Dover Sherborn Soccer Club

Tryouts/Evaluation

Player Evaluation Process:

  1. Who is evaluated :
    Player evaluations are done every Spring and Fall for players who will play on town "travel teams" in the upcoming Fall. This includes all players currently in grades 3rd - 7th, who will play on U10-U14 teams.

  2. Why does the club evaluate players:
    The Club wants to do its best to match players of equal playing ability. This helps provide a challenging environment for all players, while at the same time building confidence.
  3. How does the evaluation process work:
    The evaluation process includes a number of criteria:
    a) Coaches' written evaluations
    All registered team coaches (both head coaches and assistant coaches) are required to provide a written evaluation of every player. Each player is scored on a number of different criteria, including playing ability, attitude, and attendance. The players are also individually ranked. A copy of a blank evaluation form is attached for reference.
    b)     Try-outs
    Try-outs are held each spring for play the following year. In addition to the coaches' written forms, the Club also believes it is important to get objective feedback from a third-party source. Currently, we use Mass Premier Soccer (MPS) to manage our try-outs. MPS holds a 90-minute session with each age group to evaluate the technical abilities of each player. They use a series of small sided games to score the players. These scores are tallied and a ranking of all players in each age group is provided to the Club. All players who are interested in playing Fall soccer must attend the MPS try-outs. Please NOTE: Online registration is now required prior to try-outs. If your child is not registered, he/she will NOT be able to participate in the try-outs and he/she will NOT be placed on a team, but instead will be added to the wait list and if space becomes available, you will be contacted.


c) Independent Evaluations - Special Circumstances
On occasion, at the discretion of the Club Coordinators and Club President and based on feedback from parents and coaches, the Club may arrange for additional independent evaluations. This could simply be independent evaluators attending selected games, or a special scrimmage arranged by the club within a specific age group. The results would be utilized at the placement meetings as part of the evaluation process.

d) Evaluation meetings
Once the above evaluations have been completed, the Club holds evaluation meetings with all coaches in an age group. The meetings are led by the Club Coordinators (Laura Wood and David Cottrell), and attended by the Club President (Paul Blanchard). These meetings provide an opportunity for the coaches to review the written evaluations and the try-out rankings. All players are then placed on teams, based on ability. If a player is new to town and does not have a coach's evaluation and does not attend the MPS try-outs, they will be placed on the bottom team in their age group.

e) When are the team rosters available:
After the coaches' meetings, the Board reviews the teams one last time. All team rosters are approved by the end of June. At this point, the Club begins to determine coaching assignments. Our goal is to have 1 Head Coach and 1-2 Assistant Coaches for each team. In July, the Club Registrar emails all coaches with their rosters and their team placements in Bays. Additionally, parents will receive an email communications, directing them to the Admin Sports website for their child's team information.

How are the teams configured?

The teams are configured according to the evaluation process. The size of the teams will vary by age and season. For example, in the BAYS U10 Divisions, the game format is 6 v. 6, so there will generally be 9-12 players on each team. In U11 and U12, the format is 8 v. 8, so there are generally 12-16 players on each team. With the U14 teams, the format is 11 v. 11 and teams will be configured with 16 to 18 players. The exact numbers will vary season to season according to the number of players signed up, and the number of teams that can be configured. This will allow for player movement from one team to another each season.

A final point, if a team is placed in Division 1 or Division 2, the Bays organization sets limits to the size of the team. The following standards apply to these teams:

If my child is not a strong player, will they be " cut "?

Absolutely not!  As long as your child is registered for the Fall season, they will be placed on a team. It is the Club's intention to have ALL interested children participate in soccer. If, however, you do not register your child during the Spring, and wait for the Fall, we cannot guarantee a spot on a team. All player placements and coaching assignments are made over the summer and "last-minute " registrations cannot always be accommodated.

What if my child is a really good player...can he/she play "up " for the next age group?

Playing up is   not allowed. All children will play with their appropriate grade and age group only!   The only exception is for a child with an early birth date (prior to 8/1). This is dictated by the BAYS organization.

If I volunteer to coach, will this influence my childs team placement?

It is important to note that coaches for each team are not determined until after the evaluation process and the teams are configured. Although coaches can request to coach each year, the coaching assignments are determined by the coordinators and club president. Players are never assigned to a team based on their parent's ability or willingness to coach.

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