identified as one of the exceptional
players in the birth year by the technical staff and the age group
coach. It will be deemed at this time that the indicated player will
have secured a place with the team in his/her birth year. Next, the
identified player will be invited to the older age group tryout,
where he/she MUST demonstrate that they are also in the top of the
group on that team. It also must be determined that the player's
proper age/grade group team does not meet the competitive
requirements to challenge the player if they stayed in their
appropriate group. If the proper age/grade team is at a level
that does challenge the player they will not be allowed to play up. Based on this assessment by the
technical staff, input from the older age group coach, and
final determination by the Club Director, a
determination will be made on the individual playing up a birth
year. However, it is only in extremely rare conditions that a player
will be allowed to play up and therefore such permission should in
no way be assumed.
Team and Club
Considerations:
We want to be sure that in this process, we create a fair
opportunity for everyone involved. A major concern is that we place
a player in an environment in which they are challenged, have an
impact on players with whom they are playing and are having the
success necessary to enhance their development. A club and team
consideration is the displacement of players whose roster spot will
be filled by a younger player. Here lies the reason that the
technical staff must be certain a younger player will have the
impact necessary to justify displacement of an individual who is
birth year eligible for a team.
Q. What is
the player is grade appropriate for an older team, i.e., her age
puts her in the younger group but her grade puts her in the older
group?
A. Generally it is preferred that
she plays on a grade appropriate team. If not, there will be
conflicts when she reaches her high school years. You should
contact our Director of Coaching to further discuss this scenario.
Q: Where are
the tryouts?
All Team Boca tryouts take place at
FAU Glades Fields which are located at the main FAU entrance off
Glades Rd.
Call the Team Boca hotline at 561-237-8006 for more
information and for inclement weather details check the web site.
Q: Are You Moving to Florida?
Players moving in from out of state
or players who have not yet registered with another club can
contact Team Boca by e-mail at
Bill@teamboca.com
or contact a coach directly from the
contact information provided on the
staff page.
