---
title: "Soccer Tryout Drills and Evaluation Checklist for Youth Coaches (Free Template)"
description: "A good soccer tryout uses 4 drills, a 10-criterion evaluation checklist, and a 90-minute session structure to evaluate 24 to 36 players fairly. This guide gives the full template: drills, scoring rubric, and a downloadable-style evaluation form coaches can copy into their own document."
canonical: https://hobbit.football/tools/soccer-tryout-evaluation-form
language: en
published: 2026-05-20T15:50:00+00:00
updated: 2026-05-20T15:50:00+00:00
publisher: Hobbit (https://hobbit.football)
---

# Soccer Tryout Drills and Evaluation Checklist for Youth Coaches (Free Template)

> A good soccer tryout uses 4 drills, a 10-criterion evaluation checklist, and a 90-minute session structure to evaluate 24 to 36 players fairly. This guide gives the full template: drills, scoring rubric, and a downloadable-style evaluation form coaches can copy into their own document.

## What Should a Youth Soccer Tryout Evaluate?

A good youth soccer tryout evaluates four things: technical ability (first touch, passing, shooting), game intelligence (decisions, scanning, positioning), athleticism (speed, agility, work rate), and character (coachability, attitude, teammate behavior). Per the [US Soccer Player Identification](https://www.ussoccer.com/coaching-education) framework, no single dimension should weigh more than 40% of the final score; the best long-term players score 7 or 8 out of 10 across all four, not 10 out of 10 in one and 4 out of 10 in three.

This guide gives a 90-minute tryout structure, four specific drills (one for each evaluation dimension), a 10-criterion scoring rubric coaches can copy into a spreadsheet, and the most common evaluation biases to avoid. It applies to club, school, and travel-team tryouts at U10 to U16. Use the [Write](/write) module to turn the rubric below into a printable PDF for evaluators.

## The 90-Minute Tryout Session Structure

A 90-minute tryout fits 24 to 36 players across 4 drill stations plus a final scrimmage. Each station runs for 15 minutes with 5 minutes of rotation, and the final 25 minutes is a small-sided game where the four-dimension evaluation continues. Per [Mass Youth Soccer](https://mayouthsoccer.org/coaches/session-plans/) tryout guidance, structured stations produce more reliable evaluations than open scrimmages alone, because every player gets equal reps in identical conditions.

| Time | Block | Evaluators focus on |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:10 | Warm-up + numbered bibs | First impressions, body language, listening |
| 0:10 to 0:25 | Drill 1: Technical (first touch + passing) | Technique under low pressure |
| 0:25 to 0:30 | Rotation | Transitions, coachability |
| 0:30 to 0:45 | Drill 2: 1v1 attacking and defending | Individual duels, courage |
| 0:45 to 0:50 | Rotation | |
| 0:50 to 1:05 | Drill 3: Small-sided game (4v4 to small goals) | Game intelligence, scanning, decisions |
| 1:05 to 1:10 | Rotation | |
| 1:10 to 1:30 | Drill 4: 7v7 or 8v8 scrimmage | Position, work rate, teammate behavior |

Run two tryout sessions on different days when possible. Players have bad days, and a single 90-minute look produces too much false-negative rate. Two 90-minute sessions across a weekend gives 3 hours of data and lets coaches compare a player to themselves.

## The Four Tryout Drills

### Drill 1: Technical (first touch + passing)

Pairs, 10 yards apart. Player A passes to player B, who controls with one touch in a specified direction (left, right, back, into space). After 8 reps, swap roles. Then add a third player as a passive defender to add light pressure. Evaluator scores first-touch quality, body shape on receiving, and passing weight on a 1-to-10 rubric.

### Drill 2: 1v1 attacking and defending

5-yard wide channel, 15 yards long, small goal at each end. Attacker starts with the ball at one end; defender at the other end with no ball. Attacker tries to dribble through the defender to score on the small goal. After 4 attempts, swap roles. Evaluator scores courage to take on the defender, change of direction, and (when defending) ability to delay and force the attacker wide.

