Global Tryout Settings control how players are grouped during tryouts and how evaluators rate players in the mobile app. These settings apply across your entire club.
What you’ll find in this article
How to get to Tryout Settings
How Player Pools work (and how to avoid common setup issues)
How to set up Specialty Positions
How to adjust Rating Criteria for evaluators
Best practices before you start evaluations
Before you begin
These settings are global, which means they affect all tryout registrations in your club.
If you can, set up Player Pools and Rating Criteria before evaluators start taking attendance and rating players. Changing them during tryouts can impact how players are grouped and what evaluators see.
Step 1: Navigate to Tryout Settings
In the left navigation, select Tryouts.
Select the Tryout Settings tab.
You’ll see two main areas:
Player Pools (left)
Rating Criteria (right)
Step 2: Set up Player Pools
Player Pools automatically sort players into groups based on their age and gender. You can also use pools to organize players for ranking and evaluation workflows.
Add a player pool
In the Player Pools section, select + Add a Player Pool.
Enter the pool details based on how your club groups players. Depending on your setup, this may include:
Birthdate range
Gender
Grade
Age class
Graduation year range
Save your changes.
Important rules for Player Pools
Player Pools cannot overlap.
Player Pools cannot overlap across age ranges. That includes:
Birthdate ranges
Grade ranges
Age class
Graduation year ranges
Because the system auto assigns players into pools, overlapping criteria can prevent Sprocket from sorting players reliably.
Example of non overlapping pools
Girls U11: Birthdate 01/01/2014 to 12/31/2015
Girls U13: Birthdate 01/01/2012 to 12/31/2013
Keep your age criteria consistent
To avoid confusion, choose one primary way to define age groups (like birthdates or graduation years) and use that method consistently across pools.
If you want to use tiers without Player Pools
If you plan to use tiers but do not want separate Player Pools, you still need to create one Player Pool that includes all age groups. This gives the system a single pool to place players into so tiers can be used.
Step 3: Set up Specialty Positions (optional)
Specialty Positions allow Sprocket to group players within a pool based on their position for rating and ranking purposes.
This is helpful when you want evaluators comparing similar roles, like goalkeepers compared to goalkeepers.
Mark a position as a Specialty Position
In the left navigation, go to Club.
Select Positions.
Click into the Position Name you want to update.
Check Specialty Position.
Save.
How Specialty Positions affect grouping
Players with a position marked as a Specialty Position will be grouped together for evaluation and ranking.
Players in all other positions will be grouped into a general “all other positions” group.
Step 4: Configure Rating Criteria for evaluators
Rating Criteria controls the numeric scale evaluators use when rating players. This also affects what evaluators see in the mobile app.
Adjust the rating scale
In Tryout Settings, find the Rating Criteria panel.
Select Edit Criteria.
Set your rating scale values.
The scale can be set to any range from 0 to 100, but most clubs choose a smaller range for usability.
Best practice for the mobile app
If evaluators will rate in the mobile app, avoid using a 0 to 100 scale. The slider becomes very sensitive, and it is easy to select the wrong value accidentally.
Most clubs narrow this down to something like:
1 to 5
1 to 10
Manage Player Pools over time
Because Player Pools are global, you may want to clean them up between tryout seasons.
Archive a player pool (Remove)
If you do not need a pool right now but may want it later, you can Remove it. This archives the pool so it is no longer active, but it can still be referenced later.
To view archived pools, turn on Include Removed.
Permanently remove a player pool (Delete)
If you are sure you no longer need a pool, you can Delete it. This permanently removes the player pool criteria from your settings.
If you delete a pool and later decide you need it again, you can always manually add it back by creating a new Player Pool with the same criteria.
If you run into issues
If players are not being sorted into the expected pools, double check that your pool criteria does not overlap.
If evaluators are struggling to use the rating slider in the mobile app, switch to a smaller rating range like 1 to 5.
FAQs
Do Global Tryout Settings apply to all tryout registrations?
Yes. These settings are global and affect all tryout registrations in your club.
Why are players not being assigned to the correct Player Pool?
Check that your Player Pool criteria does not overlap across birthdate, grade, age class, or graduation year ranges.
Can I change Rating Criteria during tryouts?
You can, but it may impact how players are grouped and what evaluators see. It is best to configure Rating Criteria before evaluations begin.
Do I need Player Pools if I only want to use tiers?
Yes. You must create at least one Player Pool that includes all age groups so the system has a pool to assign players into before tiers can be used.