Fairfax Boys Soccer Tryouts

   Schedule

• We will provide a tryout number for all participants.  Players should plan on checking-in 30 minutes prior to the first tryout on Monday, February 19th.  Players will not be able to tryout unless they have turned in their VHSL Physical and completed the New Athletic Registration with Concussion Education
• . 
• First “cuts” will be made at the close of practice on Wednesday, Feb 21.  Second “cuts” will be Thursday or Friday or Saturday (if necessary). 
• First scrimmage TBD 

• Second scrimmage TBD

• As a general rule, we will have game or practice activities every day, Monday through Friday until our season ends.  Attendance at ALL team practices, meetings and games is MANDATORY.  If you must miss due to extenuating circumstances you need to contact Coach PRIOR to the start of practice.  For the most part, outside of illness or family emergency, all absences will be considered unexcused.  Unexcused absences will result in sitting out game time.

Tryout Prerequisites

• You cannot tryout unless you bring (or have on file) a VHSL Physical 
• Complete the New Athletic Registration with Concussion Education. Make sure you select Boys Soccer. This will include your emergency contact information as well as both you and one of your parents going through the concussion education slideshow.

*Register by Sunday, February 18th.  If I do not have them (filled out completely), you will be unable to participate!!!!!.*

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used during player evaluation and team selection processes:

• Skills/Talent – How well can you play?
• Fitness/Athleticism – Soccer is a sport that favors endurance, quickness, speed, and strength.
• Decision Making – Quality players understand what to do and when to do it.
• Teamwork – Soccer is a team game and players need to be able to work well with others within a system.
• Scholarship – There are academic requirements for participating.  Other things being equal, a student with a good academic record will have earned an advantage during the selection process.
• Attitude/Conduct – As athletes, our players are representing the school and the Soccer program.  Discipline issues on and off the field can affect your ability to make the team.  We are also looking for athletes who can take constructive criticism positively.
• Work ethic – We select players with a passion for excellence and a will to work for success.
• Team balance – We cannot field a team with all Strikers.  We need a good mix of players by position.  You might be the fifth best player trying out and not make the team, because the four best players play your position.

Not everyone can make it

Competition for selection onto a high school soccer team is fierce, as only 18-24 players will make each team.  At tryouts, we will undoubtedly have the best 10% or so of the players at Fairfax. Unfortunately, only the top 5% can make the team.  No player likes to be told he’s not good enough to make the team; no coach likes to tell a player that either.  But it has to be done for some when there are a limited number of roster spots.

If you should fail to make the team, don’t be too dejected.  Getting cut doesn’t mean a player isn’t a quality individual, or even a quality soccer player.  Players sometimes aren’t at their best at exactly the right time.  Coaches can make mistakes, too.

Whatever the circumstances for not making the team, there are plenty of good opportunities for those players not chosen: other Fairfax Spring sports, recreation youth soccer leagues, etc.  If you don’t make the team, you can work hard on improving all aspects (remember the selection criteria) of your game; perhaps even to the point where you can out-compete others for a roster spot next year.

Fitness Testing