NAZARETH SOCCER CLUB
EVALUATION FAQ

In May each year, players across the Club will participate in the Evaluation process.  The questions and answers below are offered to help you understand what the process entails, how it works, and why it’s very important that your player attend.

• What is the Nazareth Soccer Club Evaluation?
  The Evaluation is a Club-wide process designed to help the Board group players of similar skill for the teams it fields in the upcoming playing year (Fall and Spring).  Each age/gender group is evaluated separately.  For example, Girls Born in 2011 will be evaluated separately from Girls Born in 2010 and Boys Born in 2011.


• Why don’t you call it “tryouts”? 
  It is an "evaluation" since the Club will work to find a place for every player to play regardless of his/her performance, meaning that no players are cut from the Club as an outcome of the process.  It is similar to a "tryout," however, because not every player who participates will necessarily earn a spot on his/her preferred team.


• Who manages the Evaluation?
  The Evaluation is run by the Classic Program’s Player Development Director, Rob Berkowitz, ESU's Head Coach.  Coach Berkowitz has been partnered with the Club for a decade, and he has earned a strong reputation at ESU over his 13 seasons there.  Coach Berkowitz has led the women's program to six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), including the 2015 Atlantic Region title – the first in school history.  He is a two-time selection as the NSCAA DII Atlantic Region Coach of the Year (2014, 2017) and a two-time PSAC Coach of the Year (2007, 2014).  The Club’s Board trusts Coach Berkowitz implicitly to make its player development decisions.
  
  
• Why do we do an Evaluations?
  The goal of the Club is to make sure every player in our area has a chance to play soccer at a level close to his/her ability and to have fun doing so.  Evaluations give the Club the ability to place players of similar ability on to a teams and in league settings that will give each of them the most opportunity to play, enjoy the game, and develop as a player and person.


• What levels do we evaluate for?
  The Club’s teams have historically participated in many different leagues in the region.  Which league makes sense depends on the capabilities and commitment of the team.  Competing in each league entails different costs and expectations, especially regarding travel time to league games.  The three most common leagues in which the Club’s team compete are Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League (LVYSL), Blue Mountain Youth Soccer League (BMYSL), and Northern Valley Youth Soccer League (NVYSL).  Of these, LVYSL is the most competitive, where the Club’s teams compete against the “travel teams” of other regional clubs.  LVYSL has the least guarantee of playing time a player must get during a game.  BMYSL has an A and B divisions of recreational soccer, with a Fall season tournament called the Garcia Cup, and mandates at least 40% of game time participation per player.  NVYSL is the least formal league the Club competes in and, as a purely recreational league, it requires as close to equal playing time per-player as possible.
  
  
• What do we evaluate players for?
  Players are evaluated for all aspects of their performance at the Evaluation: speed, stamina, athletic /stamina/ability, ball touch/control skills, aggressiveness, vision and passing,  and positioning on and off the ball, position specific skills (attacking, defense, goaltending), focus, and decision- making in both game and training drill-based type scenarios.  Coach Berkowitz is looking to group players based on their overall ability in order to ensure that practices and games throughout the coming year allow all players to develop.  The Club’s Board trusts Coach Berkowitz implicitly to make its player development decisions.


• Can non-NSC players participate in the Evaluation?
  Yes.  There are no restrictions regarding who can attend.
  
  
• Does everyone make the team?  (Does the Club cut players?)
  Every player who wishes to participate will make a team in the Club no matter his/her skill level at the Evaluation, but they may not make a certain team or league.  The Club does not cut players.   


• How often do you evaluate players?
  We evaluate all players in May each year.  Follow the Club on Facebook for alerts about the Evaluation dates and times  for each age/gender group.


• What happens if a player does not get evaluated?
  Any player who is not evaluated in the spring will be placed on the team that needs to fill the roster after all evaluated players have been placed based on that season’s registration and evaluation results.  This typically means that the player will be placed on the lowest-ranking team in his/her age/gender group.


• Once a player “makes” a certain team, will they always play on that team or with that coach?
  Not necessarily.  As a result of future Evaluations, players can be placed on different teams.   Team formation can be very fluid year-to-year based on the registration counts in any given year, who participates in the Evaluation, and improvement of the the players in the age/gender group.
  
  
• Can I tryout or evaluate at multiple clubs?  
  Absolutely.  If you attend a tryout at another regional club like ENCO, Keystone or LVU, you can still certainly participate in the NSC Evaluation.


• What if a player does not wish to play at the travel level?  Should he/she still be evaluate?
  YES!  You can always let our Classic Director know if your player would like to play at a more recreational level.  However, by having your player evaluated, it allows the Club and coach to have a better idea of skill level and ability of his/her players going into the season.  This allows the team to get up to speed more quickly in the fall, so players can learn as much as possible during the season.


• What should we do if we have further questions?
  If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to our Club leadership at [email protected].