Free football template, no account
Free Football Tryout Evaluation Form & Scorecard
A good football evaluation gives coaches enough looks at speed, agility, technique and decision-making to place players well, and keeps contact out of the score. Tackle football leans on measurables more than most sports, and size genuinely changes what a player can be asked to do, so the scorecard keeps the numbers and the judgment in separate tables.
What each football criterion actually measures
The scorecard loads these nine columns. They are short labels, and the labels hide most of the judgment, so here is what an evaluator is looking at under each.
- Speed. Straight-line speed over the distance you time, which goes in the table below as a time, and speed on the field, which is different: the first step, the break to the ball, the pursuit angle. A fast 40 and a slow reaction are two different things, and speed follows growth at youth ages, so record it and do not let it decide alone.
- Agility. Changing direction without slowing: the shuttle, the ladder, the cut after the catch. Watch the feet and the hips. A player who stays low with the feet under the body is agile. One who takes long steps and rises is not yet.
- Physicality. How the player plays through contact and against bigger opponents: balance, leverage and willingness, within what your league allows at this age. It is not size. Score effort and technique in the contact the session actually included, and leave it blank where it included none.
- Tackling. Technique, not force: an approach under control, eyes up on the target, a good base, and a wrap and finish, at the speed your league allows. At most youth evaluations this is scored on bags, shields or a controlled walk-through, so score what the drill showed and use the technique your league teaches.
- Blocking. Stance, first step, hand placement and leverage, again at controlled speed. Look for the player who keeps the feet moving and stays square through the contact, not the one who simply gets a push.
- Catching. Eyes on the ball into the hands, a catch away from the body, and securing it afterward. Score every player on it, not just receivers, because everyone is asked to catch or secure a ball at some point and a fumble costs a play.
- Position play. Whether the player does the job of the position they auditioned for: the stance, the alignment and the footwork in the drill. The position drills feed this criterion, and it is the one to compare within a position group, not across the whole field.
- Football IQ. Knowing the assignment, the alignment and what comes next: lining up correctly, recognizing a formation or a motion, knowing where to go before the snap. Teach a simple play in the huddle and watch who runs it right on the second try.
- Coachability. The player who adjusts when shown something, not the one who nods. Correct one thing in the middle of a drill, such as a first step or hand placement, and watch who fixes it on the next rep.
What to score once you split into groups
A skill that decides one position is noise on everyone else's sheet, which is why these sit apart from the general set. Football splits into more groups than any other sport here, so pick a position in the builder and the scorecard columns rebuild themselves.
Quarterback
Score decisions before arm strength. A clean, accurate ball under pressure is worth more than the longest throw. Watch the snap and the handoff, because a fumbled exchange costs a play every time, and score command of the huddle, which no stat sheet records.
- Throwing accuracy
- Arm strength
- Release and mechanics
- Reading coverage
- Decisions under pressure
- Mobility
- Command of the huddle
- Coachability
Running back
Vision and ball security come first: does the player see the hole, and keep the ball high and tight through contact? Add pass protection and receiving out of the backfield, since a back who only runs is easy to defend. Score contact balance only where your league allows contact in drills.
- Vision and cutting
- Burst through the hole
- Ball security
- Pass protection
- Receiving out of the backfield
- Contact balance
- Coachability
Wide receiver
Route running, hands and release. Run the same few routes for every receiver against a defender where you can, because a receiver who is open against nobody has shown nothing about separation. Perimeter blocking counts here too, because receivers who block are the reason runs break.
- Route running
- Hands and catch radius
- Release off the line
- Speed and separation
- Perimeter blocking
- Body control at the sideline
- Coachability
Offensive line
Stance, first step and hand placement before size. At youth ages the biggest player on the line may not be the best blocker, so watch leverage, feet and finishing. Keep blocking drills at the speed your league allows and score the technique.
- Stance and first step
- Run blocking
- Pass protection technique
- Hand placement
- Leverage and pad level
- Moving in space
- Coachability
Defensive line
Get-off and hands. A defensive lineman wins on the first step and on what the hands do next, and on staying in the assigned gap. Score pursuit separately, because it is effort you can see in any drill.
- Get-off and first step
- Hand technique
- Shedding blocks
- Pass rush moves
- Gap discipline
- Pursuit
- Coachability
Linebacker
Diagnose, fill and tackle. Linebackers are scored on reading the play before it arrives and filling the right gap, so give them a few simple run and pass reads and see who gets them right. Score tackling technique at the speed your league allows, and coverage drops on a quick passing drill.
- Diagnosing the play
- Fill and gap discipline
- Tackling technique
- Coverage drops
- Sideline-to-sideline speed
- Communication
- Coachability
Defensive back
Backpedal, hips and ball skills. Watch the first three steps of the backpedal and the turn of the hips, then the eyes: does the player find the ball in the air? Open-field tackling is scored on angle and form at the speed your league allows.
- Backpedal and hip turn
- Man coverage technique
- Zone awareness
- Ball skills
- Open-field tackling
- Recovery speed
- Coachability
Kicker / punter
Contact, consistency and composure. Give each kicker the same number of tries from the same spot, count them, and note hang time on punts. Kickers get their own sheet, because nothing they do is comparable to a lineman's drill.
- Contact consistency
- Distance
- Accuracy
- Hang time
- Approach and timing
- Composure
- Coachability
How to score a football tryout
A five point scale gives evaluators a consistent way to compare players across the same drills and the same age group. It is printed above the grid so every evaluator reads the same words, and the last column is an average, not a total.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 5 | Well above the group |
| 4 | Above the group |
| 3 | At level for this age group |
| 2 | Developing |
| 1 | Needs significant work |
- Agree on the 3 before anyone is scored. Have every evaluator watch the same few reps in each group and say out loud what a 3 looks like for this age group. A lot of the disagreement between evaluators is about where the middle is, not about the players.
