Iowa Soccer's Club Selection & Tryouts Guide - With Fall 2021 State League Updates

Summer 2021

Iowa Soccer Club Selection and Tryouts Guide Iowa Soccer State League Updates for Fall 2021

At Iowa Soccer, it matters: Appreciating diversity, facilitating unity Providing educational resources Opportunities for all Integrity Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Iowa Soccer Mission: Provide soccer opportunities.

Vision: Soccer, the sport of choice.

Values: Fun, Fairness, Leadership, Opportunity, Teamwork, Integrity Member clubs: 82 statewide; recreational through select; volunteer through professionally operated.

Headquarters & Staff: Des Moines; 8 fulltime staff with backgrounds, certifications and licenses in the game of soccer; making decisions for the good of all member clubs and their families.

Pathways: Youth through adult opportunities for recreational, competitive and premier-level teams; elite youth player development pathway via ODP.

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Iowa Soccer Member Clubs

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide Overview

Per Iowa Soccer Member Rules, member clubs may begin forming teams based upon an evaluation of player ability/talent at the 11U age group. These teams are classified as “select” teams due to the way in which they are formed – “selected” based upon an evaluation.

To make an ability-based determination, many Iowa Soccer member clubs offer a process known as “tryouts” during the month of June.

Tryouts provide the opportunity to observe and evaluate any player who has registered for a club’s tryout. Players may be current club members, or they may be interested in trying out at multiple clubs.

Following the completion of tryouts, Iowa Soccer member clubs make “bid” determinations. A bid is an offer to join the club on an assigned team that is appropriate to the player’s ability. And if a club has determined there is not an appropriate team for the ability of the player, a bid is not offered.

Being well-informed about a club, and by extension the experience your child will have, is vital in aligning your child to an experience that is the best fit. To that end, Iowa Soccer offers this resource to help parents/caregivers research and make informed decisions.

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Research club options

It is important that parents/caregivers do some background work on clubs prior to tryouts and to ultimately select one that is the best fit for your child and for your family who will be part of your child's soccer experience!

What type of club are you looking for?

Based in your community, or outside of it? Smaller or larger organization?

Non-profit or for-profit organization?

Visit this webpage to view Iowa Soccer member clubs.

Player assessment and selection What are the club’s selection criteria when assessing players in the tryouts process and determining the offer of a bid?

Team development and coach assignment What does the annual calendar look like from training, league play, tournament, and travel perspectives?

How many nights a week does a team train?

How many teams will your coach be assigned to?

How many tournaments, and what are the estimated associated travel expenses?

Is there more than one team projected in your child’s age group at the club?

If so, what is the club’s philosophy and track record for investing in the development of those teams and players?

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Research playing environments

What is the league competition format the team will be entered in?

Does the league keep scores and standings and use results to determine the best teams?

Does the league require rosters so that game results and season standings are legitimate?

Does the league create good matchups for your team?

Does the league offer a regular schedule throughout the season, or are there gaps between league weekends?

Does the league schedule home games for your team?

Is the travel your team will do for league games purposeful with respect to creating a good match-up for your team, or is the travel and resulting match-up due to getting your team to the location where your coach has other games that day?

Will the travel schedule result in your family retaining the balance of its weekend for additional activities, or will it result in committing to an entire day or weekend for soccer?

If so, how ready is your family for that financial and time commitment?

Does the league have a track record for getting certified referee crews assigned to games?

Outside of paying for referees to cover games, does the league invest financially in the development/retention and recruitment of referees?

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide Research championships

What State, Regional and National Championship events are available to your team?

Will your team compete in the Iowa State Cup or the Iowa Presidents Cup, the only pathways for State Champions to advance to historical and legitimate Regional, and from there, National Championships?

Will your 11U-12U team be eligible for the Junior Iowa Soccer Championship Series #NextGen competition?

What does club charge?

What player fees does the club charge?

What is included in the fee, and what is not (i.e., are there additional expenses such as uniforms/gear, gas/hotel/travel, tournament entry fees, coach fees, etc.)?

