NASA Academy U10 / U11 / U12 Girls

Academy tryouts:

Links to 2011 tryout results: U10 tryout results / U11 tryout results / U12 tryout results 

The NASA Academy Girls programs hold open tryouts each year in late May or early June. If you're interested in joining the NASA Academy, this page contains the information and links you need to become familiar with the Academy and the tryout process.

Links: About the NASA Academy tryout schedules frequently asked questions information for families who move into the area after tryouts

Spring 2011 season update:  The NASA Academy Girls programs will soon be graduating players into older age groups. So we'll be looking for girls to fill these newly-opened Academy slots for the 2011-2012 soccer year. Girls are eligible for the various Academy programs based on their birth dates as follows:

Program	Eligible birth date range (2011-2012 season)
U10 Academy	August 1, 2001 or later (see U10 age note below)
U11 Academy	August 1, 2000 - July 31, 2001
U12 Academy	August 1, 1999 - July 31, 2000

The NASA Academy staff identifies qualified players in three phases:

• Scouting:  We evaluate players during training sessions and games with their NASA recreational teams.

• Guest nights:  We invite Academy prospects to come to our Academy "guest night" training sessions in the spring. You'll get to practice with the Academy players, meet the Academy coaches, and see what the Academy is all about. Just wear your usual practice gear, bring your soccer ball and water, and join us for some soccer fun!

• Tryouts:  We conduct open tryouts in late May and early June.

If we think a player is a strong candidate, we'll invite her to join the Academy. There is no obligation to join, however. If the level of commitment isn't right for your daughter or family, the NASA recreational program is still available as an option.

Tryouts:  The NASA Academy Girls will conduct open tryout sessions for the 2011-2012 soccer year starting Tuesday, May 31st. Link: NASA locations

NASA Academy 2011 Tryout Schedule

Age group	Date	Time	Location
U10 Academy DOB: 08/01/01 or later
	Tuesday, May 31st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 2
	Wednesday, June 1st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	United Quest Park, fields 5 & 6
	Thursday, June 2nd	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 2
U11 Academy DOB: 08/01/00-07/31/01
	Tuesday, May 31st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 4
	Wednesday, June 1st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	United Quest Park, fields 3 & 4
	Thursday, June 2nd	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 4
U12 Academy DOB: 08/01/99-07/31/00
	Tuesday, May 31st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 5
	Wednesday, June 1st	5:30 - 7:00 PM	United Quest Park, fields 1 & 2
	Thursday, June 2nd	5:30 - 7:00 PM	Metro North Park, field 5

Tryout notes:

• Who may attend?  Tryouts are open to all age-appropriate girls, whether they currently play at NASA, another soccer organization, or are new to soccer. Link: soccer age chart. There is no fee required to try out.

  • Under 10 age note:  The U10 Academy includes both under-10 and under-9 girls. Younger girls (birth date 08/01/03 or later) are also welcome to attend tryouts. In special cases, we'll invite younger girls to join the Academy.

• Which session(s) to attend:  We request players to attend two of the tryout sessions: Tuesday or Wednesday at your "home" park, (Metro North Park or United Quest Park), and Thursday for our final session at Metro North Park. If you have a preferred NASA park, you're still welcome to attend tryouts at the other NASA park without having to switch parks for the upcoming year. If it's a better fit with your schedule to attend Tuesday / Wednesday rather than Tuesday / Thursday or Wednesday / Thursday, you're welcome to do so.

• Register in advance:  All returning and prospective NASA Academy players should register on-line for tryouts, even if they are unable to attend. Tryout registration is free, and it significantly streamlines the tryout check-in process. Link: https://www.youthleaguesusa.com/nasa/11-12/Tryout.html

• Financial aid:  NASA offers confidential, needs-based financial aid. Open this link, then scroll down to the bottom of the page for application forms. Applications should be submitted before tryouts are complete.

• What to wear / what to bring:  Players should wear proper soccer attire (including shin guards), and bring a soccer ball (size 3 or 4) and water. Please leave jewelry at home.

  • Bring lots of water!  The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s. You should start increasing fluid intake before tryouts, and drink plenty of water during and after tryouts. This will allow your body and mind to perform at a higher level for a longer period of time. Link: hydration tips

• Check-in early:  We recommend arriving 15-30 minutes early so you have time to get checked in and warmed-up prior to the actual starting time. Check-in consists of verifying (or recording) player info on our tryout roster, marking a tryout number on the player's leg or arm, plus distributing informational material about the NASA Academy program.

• Schedule conflict?  If your daughter is unable to attend a tryout session at her "home" NASA park, she's welcome to attend a session at the other NASA park. (If selected, you can choose to stay with your home park.) If your daughter is interested in the Academy, but isn't able to attend tryouts, check this link for information about arranging an evaluation.

• Weather updates:  If rain develops, check the NASA field status hot-line (770-512-2985) for any updates prior to coming out.

Tryout questions:

• What happens during tryouts?  Players check in at the field and are assigned a tryout number. Coaches then gather the players for a brief intro and some warm-up activities. After warm-up, we spend most of the session playing scrimmage games. We rotate players through multiple positions and multiple game formats (4v4, 6v6, 8v8). We may also do running and agility evaluations.

• What do the coaches look for in a player?  Three main characteristics: awareness, personality (for example: desire, enthusiasm and creativity) and athletic ability. Current technical skill is a bonus, but if a young player has the other three attributes, we believe she can quickly develop technical skill through focused training sessions and by playing with and against strong players in training and games.

• What are the coaches expectations for the players?  Soccer is a game, not a job. Girls will learn, play their best and have the most fun if they follow three simple rules. 1. Give your best effort. 2. Be enthusiastic. 3. Be good to your teammates.

Player invitations:

• After tryouts are completed, the coaches will meet to decide which players we'll invite to join next year's NASA Academy. We'll post these players' names and/or tryout numbers on our Academy web site and follow-up with phone calls.

• If your daughter is invited to join, please respond via phone or e-mail to the appropriate coach to let her/him know if you accept the invitation.

• If your daughter isn't invited, we strongly encourage her to continue playing. If she loves the game and sticks with it, she'll always have a chance to achieve her goals. Players mature at different rates, and a player who isn't selected this time around may blossom by this time next year. Over the ten year history of our Academy program, we've had plenty of cases where a player wasn't invited after her first tryout, but made it into the Academy the following year.

• Links: U10 tryout results / U11 tryout results / U12 tryout results

Summer schedule:

• The girls are off until Academy Camp in July. (We believe in off-season breaks from organized sports, so we won't have any regular practices during the summer break. If the girls want to practice their skills on their own, here's a list of "play at home" activities.)

• We'll start regular practices in August, exact date to be determined.

• We'll play a pre-season tournament in mid- to late-August, then start weekly Academy play the weekend after Labor Day.

Contacts:

Program	Coach	E-mail address (see note below)
U10 Academy DOB: 08/01/01 or later	Ward Swain	wcswain3(at)mindspring(dot)com
U11 Academy DOB: 08/01/00-07/31/01	Paul Copeland	copey(at)bellsouth(dot)net
U12 Academy DOB: 08/01/99-07/31/00	Jay Ingram	coachjayingram(at)gmail(dot)com

• Note:  Replace "(at)" and "(dot)" with the traditional e-mail "@" and "." symbols. (We've masked the addresses to foil Internet spam robots.)

Missed tryouts?  If your family moves into the area after tryouts, or if you have a vacation conflict with tryouts, you can still arrange to have your daughter evaluated for the NASA Academy. Please contact the age-appropriate coach (see list above) for more information.