IMPORTANT - Print and sign the above waiver document and have it with you at any practice or game if you are trying out.

If you are interested in trying out for any of our teams, please contact Paul Spacey via paul@fcengland.com or (310) 403-7166. He will be able to provide you with more information on upcoming tryout opportunities.

Our tryout process is below and this approach ensures that we do not waste your time. 

1. We initially invite potential players to one practice to assess if there is a possibility that there might be a good fit for both the player and the team. If there is, we will invite you back to another practice and potentially a game. 

2. If we feel that there is not a good fit in terms of the team and the level of the player, we will let you know and do our best to advise you where you might find a better fit, if you need help. We know that parents and players often look at multiple clubs and so we don’t want to waste your time and keep you hanging if there is not a chance of making the team.

3. If we decide to offer you a spot on one of our teams, we will contact you by phone and/or email with an official roster spot offer. 

*Note: We will only add you to one of our rosters if we see you as an immediate starter on the respective team you are trying out for. Because of this approach, more often than not players who tryout with us unfortunately do not end up being offered a spot on the team roster. Please do not take it personally if things don’t work out; most of our teams are at a level where only a standout player will make it onto the team.

We are ultimately looking for players with the right attitude and work ethic. Soccer ability is important of course but our priority is a good attitude and willingness to work hard as part of a team. If you are not a team player, our club is not the place for you.

IMPORTANT

If you are not technically competent and comfortable with the ball at your feet, there is no chance you will make one of our teams. Having good game understanding is an additional bonus but good technical skills are absolutely essential. If you do not have good technical skills, please do not attend one of our tryouts as it will waste your time and ours.

Tips for FCE Practice/Tryouts:

Work hard – this is the first thing we look for in any player. Not skill or tricks but we want to see if you have a good work ethic and a positive attitude. Give everything you have and show that you are prepared to work hard to improve.

Dress right – turn up looking like a soccer player; looking the part is more important than you think. This means wearing shorts (unless it is extremely cold) and no hoodies, baseball hats or items of clothing that are not associated with a soccer player. We wear navy blue for practice but you can wear any colors, as long as you look like you are ready to play soccer, not basketball or another sport.

Communicate – we know it’s hard coming into a new environment with kids you don’t know but we want to see players communicating, asking for the ball and giving advice when passing (“man on” or “time” for example). Again, communication is a big part of our coaching and so we need any potential new players to be prepared to talk.

Be comfortable under pressure – at least half of each practice is done in small, tight spaces and this is intentional. We want to put players in situations of pressure and have them work out a solution in terms of how to keep possession. If you are not comfortable in possession in tight spaces with pressure, you will likely find our style of practices difficult.

Be open to new situations – we don’t run typical ‘drill’ style practices where players stand in lines. Our practices are dynamic, intense and very much based on game situations, so you will need to be prepared to adapt as it is likely different than what you are used to.

Smile and enjoy it – we want to add players to our teams who love playing the game. We want you to really show that you want to learn and improve; this means working hard but having a smile on your face and looking like you truly enjoy playing.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Coaching, Paul Spacey: (310) 403-7166.