07/12/2026
I saw this on another post...I had to share...I have been saying this for years.
Why Most Shouldn't Tryout In July
The below is my opinion based on conversations/experiences with parents/players/coaches as well as my time as a full-time club employee and what I've seen behind the curtain. I'm a former late-bloomer that had a good collegiate/adult career, I've coached indoor collegiately, 18-1's, 15-7's and everything in-between for club.
Every year, my late-June/early-July are filled with conversations with anxious parents/players as tryouts for the next season loom. Many are looking for a change in scenery, but are trying to balance wanting to have a spot secured for next season while actually knowing what they're signing up for.
Other club directors are welcome to clarify if they feel their program's tryouts run differently - there are plenty of good ones. But for the most part, this is the timeline I see for how tryouts/evaluations work:
June: Top athletes offered a chance to re-join next season before tryouts. In some cases, fees are waived if the kid is good enough. These athletes often are told exactly who their coach is/other people being offered. I would argue these are the families who have actually benefitted from tryouts moving up, as they never deal with the uncertainly the majority of families face.
July: Tryouts begin. Programs are willing to take contracts/deposits, but many athletes are simply saving a spot in the program. They do not know their teammates, they do not know their coaches. In some situations, programs are taking more contracts than they have coaches. The lowest level kids are ultimately signing up for a program that in many cases has not hired their future coach. In some cases, high school kids, spouses of coaches with no experience, and parents with no experience have been hired.
November: Second set of tryouts begins. Certain kids will be told there's no space/will not make a team - more on this later. Athletes who try out that are more talented than July commits will be accepted and placed on higher teams than the kids that committed months before.
Late November/December: Evaluations. THIS is where most programs are actually putting teams together. This used to be done at the November tryouts - but it's become easier for programs to take more kids and figure out where to place them later with this system.
So what does this all mean?
It means July isn't about "trying out". It's about programs getting commitments from players. Contracts have gotten harder to get out of, while providing less information than ever in regards to what experience you're actually getting. It'd be like going to a car dealership with a few luxury cars and many used cars, putting the deposit down, and not knowing which car you're getting until after you're already bound to buy one.
I hear so many families that are afraid if they don't deposit/commit now, they won't have a spot in November. And you know what? I think you should take that chance: Here's why.
If a program will take you in July but they wouldn't in November, here's how I interpret that: It means they'll put you on A team if you sign up in July. But if you wait, and they find kids that are better than yours, then what we're telling you is your child is lower than everyone else that they've had try out, and they do not have enough coaches on staff for your kid to be included.
You may think that's worse, because you've heard it's important to "play club" to get better and make your respective school teams/play in college. But what are you really missing?
If they took you in July but you're one of their rawest kids, that means you're probably getting one of their rawest coaches. And the biggest elephant in the room we're not discussing is there is a huge difference between the top coaches at our best clubs and our rawest coaches. And if "playing club" is your kid playing with an underqualified/educated coach, while the kids ahead of yours are getting the coaching YOU CHILD needs, you are actually falling further behind by playing at a program like that.
If you've had a good experience at your program, if a program is willing to put the coach you will get in writing when they want your commitment in writing, if you've built trust with your director and what they've sold is what you've gotten, by all means, go for it!
If you just had a rough club season, if you're objectively not one of the higher-level kids at your program, if you're being asked to sign away any ability to go elsewhere with no guarantee of anything other than "a spot", PLEASE, consider November. Spend this fall and work on your game with lessons with a qualified coach. take care of your bodies/recover from this season/get stronger. And then go to November tryouts and EARN a spot that means something.
Happy to answer questions. I just want to see kids succeed/be put in environments that help them become their absolute best. And if you're struggling with finding a good fit for that, and you're in the Chicagoland area, while it wasn't the intent of this post, I do have a no-cut/tryout program that has worked with players of all levels, our registration is open, families are welcome to do a one-time practice/come watch one of our current practices so WE can try out for YOU vs. the other way around.
I wish you all luck this tryout season.
