BAA Soccer Tryout and Team Placement Policy Each spring town soccer tryouts for placement on travel teams spawn a round of excitement and anxiety among Boxford's soccer families. The volunteers of the Soccer Board hope the following information clarify why tryouts are necessary. Why Have Try Outs? Tryouts exist only to assemble compatible teammates at appropriate levels and give players that have worked hard to improve a chance to show their progress against stronger competition. There is no reason for your child to sweat these tryouts. We have eliminated single-player drills and shifted to scrimmages because it allows them to just play the game, without a spotlight. Who Evaluates My Child? First, the most important input into player placement is a comment sheet prepared by your child's current coach. Each coach rates a variety of factors (for example: ball skills, attitude, and attendance) based on practices and games since the previous September. This is a nearly 16-week profile of your child's growing skill and interest. Second, each spring the age group director and up to 10 volunteer evaluators supplement each coach's comments during a two-hour tryout of each age group in a series of scrimmages. In addition, age group directors attend a number of regular season games to get a longer look at the players in game situations. Is it a perfect system? Probably not, but it strives for fairness and aims to reduce stress on our children. How Are Teams Formed? After the tryouts, three board members for each age group review all the coach's evaluations and tryout scores. From these results, the teams are formed. Why Do The Same Children Play Together Year After Year? While a few players increase dramatically in their skills and participation, most tend to develop continuously as highly, moderately, or less-skilled players. Although not our goal, it's not unusual - in any town - for a core of players to stay together for years on a team because of their similar abilities. Your coach will recognize an individual's dramatic growth and note it in the evaluation. Do I Need To Attend? Yes! No one will be placed on a division 1 or 2 travel team that does not come to tryouts or has made prior arrangements with the age group director. Tryouts are not required for placement on division 3 travel teams or intramural teams. Tryouts are key to balancing teams. The more balanced teams are, the more fun for everyone. The tryout scrimmages give every child a chance to shine playing next to their peers. Please attend! Remember, the coach's evaluations from the whole year are the most important part of team placement, not the one day of tryouts. Relax and have fun! Age Group Move-Ups The BAA soccer program and ECYSA require that players play in the age group that their birthday falls. Exceptions to this allow players in the following grades to play in the same age group as the majority of their grade peers. 2007-2008 season groupings are as follows: U6 -- Kindergartners are eligible for U6 instructional soccer U8 -- (born between 8/1/99 and 7/31/01) AND 1st Graders are eligible for U8 soccer U10 -- (born between 8/1/97 and 7/31/99) AND 3rd Graders are eligible for U10 soccer U12 -- (born between 8/1/95 and 7/31/97) AND 5th Graders are eligible for U12 soccer U14 -- (born between 8/1/93 and 7/31/95) AND 7th Graders are eligible for U14 soccer U16 -- (born between 8/1/91 and 7/31/93) AND 9th Graders are eligible for U16 soccer U18 -- (born between 8/1/89 and 7/31/91) AND 11th Graders are eligible for U18 soccer   Any player who is eligible to move-up to a higher age group than their birth date dictates or those who decide to stay with their age group MUST play the entire year (fall and following spring seasons) in the age group decided upon. A player can attend only one age group's tryout. Also, be aware that most players typically move down one division level of play when moving up one age group (e.g., U12 division 2 players often end up playing division 3 when moving up to U14 as a "young" 7th grader).