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High Country Soccer Association Travel Team Tryouts are May 22-23

Are you interested in joining a travel soccer team? High Country Soccer Association will be hosting tryouts on May 22 and 23 for the 2018/2019 year for players aged U10-U18 (birth years 2008-2000). Tryouts will be held at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex on Brookshire Road in Boone. High Country Soccer Association, which opened in 1986, offers soccer training to youth ranging from U6 to U18 and competes in the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. HCSA also operates adult leagues and winter futsal youth training. In all, HCSA has more than 600 youth players and more than 250 adult players from Avery, Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Watauga Counties

TRYOUT FEES

Online Pre-Registration: $20 per player. www.hcsoccer.com
Onsite Registration: $40 per player.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENTS
Tryouts are the culmination of year-long Player Development Assessments that enable us to see that players are placed in an appropriate environment that enhances their development and success.

For players currently in our club, our coaching staff takes constant assessments of the development of our players across all programs. We now offer 2 opportunities for a written Player Development Assessment for our travel team players and U10 Academy players, to provide feedback on each player’s development and where they stand within their age group across the club.

For players new to our club, tryouts are your only opportunity for our coaching staff to assess your ability and place you appropriately on our travel teams or Challenge (rec) teams. It is imperative you attend both tryout sessions as we have no history of your development to draw on from the past year as we do with our returning players.

HCSA holds two tryout dates for each age group, it is expected each player will attend both tryout dates. Any absences should be communicated to the Director of Coaching so alternative tryout arrangements can be made if necessary.

REGISTRATION
All required registration materials must be completed and fees from the previous season paid prior to a player’s tryout. The following items are required for tryout participation.

  • Registration Fee paid – registration is available online in advance of tryouts, online registration will close on the date of the first tryout and the cost of onsite registration doubles.
  • Copy of Player Birth Certificate – if we don’t have one on file from previous season
  • 2018/19 Medical Consent Form – leave jersey number blank
  • Player Photo –You must upload a 1×1 headshot to your registration account. Players are not allowed to wear hats or sunglasses for this photo.

Any family wishing to request a need-based scholarship for player fees should submit the completed Scholarship Application at the time of tryouts.

TRYOUT ASSESSMENTS
The Director of Coaching will hire a staff of evaluators to assist with the player assessments and team formation process. Our tryouts will consist of a quick warm-up and then small-sided and full-sided games. We do not do drills or recorded tests. We allow the kids to play the game and the staff will evaluate from the sidelines.

PLAYING-UP POLICY
Our staff will evaluate players by birth year. We will not take parent requests for players to play up. If our coaches feel a player’s development would benefit more by playing on an older team than a team within their true birth year, a coach will discuss the opportunity with the player and parents during the tryout process. Once teams are formed, the Director of Coaching will develop a list of “Club Pass Players”; players who will be eligible to be invited to guest play with other HCSA teams at a higher level of play or age group. Again, this opportunity would be available at the discretion of our coaching staff and not parent requests.

NOTIFICATIONS
It is our experience there are pros, cons, and flaws with each tryout notification method. After consulting other clubs we have decided on what we believe to be the best notification method that overcomes certain obstacles we’ve experienced with other notification methods.

HCSA will post tryout results online by noon on the day following the final tryout. At that time, parents will be able to log-in to their online account and accept their child’s position by registering for the team and paying the commitment fee.

Parent Role Parents are encouraged to have realistic expectations for their player, know players develop at different rates, and trust the coaching staff in the evaluation and team formation process. We ask parents to please remain outside the black chain link fences during tryouts.