Does the club offer financial assistance and if so, based upon what process and criteria?

Once the actual financial commitment is understood, is it within your family's budget?

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Tryouts Once you have narrowed down your interest in clubs, make sure to get registered for the tryout.

Visit this webpage to view Iowa Soccer member clubs.

Attend, observe and assess the tryout How well does the club communicate before, during and after the tryout?

How organized is the tryout?

Did your child enjoy the tryout and how did he/she interact with the players and coaches?

What information has the club provided regarding the specific age group your child is interested in joining?

Who is the coach going to be for the team?

Is the coach someone who will be a good fit for your child's personality, ability, and development?

How long does the coach stay with the age group as your child gets older?

What experience does the coach have with this age group/gender?

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Inquire, assess, and follow the tryouts rules.

As a parent/caregiver and/or a player you are allowed to: Register for and participate in multiple clubs' tryouts.

Attend tryouts and observe.

NOT be pressured by or feel fear from any club as you tryout/explore club options.

Call a club or coach at any time to gather general information about the club and tryout process.

Clubs/coaches may return the communication once and the content/reply must be in response to your inquiry.

As a parent/caregiver, you are NOT allowed to: Speak to other players or parents to influence their decisions. Parents and players should be free to make their own assessments and decisions about what is the best club/team environment for their child.

Prior to bid day, cannot ask the club about the team the child will be placed on.

Make phone calls to other parents to influence/sway other families' decisions.

Be the coach's proxy in illegally recruiting players, which is a violation of tryouts/recruiting rules.

This includes contact of any kind to players from other clubs, or their parents/caregivers, that is designed to generate interest in your own club.

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Coaches & Clubs must also follow the rules

A club/coach is allowed to: Attend tryouts hosted by their own club.

Respond to inquiries from parents asking about general club information.

Following the conclusion of a tryout, the club may send ONE informational email with only pertinent details about the club and the upcoming bid day. Pertinent details = age group and number of projected teams, schedule of events, practice schedule, team coach assignments, process of bid day, etc.

A club/coach is NOT allowed to: Attend tryouts hosted by another club.

Contact parents or players with the intent to influence their decision-making process.

Contact players who are registered with another club at any time with the only exception being if the player has participated in that coach's club tryout (per what is permissible - see above).

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Summer 2021

Club Selection and Tryouts Guide

Bid Day Timeline & Accepting/Declining a Bid

All players who attend tryouts will receive feedback from the club to confirm if and which program/team they have been offered a spot to accept. By bid day, parents and players should have completed a thorough assessment of the clubs whose tryouts the player attended, and considered how the child aligns with it. Parents/children should then be ready to make a final decision and inform the club during the respective bid day reply window.

June 1, 2021

June 16, 2021 11U-13U Bid Date

First day tryouts may be conducted by Iowa Soccer member clubs.

Starting at 8:00am CDT on this date, clubs may call or email the family to offer the player a bid. Between 8:00am CDT to 8:00pm CDT on this date, the parent/caregiver should accept or decline the club's bid offer.

If your child participated in a tryout at more than one club, it is possible to receive bids from multiple clubs.

June 30, 2021 14U-19U Bid Date

Starting at 8:00am CDT on this date, clubs may call or email the family to offer the player a bid. Between 8:00am CDT to 8:00pm CDT on this date, the parent/caregiver should accept or decline the club's bid offer.

If your child participated in a tryout at more than one club, it is possible to receive bids from multiple clubs.

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Coming Fall 2021

Iowa Soccer State League Updates: IT MATTERS

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Coming Fall 2021

Iowa Soccer State League Updates: IT MATTERS

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Coming Fall 2021

Iowa Soccer State League Updates: IT MATTERS

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.

Coming Fall 2021 Coming Fall 2021

IowaIowa Soccer State League Soccer State League Updates:Updates: IT MATTERSIT MATTERS

Unity is our strength.

Diversity is our power.

It matters.