I want to give all the kids who tryout an evaluation. Does anyone have an idea on how I can get this done?

Well, I guess that depends on how many tryout!

This is ambitious, but as a parent, I appreciate your concern for communicating with the kids.

If you have a reasonable number of players to evaluate, then I would suggest creating a simple online form. Players ID info on the top, your categories of evaluation on the bottom. Have each family fill out the form in advance of the tryout and attach a photo of their player.

At tryouts, number the girls like we would for a tri or 5k, permanent marker on the arm, and the number on the form. Simple enough.

Then all you have to do is record your evaluations. Lots of ways to do that. Computer savvy? Put the form on your iPad, on a website, or on your laptop. I'd suggest getting some assistance in entering the info though, so you can just talk while they type.

Or go old school and just put all the forms in a binder, numeric order and take notes as you go through practice. Again - a helper would be ideal so you aren't looking down at papers all the time. It's probably a better use of your time and energy if some non-coach writes on the forms and you just speak your thoughts outloud.

Don't have help or don't want to look at a computer? As you run the drills you can carry a palm recorder and take verbal notes on the players. You can transcribe them to individual players forms later, or have some helpful Mom do it. Or, if you happen to have Dragon Naturally - it will transcribe your voice to text for you with 99% accuracy.

Don't want to chagne your tryout style at all to make notes? Video tape the whole thing and fill the forms in afterwards while you watch it a second time with more perspective.

Lots of options!

Realnice - I see you are a stranger. If you want to go with any of the above options, but aren't computer savvy and want help creating a professional looking form, let me know.

I will happily create your form for you and I can deliver it in a number of formats.

I like your idea and would be interested in helping with it, and in hearing about how it works out for you.

I believe there will be around 50 kids trying out.

I don't know how you could give useful input to that many kids based on a tryout. Consider if it lasted 2 hrs, that's 120 minutes, take off 20 minutes between water breaks and the coach giving direction and you're down to 2 minutes a player.

I applaud the spirit of the idea, but there's no way 2 minutes is enough time to evaluate each player. Even with two tryouts lasting two hours each, that's still around 4 to 5 minutes a player; still not enough time to make a valid evaluation.

KSdad, I agree with you, but on the otherhand doesn't this also mean that its not enough time to decide who should make what team.

Yeah, I'm with KSDad, too. Nice idea, but not easily implemented.

What usually happens, even in more involved try-outs (like over three sessions), is you figure out the definites, the maybes and the others quickly. Then you spend most of your time focusing on the maybes. It gives you a smaller set to watch in detail.

The tryouts I've attended quickly sort the kids based on abilities while playing small sided games. During the games players are moved around, until at the end there are groups of good, better, and best.

Sorting is a much easier task than providing honest feedback on technical, tactical, and mental abilities, I just don't think it can be done with any level of detail.

Honestly, the struggling players are the ones that would benefit the most from a coaches feedback, but they'll be the least likely to draw the coaches attention at a tryout. The other issue is; how likely are the parents going to be to listen to a coaches feedback, if their child isn't getting an offer to join that team?

I feeel like I have to explain to the players why they made the team or got cut.

Real Nice

If you send your child to a paid camp , each player is provided an evaluation of their skills.

Very simple an evaluation is part of the cost of attending the camp.

For regular club team tryout, unless a parent/player specifically asks on why they did not make the team, suggest not providing an evaluation.

You are setting yourself up for conflict if you try and justify why a player was not chosen.

The reality is that many teams are chosen beforehand. Coaches are most times going to choose players recommended to them or players they have seen beforehand.

With shortened tryout window an evaluation is also very subjective and not true measure of the abilities of the player.

My suggestion is to call the Coaching Director for State. He can provide you standard evaluation for field players and GK's used for ODP tryouts so you do not have to go and recreate a form.

This fills your desire to provide an evaluation, however I would only provide if asked. If a parent is coming to you on why their kid did not make the team it normally is a situation where they thought their kid was better than someone chosen for the team.