Running a Tryout

Everything you need to run a smooth SportFormIQ tryout, from the night before, to the field, to sending outcome emails when you're done.

This page is director-focused. Coaches should read Coaching a Tryout instead, it covers what you'll do on the field.

Phase 01 Night before

A 10-minute check the night before catches almost every problem before it costs you on the field.

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Phase 02 Arriving at the field

About 30 minutes before players start arriving:

1. Open SportFormIQ on your phone and confirm the session is loaded
2. Check that you have cell signal, if not, the app will work offline and sync later
3. Confirm your coaches have all logged in and can see their assigned players
4. Hand out bibs or pinnies if you're using numbered identification
5. Confirm the bib numbers in SportFormIQ match what's on the players

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Phase 03 During the tryout: coaches evaluating

Each coach opens the app, taps on their assigned session, and sees the players they're responsible for evaluating. The flow is designed to be fast, usually under 60 seconds per player.

What a coach does for each player

1. Tap the player from the list
2. Score each of the 6 categories, Technical, Scanning, Physical, Tactical, Psychological, Social, as Below, At, or Exceeds
3. Tap the ⓘ icon on any category to see SportFormIQ Blended and USSF anchor descriptions for the player's age group
4. Add an optional note if anything stood out
5. Mark a decision: Invite, Hold, or Cut
6. Tap Save, the next player in the bib sequence loads automatically

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Phase 04 Adding walk-up players

Players who show up without pre-registering can be added on the spot.

1. Open the session player list
2. Tap + Walk-up at the bottom
3. Enter the player's first name, last name, date of birth, and primary position
4. Add a parent email if you'd like to send them an outcome email
5. Tap Add, the player appears in the list with a Walk-up badge and is immediately available for evaluation

Called-up players (playing up)

If you need to add a player from a higher age group, for example, a strong U10 trying out for the U11 team, use + Add from Full Roster instead. This opens your unfiltered club roster so you can select any registered player. They'll be enrolled in the session with a "Playing Up" badge that appears throughout the evaluation.

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Phase 05 Monitoring progress as the director

While coaches are evaluating, you can monitor in real time from the Coach Progress screen. You'll see:

• How many evaluations each coach has completed
• Which players haven't been evaluated yet
• Which coaches haven't started

If a coach is running behind, you can tap Send Reminder to send them a polite nudge email, or just walk across the field and check in.

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Phase 06 Making your final decisions

Once all evaluations are in, open the Results Board. You'll see all players ranked by their average score across the six categories.

For each player, you can:

• Review the coach's ratings and notes
• Change the decision (Invite / Hold / Cut) if needed
• Add an internal director note that won't be shared with parents

You don't need to finalize all decisions immediately. Most directors leave the field, review at home, sleep on it, and finalize the next day.

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Phase 07 Sending outcome emails

When you're ready to notify parents of your decisions:

1. Open the Results Board for the session
2. Confirm every player has a decision assigned (Invite, Hold, or Cut)
3. Tap Send Outcome Emails
4. Review the confirmation count, for example: "Ready to send 12 Invites, 4 Holds, and 6 Cuts"
5. Tap Confirm Send

SportFormIQ sends three different email templates based on each player's decision: an invite letter, a hold-list notification, or a respectful cut letter that focuses on continued development. All three are pre-written and branded with your club name.

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Phase 08 If something goes wrong

Most tryout-day problems have quick fixes. Here are the most common.