How to Use A Youth Sports Tryout Software

Youth Sports

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Running a youth sports tryout can be challenging, but with the right tool, some of the stressful and monotonous work can be done for you. That’s where youth sports tryout software proves invaluable, providing an easy, accurate, and reliable method for coaches to conduct athlete evaluations across any level and any sport.

We walk you through a step-by-step process on how to use a sports tryout software, which will revolutionize how you assess talent, draft teams, and provide feedback.

1. Choose the Right Tool

Before plunging headfirst into your tryout, choosing a tool is the first step. Look for a youth sports tryout software that offers the following:

Intuitive interface for coaches and evaluators
Customizable, sport-specific evaluation templates
Mobile scoring ability (from a phone or tablet)
Auto-generated reports created post-evaluation
Messaging capabilities with athletes & parents

2. Plan Ahead

The backbone of any successful tryout is preparation. To ensure each tryout runs smoothly and effectively, ensure you:

Set tryout dates and locations well ahead of time.
Determine the skills you are going to evaluate.
Outline the drill stations and map out their flow.
Train evaluators on the criteria for a “perfect score” at their designated station(s).

3. Create Custom Evaluation Templates

Not every sport—or even every team—evaluates players in the same manner. That is why building customized templates matters. With sports tryout software like SkillShark:

Select from a pre-set evaluation template, customize your own, or combine both.
Add in subjective scores (fixed-scale between 1 and 5) and objective scores (single measurement).
Create a set of predefined comments for quick insertion during evaluations.

4. Import Athletes and Assign Evaluators

Before the tryout begins, there are still a couple of remaining steps to take:

Import your athlete roster from Excel or a team management software.
Perform a quick check to ensure all player data is mapped correctly. I.e., Do all jersey numbers line up? Are player positions correct?
Assign evaluators to drill stations (ideally one evaluator at each station).

5. Score Athletes

Now the fun begins. Evaluators will score athletes from their tablet or phone at their designated station. Benefits of a youth sports tryout software include the following:

Evaluators can easily navigate between athletes.
Scores are quickly entered using the slider button.
Data has a reduced risk of being lost or misentered.

6. View Evaluation Results

No need to manually transfer data from spreadsheets into Excel (only to format it into reports) after an evaluation. With a tryout software, you can access auto-generated reports minutes after your evaluation is complete. Simply choose the report you wish to view, and assess the following:

Rank athletes on a specific skill or overall performance.
Compare athletes to identify top performers.
Create weighted reports to determine the best athlete(s) for each position.

7. Share Feedback with Athletes

Regardless of how they performed after an evaluation, informing athletes of their strengths and areas for improvement is key. With a youth sports tryout software, such as SkillShark:

Securely share individual report cards. Complete with scores, benchmarks, and comments.
Share developmental resources (videos or PDFs) for players who scored below a set criterion.
Send a copy of the report cards to parents as well for full transparency.

Wrapping Up

Adopting youth sports tryout software might seem daunting at first, but the right tool (and proper onboarding) makes it a seamless experience for coaches and evaluators. Coaches will have a platform to easily collect evaluation data and make accurate decisions. Evaluators benefit too, leaving behind the demanding and time-consuming task of pen-and-paper scoring.

Lucy Jakoncic

Lucy is a strategy and results-driven e-commerce & digital marketer, equipped with her BBA in Business Admin & Marketing. She brings in knowledge and experience from both startup and corporate environments. Aside from her professional pursuits, Lucy is an admitted sports fanatic, she feeds her addiction through active involvement and her passion for the sport of MMA. Her sports-minded entrepreneurial spirit has been a strong addition as both a writer and marketing strategist at SkillShark Software Inc.