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How to Run a Field Hockey Tryout: A Coach's Step-by-Step Guide

To run a field hockey tryout, you evaluate every player across a short list of core skills (stickwork and ball control, trapping and receiving, passing, dribbling, hitting and shooting, and positional play in small-sided games) using a consistent 1-to-5 score per skill, then use those scores to build teams. The hard part is rarely the scoring sheet. It is organizing the whole event so the evaluation stays fair, the day runs on time, and you can defend every roster decision afterward, especially when you are moving hundreds of players through in a single weekend. This guide walks through exactly how to conduct a field hockey tryout from first planning to final offers, whether you are a club running placement evaluations, a travel program selecting a competitive roster, or a large league putting 300 players in front of 15 to 20 coaches.

Coaches running a youth field hockey tryout with players rotating through stickwork, passing, and small-sided game stations on a turf field

What Skills Should You Evaluate at a Field Hockey Tryout?

Evaluate the core stick skills at a field hockey tryout: stickwork and ball control, trapping and receiving, passing, dribbling, and hitting or shooting. Then watch how all of it holds up in small-sided games, where positional play, vision, and decision-making show up. Most coaches add an intangibles category (work rate, coachability, and game sense) that adjusts a player's overall score up or down. Goalkeepers are evaluated on a separate track for footwork, clearing, and shot stopping. A short, shared list keeps a large evaluation panel focused and consistent.

Here is what evaluators look for in each skill and how each is typically assessed at a tryout:

Skill	What evaluators look for	How it's assessed
Stickwork and ball control	Soft hands, relaxed grip, and a low stance; the player keeps the ball close and controlled under pressure rather than letting it bounce off the stick	Cone or gate course where the player carries the ball through tight turns at speed
Trapping and receiving	Clean first touch on flat and bouncing balls, stick parallel to the ground, body bent at the knees to absorb pace	Feeder passes from varied angles; the player traps and settles before the next action
Passing	Accuracy and weight on the push pass for short range and the hit pass for longer range, with proper follow-through to a target	Paired passing reps to a target or teammate at set distances
Dribbling	Close control, change of pace, and the Indian dribble (rapid side-to-side) to beat a defender	Dribble through a defender or a slalom of mannequins into space
Hitting and shooting	Power, accuracy, and a quick release on the hit and on shots toward goal	Hits to a target and shots on goal from the top of the circle
Positional play	Vision, spacing, off-ball movement, and decision-making in live play	Small-sided games (3v3 up to 7v7) and a scrimmage
Intangibles	Work rate, focus, attitude, and game sense	Observed throughout; used to add or deduct points from the overall score

The small-sided game matters as much as the skills course. Tight 3v3 and 4v4 games reveal instincts and decision-making, while a larger scrimmage shows how a player reads space and fits a position. Plan to see both.

How Do You Score a Field Hockey Tryout?

Score each player from 1 to 5 on every skill, where 5 is the best, then total the scores to rank players objectively. A simple, shared 1-to-5 scale turns subjective impressions ("she looked good") into comparable data you can sort, defend, and revisit. Positional play and intangibles are usually handled as adjustments: add a point or two for the players who read the game and compete, and deduct for those who disappear in live play.

Two rules make the scores trustworthy at scale. First, align your evaluators on what each number means before the tryout, so a "3" trap and a "4" trap mean the same thing to every coach on the field. With 15 to 20 evaluators grading the same players, this calibration is what keeps scores comparable. Second, score immediately after each rep while it is fresh, and add a short note next to the number. "Strong hit, weak first touch on bouncing balls" tells you far more in a week than a bare "3."

How to Set Up Field Hockey Tryout Stations at Scale

Set up one station per skill and rotate small groups through them so the field is always busy and every player gets identical reps. Use cones or markers to define each station: a stickwork and dribbling course, a trapping and receiving spot, a passing lane, a hitting and shooting station near the circle, and a roped-off area for small-sided games.

How you staff those stations depends on size. At a small tryout, one coach can grade a whole skill. At scale, with 300 players and 15 to 20 coaches, you do the opposite: put several evaluators at each station so a large group keeps moving, and have every coach score the same drill against the shared rubric. Some programs run it in panels, splitting evaluators across stations, while others move all coaches to one station at a time so everyone grades the same drill together, which is common for the dribbling course and the small-sided games. Either way, the goal is multiple independent scores per player, which you average for a more reliable result than any single grader could give. Keep a staffed check-in table at the entrance so you always know who has arrived and who is still expected.