- Score what you saw, when you saw it. Write the number before the next player steps in. Leave a cell blank for a skill the session never tested, such as tackling at an evaluation with no contact. A blank costs a player nothing, because the average only counts what was scored.
- Score each column on its own. A fast player should not lift a blocking score, and a slow shuttle should not pull down catching.
- Score independently, then average. Two evaluators who confer during the session produce one opinion twice.
- Contact readiness is not a score. Whether a player is ready for contact is a safety decision for the coaches and the league's rules. Write it in the notes column and talk to the family, and do not let it show up as a low number.
Times and measurements are numbers, not scores
The scorecard has a second table beneath the scoring grid for the numbers a football evaluation produces: the 40-yard dash, the shuttle, the vertical jump, and the positions each player auditioned at. They are there on purpose.
- Write the number, not a score. A 5.4 in the 40 is information. A 3 is an opinion about it. Keep the information until you have seen the whole group.
- Decide what a 3 means for the age group first. Then convert, once, for everyone, the same way. Shorten the dash to twenty yards for the youngest groups if you like, and keep it the same for everyone.
- Do not let a number decide alone. Speed and the vertical follow growth at youth ages, and one dash on a hot morning says less than twenty reps of position work. A lineman is not placed by the 40.
- Keep weight out of the score. If your league sets divisions by weight, the official weigh-in decides and is recorded apart from this sheet. Size is a placement fact, not a skill.
- Leave it blank if it was not measured. Not every group runs every test, and an empty cell is honest.
The seven stations the builder can add to the sheet, and the order they run in, are on the football tryouts guide, along with a two-hour schedule, a staffing plan and a safety plan.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the football version. The general tryout evaluation scoresheet works for any sport, and the football forms and templates page lists the other 5 football documents.
Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.
Common questions
What should a football tryout evaluation form include?
The skills you will actually test that day: speed, agility, physicality, tackling, blocking, catching, position play, football IQ and coachability. Add a notes column and a row for each player. Keep timed and measured work, such as the 40-yard dash, the shuttle and the vertical jump, in a separate table as raw numbers.
How do you score a football tryout?
On a five point scale that every evaluator reads the same way, scored independently and averaged afterwards. Agree out loud what a 3 looks like for the age group before anyone is scored, write each number before the next player steps in, and leave a cell blank for anything the session never tested, such as tackling at a tryout that ran no contact.
Should a football tryout include live tackling?
Not live. Many youth leagues and states limit contact at evaluations and in early practices, so check yours first, and use bags, shields and controlled walk-throughs to see technique. A player's readiness for contact is a safety decision for the coaches and the league's rules, and it belongs in the notes, not in a score.
Should size count in a football tryout?
As information, not as a score. Size and speed follow growth at youth ages, and a big player who cannot get off the ball is not yet a lineman. Record weight where your league uses it for divisions, and score what the player does with their size.
Do we score by position?
Yes, once you split into groups. Score the whole group on the general criteria while everyone is together, then use the position criteria for quarterbacks, backs, receivers, linemen, linebackers, defensive backs and kickers. Pick a position in the builder and the columns rebuild.
How many evaluators do we need?
At least one per position group, with a second scoring independently where you can. Football splits into several groups at once, so a lone evaluator cannot watch more than one. Average the sheets afterwards and do not let evaluators confer during the session.
Can we use this sheet to place players and balance teams?
Yes. Many youth leagues rate players so teams can be balanced by age, weight and skill rather than to decide who plays. The same sheet works: average the scores, and use the Players to look at again line to flag the ones you want a second look at before the draft.
More football tools
The rest of the football toolkit
Football Registration Form
Positions, weight for divisions, head and neck injury history, uniform sizes and three jersey number choices, on a form for sign-up day.
Open the generatorFootball Code of Conduct
Contact, equipment, heat and water rules for players, and sideline and head-injury rules for parents, on one page with one signature.
Open the generatorFootball Player Evaluation Form
A mid-season report for a parent: football skills against the age group, a section for each position, and room for words.
Open the generatorFootball Tryouts & Evaluation Guide
A two-hour run of show, seven stations from the 40-yard dash to a team period, a staffing plan, and a heat, contact and head-injury safety plan.
Read the guideFootball Equipment & Uniform Checkout
Helmet, shoulder pads, hip, thigh and knee pads, jersey and pants, with ID numbers, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorPlaybook Logix
What happens after the football tryout
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. The scorecard decides who plays where. Playbook Logix takes over once the teams exist, and it can handle the sign-ups before them.
Take sign-ups for the tryout
Open the tryout as its own program with a birth-date window and a cap on spots, collect the fee if you charge one, and have every family give you the same information before they arrive.
How it worksBuild the teams from one pool
Registered players land in a single pool and you place them on teams afterward, so the rosters you build from your scorecard are the ones families see. A roster can hold players, coaches, managers and volunteers.
How it worksTell families what happens next
Post the results and next steps on the team message board, with an Acknowledge button to see who has read them. Email and text blasts for anything that cannot wait are on the paid plans.
How it worksThe Starter plan is free, and the iPhone and Android app is free on every plan. Anything described above as Coach plan and above needs a paid plan. See the plans or the mobile app. Nothing you type into the template above is sent to us, whether or not you ever sign up.
After the tryout comes the roster
Playbook Logix takes the part that starts once the team exists: registration, medical forms parents fill in on their phone, who has paid, and a roster that is the same in everyone's pocket. There is a free plan.