Junior Academy tryout results (2015-2016):

Thank you!  We thank all of the girls who attended our NASA Junior Academy tryout sessions for their effort and enthusiasm! We also thank the parents for their time and support. We invited 29 new players to join our 12 returning players in the 2015-2016 NASA Junior Academy Girls program (link: photos and videos). Please check the tryout results link for more details.

Invitations:  We've identified 41 girls who we think are a good fit for the NASA Junior Academy. Congratulations girls! These players' tryout numbers are listed below. If your daughter's number is listed, please check the "What happens next" link below for further information. 

• Missed tryouts?  If you missed our tryout sessions but are interested in the NASA Junior Academy Girls program, please e-mail coach Ward to arrange an informal tryout.

NASA Junior Academy Girls: 2015-2016 Tryout Results (players invited for the 2015-2016 soccer year, listed by tryout #)

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 (38) 10 11 12 14

17 19 20 (40) 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

31 32 33 34 35 36 38 (8) 39 40 (20) 41

Initials and uniform numbers of returning players: EG (6), AH (22), EM (20), NN (5), GP (99), AP (8), KR (11), JR (50), VS (24), TT (10), RW (16), AW (66)

Late tryout: MH (July) AG (Nov.) AW (Nov.) MM (Feb.) EW (Feb.)

Not invited?  If your daughter tried out but our coaches didn't think she was ready for the NASA Academy environment, we encourage her to keep playing! The NASA recreational program has leagues, and participation doesn't require a tryout. Your daughter should set a goal of becoming a dynamic player who wants to have the ball at her feet (has the confidence to take on defenders on the dribble, find open teammates with passes and look to score goals), stays alert when teammates have the ball, and works hard on defense to regain possession when the other team has the ball. If your daughter wants ideas for improving her skills, please check our play at home activities.

If your daughter loves the game and sticks with it, she'll always have a chance to achieve her goals. Players develop at different rates, and a player who isn't selected this time around could blossom by this time next year. We've had many cases where players tried out one year and weren't selected, but kept playing and made it into the Academy the next time around. These players showed that determination and effort (and sometimes an extra year of maturity) can help you reach your goals.

What happens next?

1. Make an informed decision:  We want everyone to be fully informed about our program. Please review the information and links below for general information about the NASA Academy, along with details about fees, our schedule, and player / parent guidelines. If you have questions, please contact coach Ward.

• Academy overview and goals

• Frequently asked questions

• Academy fees

• Schedule:

  • Summer 2015:  We'll have parent orientation meetings in June. The girls are off until Academy Camp in July. We may have an occasional informal kick-around, but we won't have any regularly scheduled training. (We believe in off-season breaks from organized sports.) If the girls want to practice their skills on their own, here's a list of play at home activities.)

  • Fall 2015:  We'll start regular practices in August, exact date to be determined pending field maintenance schedules. Girls in the United Quest Park group practice Monday and Wednesday. Girls in the Metro North Park group practice Tuesday and Thursday. (Girls are welcome to attend practices at the other park if they want additional training opportunities.) We'll start our regular season the weekend after Labor Day. We'll finish with an Atlanta-area tournament the weekend before or weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

  • Winter 2015-16:  We're off December and January. We may have an occasional informal kick-around, but we won't have any regularly scheduled training. We fully support girls playing basketball or participating in other activities during the break. NASA offers winter clinics for players who are interested in scheduled training. 

  • Spring 2016:  We'll start regular practices in February, exact date to be determined. We'll play an intra-Academy festival in February, then start weekly Academy play in late February or early March. We'll finish the season by playing in the NASA Friendship Cup tournament in mid May.

  • Summer 2016:  Players will go though tryout sessions for the 2016-2017 soccer year. (Current invitations to the NASA Junior Academy are in effect for the 2015-2016 soccer year.) Our older girls will tryout for the U9 age group, while our younger girls will tryout for Junior Academy. Tryouts typically start the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

• Player and parent guidelines:

  • training sessions

  • game days

2. Notify the coach:  Please respond via e-mail to coach Ward by Friday, June 5th to let him know if you accept the invitation. Please include the following info in your message:

• your daughter's name and date of birth
• her preferred NASA park (Metro North or United Quest)
• her uniform number preferences (link: uniform number selection)
• parent names
• phone number(s)
• e-mail address(es)

There is no obligation to join. If the level of commitment isn't right for your daughter or family, the NASA recreational program is still available as an option.

3. Orientation meeting:  We'll have orientation meetings at each park in mid June:

• Metro North Park:  Tuesday, June 9, 6:00 - 7:00 PM at MNP. We'll meet in the conference room on the right side of the clubhouse. If weather is mild, we'll meet in the shady area behind the clubhouse; bring a chair in case.

• United Quest Park:  Wednesday, June 10, 6:00 - 7:00 PM at UQP. If weather is mild, we'll meet in the shady area between the clubhouse and field 6 (bring a chair). If it's too hot or storms threaten, we'll meet in the clubhouse conference room on the main floor, to the right of the front door. 

We'll review the Junior Academy schedule and have a Q&A session. Who should attend? Either or both parents, along with players. (We'll include players in the early part of the meeting to deal with uniform number requests, but most of the meeting is intended for parents. We'll check on reserving a field so the girls can scrimmage while the adults meet.) If you have a conflict with your home park's schedule, you're welcome to attend the meeting at the other NASA park.

4. Registration:  Registration opens Thursday, June 4th. NASA Registrar Jane Jarrett will e-mail all new and returning players that day with registration details. This is mostly an on-line process. If you registered on-line for tryouts, skip down to the registration paperwork section.

• Pre-requisite - register for tryouts:  You won't be able to register your daughter for the Junior Academy program unless you have already registered her on-line for tryouts. This is independent of the actual on-field tryout process. In other words, if you didn't register for tryouts, but your daughter checked in at the tryout table (players with tryout numbers 33 or higher), the check-in didn't automatically enter her into the NASA registration system

  • Returning NASA players (Academy or recreational):  Log into your NASA account through www.nasa-ga.org / Member Login. (You don't need to create a new account.) Once you're logged in, select Register Now. You'll see a list of available programs. Select the 2015/2016 U8 Junior Academy Tryouts program.

  • Players who weren't NASA players prior to tryouts:  Create an account through the NASA web site: www.nasa-ga.org. Select Create an Account, and then follow the instructions to register for tryouts. Select the 2015/2016 U8 Junior Academy Tryouts program.

• Registration paperwork:  The on-line registration system handles initial fees and the majority of player / family information. There are only two items you'll need to submit by hand. We'll collect these items at the orientation meetings. (These papers go to the team coach or manager, not to the NASA office.)

Registration item	Required for
a notarized medical consent form	all players
a copy of the player's birth certificate	new players only

5. Uniforms:  We enter the 2nd year of a 2-year uniform cycle. All new players will need to order the uniform package. We'll review the ordering process during our orientation meetings in June. Please submit uniform number requests by Friday, June 5th. Link: uniforms