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Field Hockey Tryout Timeline: From Planning to Finalized Teams

Plan to start two to three weeks before tryout day, then move through registration, check-in, evaluation, review, and offers. Here is the full end-to-end checklist for hosting the event:

Two to three weeks before: Planning

Lock the date, field, and rain date; reserve the turf or grass facility
Decide age groups, number of teams, and roster sizes
Build (or reuse) your evaluation form with the categories above
Recruit and brief evaluators; align all 15 to 20 coaches on the 1-to-5 standards
Open online registration so you have a confirmed player count

Registration

Collect each player's name, age or birth year, primary positions, and contact info
Assign every player a tryout number (pinnies or bib numbers) so evaluators score by number, not by name, which keeps scoring objective even with hundreds of players
Send a confirmation with arrival time, location, and what to bring

Tryout day: Check-in

Check players in against your registration list and hand out numbers
Group players by age or skill and brief them on the station flow

Tryout day: Evaluation

Run players through each skills station; evaluators score 1 to 5 and add notes in real time
Move groups into small-sided games and a scrimmage to see positional play
For multi-day tryouts, repeat key stations on day two so a single off-day doesn't sink a player

After the tryout: Review and decide

Combine every evaluator's scores into one ranked list
Discuss bubble players as a staff, using notes alongside the numbers
Finalize teams or position groups

Offers: Accept, decline, and finalize

Extend offers to selected players with a clear accept-by deadline
Track accepts and declines, and go to your next-best player when a spot opens
Send respectful, timely notice to players who weren't selected
Confirm final rosters and communicate next steps (practice schedule, fees)

Run Your Entire Field Hockey Tryout with Rizzler Sports

A tryout at scale is a logistics problem before it is a field hockey problem. Three hundred registrations, hundreds of check-ins, a stack of evaluation sheets for every coach, then the follow-up: inviting selected players, tracking who accepted, and back-filling spots as players decline. Rizzler Sports handles all of it in one place, which saves coaches and administrators hours of work per tryout. Players register online, coaches score evaluations on a phone or tablet at every station, results rank automatically, and you send and track offers without a single spreadsheet or group text.

Running a larger program, a full club, a travel organization, or a school district? We will set your tryout up end to end and show you how much staff time it saves.

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Running a tryout at scale? Let's talk.

Tell us about your club, league, or school and we'll come back to you within one business day with a walkthrough of how much staff time Rizzler Sports saves by running your tryout end to end: registration, check-in, evaluations, invites, and offers in one place.

Cut tryout admin from days to minutes
Online registration and check-in for hundreds of players
Evaluate, rank, invite, and track offers in one place

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a field hockey tryout be?

Most youth field hockey tryouts run 90 minutes to two hours per age group. Competitive club programs often hold two sessions across two days so a player's evaluation isn't decided by a single off-day. Build in time for check-in before the clock starts.

How do you staff coaches at a large tryout?

At scale, do not assign one coach per skill. With 300 players and 15 to 20 coaches, put multiple evaluators at each station, or move all coaches through one station at a time, and have everyone score the same drill against a shared 1-to-5 rubric. Averaging several independent scores per player is more reliable, and far faster, than a single grader working through hundreds of athletes.

What should players bring to a field hockey tryout?

Stick, shin guards, mouthguard, cleats, water, and any goalkeeper gear if they play in goal. Tell players to arrive early enough to check in and warm up before evaluations begin.

How do you evaluate goalkeepers at a tryout?

Score goalkeepers on a separate track for footwork, clearing with feet and stick, positioning, and shot stopping. The most telling evaluation comes from live play: how a keeper reacts during the small-sided games and the scrimmage often shows more than structured drills do.

How important is the scrimmage at a field hockey tryout?

Very. The skills stations show you what a player can do in isolation, but small-sided games and a full scrimmage show vision, off-ball movement, and decision-making that you cannot see in a passing lane. Plan to weigh live play heavily for positional fit.

See also: Team Tryouts in Rizzler → · Player Evaluations in Rizzler → · How to Run a Lacrosse Tryout →