Free soccer template, no account
Free Soccer Player Evaluation Form
A mid-season report you can hand a parent: soccer skills rated against the age group, a section for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards, and the space that matters most, in words, for what went well, what to work on, and one thing to practice at home.
What a soccer player evaluation should include
Nine rows in the main table, one table for the position skills, and three open-ended sections at the end.
- The main table. First touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, defending 1v1, off-ball movement, endurance, awareness and coachability, rated against the age group, with a column for what you saw.
- Position skills. Shot stopping, handling, positioning and distribution for goalkeepers; 1v1 defending, cover and the pass out of the back for defenders; the touch, the pass and the decision for midfielders; finishing, movement and pressing for forwards. Fill in the rows that match the player's position and leave the rest blank.
- The writing. What went well (the strengths), what to work on (the areas for improvement), and one thing to practice at home.
- The last line. The date you went through it with the player. Worth filling in for the same reason a receipt is.
Effort and coachability are the exception to rating against the age group. They are marked against what you saw from this athlete, because nobody is below average for a ten-year-old at trying hard.
Soccer player evaluation versus tryout evaluation
The two sheets rate similar skills and do different jobs.
- A tryout evaluation compares players. Several evaluators score the same group in one session, and the average sheets help a club place players or balance teams. The soccer tryout evaluation form is built for that, and the soccer tryouts guide covers running the session.
- A player evaluation describes one player. One coach, about halfway through the season, rating a player against the age group rather than teammates, with the writing a family keeps. That is this page. Its scale reads as strengths and focus areas for that reason.
| Tryout evaluation | Player evaluation | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Before the season | About halfway through it |
| Who scores | Several evaluators, independently | Usually one coach |
| Compared with | The rest of the group | What is typical for the age group |
| Used for | Placing players and forming balanced teams | Development and a talk with the family |
| What you hand over | An averaged scorecard | A written report a parent keeps |
A club that holds tryouts can use both: the tryout sheet to place players before the season, and this one halfway through it to say how each of them is doing.
Soccer comments a parent can act on
The numbers give the page its shape and the sentences are what a family remembers. Vague praise and vague criticism are equally useless, and soccer has a specific thing to say about almost everything. Compare:
- First touch. Not "needs a better touch". Try "lets the ball hit the foot and bounce away under pressure. Receiving across the body, away from the defender, is the next thing, ten minutes against a wall."
- Passing. Not "needs to pass more". Try "plays it too firmly to the right foot when the teammate is on the move. Weighing the pass so it arrives in front of them is the next thing."
- Defending. Not "needs to defend". Try "dives in when the attacker is still three yards away. Staying on the feet and showing them to the line is the next thing."
- Attitude. Not "great attitude". Try "kept pressing in the last ten minutes of a match we were losing, and was the first to pick up a teammate."
The last section, one thing to practice at home, is the most useful line on the page and the one most often left blank. In soccer it is usually easy: a ball, a wall, and ten minutes in a yard.
Rate the role, not the goals
The position section can do real good, and a careless one does harm. A few rules for the rows the form gives it:
- Rate what the position needs. A goalkeeper is rated on positioning, handling and distribution. A defender is rated on 1v1 defending and cover. A midfielder is rated on the touch and the decision. A forward is rated on finishing and movement.
- Never rate a keeper on saves. A save count depends on the shots a team allows and who takes them. Rate the positioning, the handling and the first move, and mention the numbers only as context.
- Never rate a forward on goals alone. Goals depend on who is passing and who is defending. Rate the movement, the first touch and the finishing, and say where the goals came from.
- Say what a player can do in a different position. A defender who passes well, or a midfielder who wins the ball, is worth a sentence, because that is what moves them to a bigger role next season.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the soccer version. The general player evaluation form works for any sport, and the soccer forms and templates page lists the other 5 soccer 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 soccer player evaluation form include?
Ratings for first touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, defending 1v1, movement off the ball, endurance, awareness and coachability, a short section for the skills of the position the player plays most, and three pieces of writing: what went well, what to work on, and one thing to practice at home. The writing is the part a family keeps.
When should we give out soccer player evaluations?
About halfway through the schedule. Recreational seasons are often short, so halfway comes quickly, and a report handed out at the last training is a report card, accurate and too late. The same page at the midpoint is a plan with matches left to act on it. A club that plays a longer season can give one each half.
Should goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards be rated differently?
In a section of their own, yes. A keeper is judged on positioning, handling and distribution, a defender on 1v1 defending and the pass out of the back, a midfielder on the touch and the decision, a forward on finishing and movement. Rate the rows that match the position the player plays most, and leave the others blank.
How do I evaluate a player who rarely touches the ball?
On what they do without it. Soccer hides a lot of contribution: the run that pulls a defender away, the pressing that forces a bad pass, the cover that stops a counterattack. Off-ball movement, defending and awareness are where those players show up, and the comments are where you say so.
Should I rate players against their teammates?
No. Rate against what is typical for the age group. A ranking inside the team gives a family a list of your own roster, which tells them nothing and does harm if it circulates. The form says on its face which comparison you used.
Do I have to give one to every player?
Yes. Evaluating the goal scorers and skipping the defenders tells the defenders where they stand in the coaching staff's attention. Short and honest for everyone beats thorough for the players who score.
More soccer tools
The rest of the soccer toolkit
Soccer Registration Form
Positions, preferred foot, goalkeeper interest, last season's level, uniform sizes and three jersey number choices, on a form for sign-up day.
Open the generatorSoccer Code of Conduct
Referee, shin guard, substitution and safe-tackle rules for players, and touchline and referee rules for parents, on one page with one signature.
Open the generatorSoccer Tryout Evaluation Form
A scoring grid for first touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, defending and off-ball movement, with a table for sprint and agility times and juggling.
Open the generatorSoccer Tryouts & Evaluation Guide
A 90-minute run of show, seven stations from dribbling to a scrimmage, a staffing plan, and how to run small-sided games and keepers fairly.
Read the guideSoccer Uniform & Equipment Checkout
Jersey, shorts, socks, goalkeeper kit and practice balls, with number, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorPlaybook Logix
What Playbook Logix tracks behind a soccer evaluation
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. A report is only as good as the season behind it. This is what Playbook Logix keeps so the report is quicker to write.
Attendance behind the report
Mark each player present or absent from your phone at the field, and on the web see every player against every event with an attendance percentage. It is the number a parent is really asking about when they ask about playing time. Free on every plan.
How it worksThe player and the family together
Jersey number, position and the parent's contact details sit on the roster, so the player you are writing about is one click from the adult you are handing the report to.
How it worksReach families without a group text
A team message board for things that need a record, live chat for the quick stuff, and reminders that respect quiet hours, so parents see a schedule change and do not mute the app.
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.
Keep the whole season in one place
Schedules, attendance, messages to the team and a roster that is the same in everyone's pocket. There is a free plan.