East Lyme Soccer - Player Evaluations

Player Evaluations for the 2010-2011 Season

Player evaluations are mandatory for all players who will be starting 3rd grade through 8th grade in the fall of 2009 (there are no evaluations for players in kindergarten through 2nd grade).

The evaluations will be held the evenings of Wednesday 26 May, and Thursday 27 May at Bridebrook Park. Players may only attend one, NOT BOTH, of the sessions. Players do not have to be there at the start of the session, nor will they be kept there for the entire timeslot. Please see below for details.

General Information
Player evaluations are used to provide the proper balance of capabilities across all teams in the U-10, U-12, and U-14 divisions.

Players who would like to play on a Classic team must (1) attend one of the two initial player evaluations; (2) be invited to the call-backs for the Classic team; and (3) attend the call-backs. The call-backs will be held before 15th June and the results announced after school lets out for the year. The call-back results and the player reviews from their previous year coaches will determine which players are assigned to the Classic team in each division. The Boys and Girls Coordinators are responsible for determining how many players will be invited to the call-backs and the number of Classic teams to be formed in each age group.

Invitations to the call-backs will be issued by the Boys and Girls coordinators after the May 27th initial evaluation but before the call-backs are held in June.

Players who participate in the evaluation process who are not selected for a Classic team will automatically be assigned to a Recreational Plus team. Players who choose not to participate in the evaluation process will automatically be put at the top of a wait list and assigned to a Recreational Plus team if there is space.

The player evaluations and call-backs will be held at Bridebrook Park using the following schedule :

Timeslots for the initial evaluations on Wednesday 26 May and Thursday 27 May

U-10 (Players 8 years of age and older but not yet 10 years of Age on August 1st) 5:30 to 7:15pm

U-12 (Players 10 years of age and older butnot yet 12 years of age on August 1st) 7:30 to 9:30pm

U-14 (Players 12 years of age and older but not yet 14 years of age on August 1st) 7:30 to 9:30pm

Players may only attend one, NOT BOTH, of the initial evaluations either May 26th or May 27th.

The schedule for the call-backs in June will be announced shortly

Evaluation format
Evaluations will focus on at least 5 basic skills: running speed, dribbling, passing accuracy under pressure, ability to receive a pass (also known as "first touch"), and kicking strength. For each skill, the scores will be purely quantitative with no personal judgement from the ajudicators. The skill tests are based on a much more extensive system used by Anson Dorrance, head coach of the Univ. of Carolina Womens Soccer Team. Specifically (click on the skills to see how they are set up and run):

Running speed How fast can they run a shuttle run? To practice for this, run sprints without a ball.

Dribbling How fast can they dribble through a zig-zag course? To practice for this, run around dribbling a ball changing directions.

Passing accuracy How many balls can they pass with each foot through one of two gates in a minute or two, depending on age. To practice for this, kick a ball at targets in your yard.

First touch How many times can the player bounce the ball off of the kick wall in one minute first receiving the ball with one foot, then the other. No one-touch passing allowed and the player must be a age-defined minimum distance away from the board. To practice for this, kick a ball against a wall.

Kicking strength How far can a player kick the ball, or how fast will the ball go when the player kicks it? To practice for this, kick a ball at a target and see how far away from the target you can get and still hit it.

As a result of this quantitative method for testing skills, it should not take a player long to go through the player evaluation. Thus a player does not have to arrive at the start time for their group, nor will they be kept there the entire time span.

Contact Patti Bauman (Girls) 860-372-5025 or Brendan Yourell (Boys) 860-739-8370 for more information.

U-10	(Players 8 years of age and older but not yet 10 years of Age on August 1st)	5:30 to 7:15pm
U-12	(Players 10 years of age and older butnot yet 12 years of age on August 1st)	7:30 to 9:30pm
U-14	(Players 12 years of age and older but not yet 14 years of age on August 1st)	7:30 to 9:30pm

Running speed		How fast can they run a shuttle run? To practice for this, run sprints without a ball.
Dribbling		How fast can they dribble through a zig-zag course? To practice for this, run around dribbling a ball changing directions.
Passing accuracy		How many balls can they pass with each foot through one of two gates in a minute or two, depending on age. To practice for this, kick a ball at targets in your yard.
First touch		How many times can the player bounce the ball off of the kick wall in one minute first receiving the ball with one foot, then the other. No one-touch passing allowed and the player must be a age-defined minimum distance away from the board. To practice for this, kick a ball against a wall.
Kicking strength		How far can a player kick the ball, or how fast will the ball go when the player kicks it? To practice for this, kick a ball at a target and see how far away from the target you can get and still hit it.