The registration is complete. The boots are packed. Your child is excited, nervous or switching between the two.
For parents, the questions often begin before the session does. Should we practice more? What will the coaches notice? What if my child makes a mistake?
Good preparation helps a player arrive ready to participate and show what they can do. It also helps families understand that one session, one decision or one team placement does not define a child’s soccer future.
First, Understand the Difference Between Grassroots and Competitive Soccer
Parents often use “tryout” to describe any session where a coach observes their child. In Canadian grassroots soccer, that distinction matters.
Canada Soccer’s current grassroots guidance emphasizes open access, development and ongoing observation. Its U9–U13 program guide replaces ability-based tryouts with a model where players join training environments and are observed over time. Families should ask how a club’s intake process works for their child’s age. Canada Soccer grassroots guidance
For a grassroots player, preparation should centre on feeling comfortable joining in, listening and exploring the game.
Where competitive selection applies, coaches may assess a player’s current readiness for the level, understanding of the game and fit within a squad. Preparation becomes more specific, but the child still needs room to learn and make mistakes.
What Coaches Can Learn Beyond the Goals
Scoring can catch attention. So can a well-timed supporting run, a controlled first touch or a player who responds thoughtfully to an instruction.
A useful way to understand assessment is to look at four parts of the player’s game:
- Technique: Can they receive, control, pass and move with the ball?
- Decisions: Do they notice space, teammates and opponents?
- Contribution: Do they stay involved when someone else has possession?
- Response: How do they react to feedback, challenges and mistakes?
The importance of each will vary with age, position and program. Younger children should not be expected to perform like experienced competitive players.
Preparing a Grassroots Player: Build Familiarity and Enjoyment
For a young child, a new field, unfamiliar coach and different group of players can be a significant experience.
Keep preparation simple. Play with the ball together. Practise stopping it, changing direction and passing through a small target. Give the child chances to explore rather than correcting every touch.
Before the session, explain what they might encounter: meeting coaches, joining activities and playing with other children.
A helpful message is:
“Listen, join in and have fun trying. You don’t have to get everything right.”
Let the coach know if your child needs a little time to settle into unfamiliar situations. Initial hesitation should not be treated as a complete picture of their interest or ability.
Preparing a Competitive Player: Make the Basics Dependable
The days before a tryout are a good time to reinforce familiar skills. They are a poor time to cram in unfamiliar tricks or suddenly increase training.
Useful preparation includes receiving and passing with both feet, controlling the ball into space and looking around before it arrives. Include game-like situations where the player has to choose what to do, rather than repeating movements without a decision.
Encourage purposeful play. Dribble when there is an opportunity, pass when a teammate offers a better option and stay involved after releasing the ball.
A competitive player should also understand that their contribution continues without possession. Offering a passing option, tracking an opponent and reacting when possession changes all give coaches information.
The Moment After a Mistake Matters
Imagine a player miscontrols a pass.
They can stop and become frustrated, or they can recover their position, support a teammate and prepare for the next moment.
The original mistake still happened. The response shows another part of the player.
Help your child prepare for this before arriving. A simple reset can be enough: take a breath, look up and rejoin the game.
The aim is to stay engaged even when something goes wrong. Trying to appear perfect can make a player hesitant to participate.
Being Coachable Means Trying the Feedback
A player does not need to be the loudest person on the field to show a willingness to learn.
They can listen while instructions are given, ask a brief question if something is unclear and attempt the adjustment the coach suggests.
If a coach asks a player to check their surroundings before receiving, the useful response is to try that behaviour in the next activity. They may not execute it perfectly, but the attempt gives the coach something meaningful to observe.
Encourage your child to treat feedback as help they can use.
Make the Day Easier Before You Leave Home
Confirm the location, arrival time, playing surface and equipment requirements. Pack suitable footwear, shin guards, water and any items requested by the club. Allow enough time for check-in without rushing.
Keep meals and routines familiar. Plan food and hydration around the session rather than arriving hungry or relying on a last-minute energy boost. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends planning both fueling and hydration for young athletes. Sports nutrition guidance for families
Avoid adding an exhausting workout just before the assessment. The purpose of preparation is to arrive ready to play.
If your child is injured or unwell, communicate with the club about an alternative opportunity instead of asking them to hide it.
Parents Have a Role During the Session, Too
Give your child space to hear the coach and make decisions.
Repeated instructions from the sideline can leave a player trying to satisfy two voices at once. Encouragement can be brief and warm without directing every pass or movement.
Remember that the family is also learning about the program. Notice whether instructions are understandable, players are treated respectfully and mistakes receive constructive responses.
For competitive programs, ask about the training commitment, feedback process and expectations. A suitable development environment matters beyond the initial selection.
Start the Journey Home with Curiosity
Before offering your assessment, let your child share theirs.
Try asking:
“What did you enjoy?”
“Was there something you found challenging?”
“Would you like to go back?”
Some children will want to talk immediately. Others will need time. Resist turning the journey home into a detailed review of every touch.
If a competitive selection does not go their way, ask the club for one or two useful development priorities and possible next steps. A selection reflects a particular decision at a particular time. It is not a reliable prediction of a child’s long-term potential.
Arrive Ready to Learn
The most helpful preparation builds familiarity, confidence and readiness.
For grassroots players, that means feeling welcome to participate and discover the game. For competitive players, it means bringing dependable fundamentals, thoughtful effort and a willingness to respond to coaching.
For parents, it means supporting the child through the experience while keeping the bigger picture in view.
Help your player arrive prepared, stay curious and leave with something to build on. That is a valuable step in any soccer journey.