### Drill 3: Small-sided game (4v4)

4v4 to two small goals in a 25 by 15 yard grid. Rolling subs every 90 seconds. 12 minutes of play with the evaluator watching one player per minute (no coaching interventions). Evaluator scores scanning (head-up frequency), decision-making (right pass, right time), and movement off the ball.

### Drill 4: 7v7 or 8v8 scrimmage

Full team game with rolling subs every 3 minutes. Evaluator scores position discipline, work rate, communication, and how the player responds when their team is losing. The scrimmage is where character shows up: who praises teammates, who sulks after a missed chance, who tracks back at minute 18 as hard as minute 2.

## The 10-Criterion Tryout Evaluation Rubric

Score each player 1 to 10 on each of the 10 criteria below. Final score is the sum (max 100). The rubric matches the [PlayMetrics 240 evaluation forms study](https://home.playmetrics.com/blog/analyzing-player-evaluation-forms) which found that 8 to 12 criteria produced the most reliable evaluations; fewer than 6 is too coarse, more than 14 introduces evaluator fatigue.

| # | Criterion | What 10/10 looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First touch | Ball sticks to foot, first touch moves into space |
| 2 | Passing accuracy and weight | Hits the right foot at the right pace, both feet |
| 3 | 1v1 attacking | Beats defender 50%+ of the time with change of direction |
| 4 | 1v1 defending | Delays, forces wide, wins ball without diving in |
| 5 | Scanning | Head up before receiving, knows next pass before ball arrives |
| 6 | Decision-making | Picks the right option under pressure, not just the safe one |
| 7 | Speed and agility | Quick over 5 to 15 yards, changes direction without slowing |
| 8 | Work rate | Same intensity at minute 90 as minute 0 |
| 9 | Coachability | Listens, applies feedback within 1 to 2 reps |
| 10 | Teammate behavior | Praises others, owns mistakes, no sulking |

The rubric works because it forces the evaluator to look at non-technical dimensions. A player who scores 9 on touch but 3 on teammate behavior is a hard pick for a youth team; a player who scores 6 on touch but 9 on coachability and work rate is the kid who develops fastest.

## Common Mistakes Coaches Make in Tryouts

- **Picking the biggest kids.** The fastest kid at U12 is often the kid who hit puberty first, not the best long-term player. The [Aspen Institute Project Play](https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2024-coaching-trends) State of Play research repeatedly identifies relative age effect as a major youth selection bias.
- **One-day evaluation.** A single 90-minute session has too much variance. Run two sessions, two days apart.
- **No anonymous numbers.** Use bibs with numbers, not names. Reduces evaluator bias from knowing the family.
- **Coaching during the tryout.** Evaluators should not coach. Coaching changes player behavior and contaminates the data.
- **No 1v1 station.** Players hide in 7v7. 1v1 forces every player to be seen.
- **Scoring only on technique.** Character and coachability predict 2-season development better than technique on day one.
- **Picking based on whose parent you know.** Anonymous scoring (just the number) eliminates this bias.
- **No second evaluator.** Two independent scores per player, averaged, halves the noise.
- **Skipping the scrimmage.** The scrimmage is where game intelligence shows. A drill-only tryout misses the most important dimension.
- **Telling kids "we'll let you know" with no timeline.** Specify the exact date and method (email by Friday 9am). Vague timelines damage trust and reputation.

## Use Hobbit to Generate the Evaluation Form

The 10-criterion rubric above is a strong default. Your specific club may need additional criteria (goalkeeper-specific evaluation, position-specific notes, parent-meeting prep). Type "U12 club tryout, 28 players, two evaluators, need rubric and post-tryout email template" into [Hobbit's Write module](/write) and the printable evaluation form plus the parent communication email lands in 30 seconds. Coaches who template the evaluation save 2 to 4 hours per tryout cycle and run more consistent processes across age groups within the club.

