Competitive Teams - Tryouts

Tryouts for the 2026 / 2027 soccer season

registration is now open - see below

Tryouts are scheduled for monday, May 4 through friday, May 8.

In case of inclement weather we will schedule a make-up on Saturday, May 9.

This registration is to tryout for a Winter Haven Soccer Club Kicks competitive soccer team. There is no cost to tryout. Registration is required. Tryout schedule will be as follows:

Boys, school years born August 2007 to July 2018: Monday, May 4th AND Wednesday, May 6th (6pm to 8pm)

Girls, school years born August 2007 to July 2018: Tuesday, May 5th AND Thursday, May 7th (6pm to 8pm)

An additional tryout date may be held on Friday, May 8th and/or Saturday, May 9th if we receive inclement weather.

Tryouts will be hosted at both Simmers-Young Park and Polk State Soccer Fields. More information will be provided closer to tryout dates.

To Register for the Winter Haven Soccer Club Kicks Competitive Tryouts - CLICK HERE !!

‼️TRANSITION TO SCHOOL-YEAR AGE GROUPING‼️

As part of Winter Haven Soccer Clubs’ ongoing commitment to long-term player development and alignment with U.S. Soccer’s player development framework, the club will transition from birth-year age grouping to school-year age grouping, beginning with the upcoming season. This change applies to our Winter Haven Soccer Clubs’ Recreational programming, and we will grandfather this in with our Competitive programming and use our current age group team rosters as the foundation going forward.

This transition is designed to better support our players’ social, emotional, and developmental needs, while remaining consistent with best practices recommended by U.S. Soccer and other leading youth development organizations. 💯 

⚽️ What This Means for Recreational Families:

All Recreational Teams will be formed based on a player’s school graduation year, rather than calendar birth year (see chart attached).

Players will train and compete with peers they attend school with, which helps promote confidence, team chemistry, and leadership development.

This model is widely used in top development environments and more closely reflects how young athletes grow and mature.

⚽️ What This Means for Competitive Families:

Current 11U and Older Competitive Teams will use their current rosters as the basis for formation moving forward during the upcoming tryout period. Our 10U and younger Competitive Teams will start with the new School-Year system.

The goal is to be as consistent as possible with team formation after tryouts and conform with the rules of the Leagues, FYSA, US Youth Soccer, US Club and U.S. Soccer.

We have used the current birth year model over the past 9 years, and we will slowly begin to bring in the new system at the younger ages but not to the detriment of our current older competitive teams. At the end of the day, we want to have the BEST PLAYERS from tryouts representing the club in every age group!!

⚽️ Our Approach to Player Placement:

While school-year grouping provides structure, player movement (playing up) will continue to be determined by our club’s development philosophy.

Our coaching staff will evaluate each player individually, considering:

•Technical ability

•Tactical understanding

•Physical readiness

•Mental approach and competitiveness

🥅 Only players who are truly ready, and for whom playing up will positively impact their development, will be invited to play up.

Playing up is earned, not guaranteed.

Long-term development will always take priority over short-term results or team outcomes.

⚽️ Trusting the Development Process:

We ask families to trust the process. Each decision is made with the individual player’s best interests at the forefront, rather than labels, age brackets, or external pressures.

Player development is not linear. Ensuring each athlete is placed in the right environment, at the right time, is critical to supporting confidence, growth, and long-term success. ✍🏼 🔥