Disclaimer: Blog posts represent the opinions of their author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MVSA the organization.

The team offer process can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. While the process will always vary a little from club to club, the differences should be minimal because most of the details of the process are dictated by rules defined by your region (CHRVA in MVSA’s case). Of course, that does assume that all clubs are actually following the rules. Is that a good assumption? Let’s find out!

Any club that wishes to register with CHRVA and play in local CHRVA tournaments, must follow the recruiting rules dictated by CHRVA. These rules are applicable throughout the year but they really come into focus during a time referred to as the “Open Tryout Period.” This period varies a bit from year to year but you can always find the latest definition by visiting the Juniors Club Directors page on the CHRVA website and looking for the CHRVA Junior Open Tryout and Recruiting Policy document.

For the 2024-25 club season, the Open Tryout Period for girls’ teams is:

• 14U and younger – 11:00 am on the last Friday of October (10/25) through 10:00 pm on the following Tuesday (10/29)
• 15U and higher – 11:00 am on the first Friday of November (11/1) through 10:00 pm on the following Tuesday (11/5)

Per CHRVA policy, the Open Tryout Period “is defined as the block of days that players may attend [tryouts] with no expectations of having to make a commitment to a team/club, nor can a team/club require a commitment from a player. During this period, teams/clubs may extend offers to players.” This means that:

• Clubs can ONLY hold tryouts during the Open Tryout Period
• Team offers can ONLY be extended to players after the start of the Open Tryout Period and they must be in writing
• Offers made during the Open Tryout Period must be honored until the end of the Open Tryout Period

Ever wonder why clubs always schedule their tryouts on the same weekend? It is because we have to do that according to region rules. That is a obvious disadvantage of the process, but the advantages far outweigh that:

• All clubs are on an equal footing in regards to making team offers to athletes
• Athletes can attend the tryouts for multiple clubs without feeling pressured to accept or reject any specific offer
• Athletes have the time necessary to make an informed decision regarding their offer(s)

MVSA tries our best to adhere to both the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law” when it comes to team offers. We take the tryout process very seriously and want to do right by everyone involved in the process. It is simply unethical to charge families to attend our tryouts and not provide every player an equal opportunity to make a team. This manifests itself in how we run the tryout process as a whole, but especially in regards to team offers.

• MVSA makes no offers prior to tryouts
• Coaches send out team offers only via email so families can deal with the offers in private
• Per CHRVA rules, those offers are valid through 10:00 pm on the Tuesday following tryouts
• MVSA will not pressure you to accept or reject the offer

While MVSA will not pressure you, please be aware that coaches are always available to have a discussion concerning your offer. An offer will contain contact information for the coach and you should reach out directly if you have any questions.

Likewise, please accept or reject your MVSA team offer (or any offer from any club) as soon as you know you will or will not accept it. Just because you can wait until the end of the Open Tryout Period doesn’t mean you should. As mentioned in the CHRVA Junior Recruiting Policy FAQ “the sooner a player knows that [they] will not accept an offer from a club, the player should act in good faith and decline the offer so that club may open up that offer to another prospective player. For example, there is no reason for a player to retain more than two offers at a time. By the time a third offer is received, that player should be able to narrow down their choices to their top two offers.”

While most clubs try to stay within region rules, some… well… you can imagine the games that happen out there. Here are some you might encounter:

• Asking whether you will accept an offer if they make you one – Clubs are not allowed to make verbal offers, nor are they allowed to seek your intent to accept or reject an offer prior to making the offer in writing. There is a slightly more gray area version of the question that a coach may ask an athlete at tryouts: ”Would you be willing to play for me if I made you an offer?” If you 100% know you wouldn’t play for a coach/team then telling them “No” will probably save everyone some time. However, I think the better tactic is to teach your athlete to say: “I will seriously consider any offer I receive.” If that is not enough for the coach, then you probably want to look elsewhere anyway.
• Handing out team offers (in writing) at the end of tryouts in front of everyone - The tryout process is stressful enough for everyone involved. There is no need to add the potential for embarrassment into the mix as one player has to watch everyone around them receive an offer and they don’t. Clubs should really operate with more discretion than this.
• Making a written offer and then asking a player to sign an “acknowledgement” of the offer – While technically within region rules, this can be very confusing, especially for a young athlete. What exactly am I signing? Am I accepting the offer or something else? Asking an athlete to sign anything without their parent/guardian present is highly questionable in and of itself. Throwing in the potential for confusion makes it far worse.
• A club sends out team offers immediately after the tryout open period starts – How can a club send out team offers before they have even had tryouts? Good question. These clubs tend to offer “clinics” during the fall. However, these paid clinics are effectively tryouts and the club knows exactly who they will make offers to as a result. They may hold a few team spots open so that when they do have tryouts, they still have some offers available in the event that an amazing player happens to walk in the door. Otherwise, attending their tryouts is effectively a giant waste of your time and money. This is especially ridiculous for our high school age athletes. They participate in their high school team practices five days a week, and then are forced to pay for and participate in these “clinics” on the weekend. Increasing the odds for overuse injuries and region recruiting violations all in one move. Impressive!

Please do your homework. Understand what is and isn’t allowable behavior on the part of clubs and coaches. Read all the relevant documents provided by the region (list below). Don’t go into tryouts blind, go in prepared. As a wise “person” once said, “knowing is half the battle.”

• CHRVA Junior Open Tryout and Recruiting Policy
• CHRVA Junior Recruiting Policy
• CHRVA Junior Recruiting Policy FAQ

We hope you have a wonderful tryout and a fantastic club season!