The tryout is the single most consequential 90 minutes in a season. The decision that follows it shapes 9 months of player development. A 10-criterion rubric, two evaluators, two sessions, and anonymous numbers gets it 80% closer to fair than the gut-feel process most grassroots clubs run today.

## Key Takeaways for Soccer Tryouts

- **Evaluate four dimensions**: technical, game intelligence, athleticism, character. No single dimension should weigh more than 40%.
- **Run a 90-minute session** with 4 stations plus a final scrimmage; ideally two sessions across two days.
- **Use a 10-criterion rubric**, scored 1 to 10 by two independent evaluators, anonymous numbers only.
- **Include a 1v1 station.** Players hide in 7v7; 1v1 forces every player to be seen.
- **Watch the scrimmage for character.** Who praises, who tracks back, who sulks.
- **Avoid the relative age effect.** The biggest U12 is often the earliest puberty kid, not the best player.
- **Anonymous bibs eliminate name and family bias.**
- **Communicate the result on a specified date.** Vague timelines damage club reputation.

## FAQ

### What should I look for in a soccer tryout?

Look for four dimensions in a soccer tryout: technical ability (first touch, passing, shooting), game intelligence (decisions, scanning, positioning), athleticism (speed, agility, work rate), and character (coachability, attitude, teammate behavior). Per the US Soccer Player Identification framework, no single dimension should weigh more than 40% of the final score. The best long-term players score 7 or 8 out of 10 across all four, not 10 out of 10 in one dimension and 4 out of 10 in the others. Always evaluate character; it predicts 2-season development better than technique on day one.

### How long should a youth soccer tryout be?

A youth soccer tryout should be 90 minutes long, ideally run as two sessions across two days for a total of 3 hours of evaluation data. A single 90-minute session has too much variance because players can have bad days. Two sessions let coaches compare a player to themselves and reduce the false-negative rate. Inside the 90 minutes, run 4 drill stations of 15 minutes each plus a final 25-minute scrimmage, with 5-minute rotations and a brief warm-up at the start.

### What are the best drills for a soccer tryout?

The best drills for a soccer tryout are a technical pair drill (first touch and passing in pairs with a passive defender), a 1v1 attacking and defending channel, a 4v4 small-sided game to small goals, and a 7v7 or 8v8 scrimmage. Each drill targets a different evaluation dimension. The 1v1 station is essential because players hide in larger formats; only the 1v1 forces every player to be seen. The scrimmage is where character and game intelligence reveal themselves, so allocate at least 20 to 25 minutes to it.

### How many evaluators should run a soccer tryout?

At least two independent evaluators should run a soccer tryout, with scores averaged per player. Per the PlayMetrics 240 evaluation forms research, two-evaluator averaging halves the scoring noise compared to single-evaluator scoring. Evaluators should score players from anonymous numbered bibs, never from names, to eliminate family and reputation bias. A third evaluator focused only on goalkeepers is recommended if the tryout includes the keeper position, since GK evaluation has its own criteria not covered by the standard 10-criterion field-player rubric.

### How do you score a youth soccer tryout fairly?

Score a youth soccer tryout fairly by using a 10-criterion rubric (each criterion scored 1 to 10), two independent evaluators with anonymous numbered bibs, and at least two sessions across two days. The 10 criteria should cover first touch, passing, 1v1 attacking, 1v1 defending, scanning, decision-making, speed and agility, work rate, coachability, and teammate behavior. Avoid common biases including the relative age effect (the biggest U12 is often the earliest puberty kid, not the best player), the friends-with-the-parent bias (anonymous bibs eliminate this), and over-weighting technique over character.

### When should youth clubs hold tryouts?

Youth clubs in the US should hold tryouts between May and August for the autumn season, with the highest concentration in late May through early July. UK clubs typically hold tryouts between May and July as well, ending before the school summer break in most regions. Hold tryouts at least 3 weeks before pre-season training begins, so coaches have time to communicate results, build squads, schedule pre-season sessions, and answer parent questions. Avoid holding tryouts during school exam weeks or peak holiday weeks; player turnout drops and evaluation quality suffers.


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