A Simple Pre-Season Questionnaire That Tells You Everything About Your Players

One week into the season, I already know things about my roster that tryouts never told me.

Here’s what I do: I hand every kid a pre-season player questionnaire before our second or third practice. Nothing complicated. Six sections, front and back, and a line at the top that says “there are no wrong answers.” That’s the whole trick — the second a kid believes that, they actually tell you something real.

If you’re trying to get to know your players fast, a pre-season player questionnaire is the cheapest, highest-return thing you can do in week one. Research from the Positive Coaching Alliance backs this up — empathetic coaching practices like getting to know athletes as individuals and valuing their perspectives can reduce stress and strengthen belief in the team. This is a low-effort way to start doing that on day one.

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Why I Use a Written pre-season player questionnaire Instead of Just Talking

Some kids won’t tell you anything out loud in week one. They don’t know you yet. But hand them a pre-season player questionnaire with “there are no wrong answers” printed at the top, and most of them write something real. I’ve had quiet players write paragraphs about goals they’d never say to my face — similar to what I saw when I first wrote about confidence in younger players.

It also gives me a record. I can pull it out in November when a kid seems checked out, and remember exactly what they told me they wanted from the season back in August.

What I Actually Ask

I keep my pre-season player questionnaire to six things:

• Favorite position, and why. Not what they’re best at — what they love. Those aren’t always the same thing. This connects directly to how I think about position specialization — kids often love a position long before they’re built for it.
• What they want to improve this season. This becomes the first line of their development plan, straight from them.
• One soccer goal and one personal goal. I ask for both on purpose. Some kids write “make varsity someday.” Others write “make a new friend.” I need to know which one I’m coaching.
• What they want from me as a coach. Uncomfortable to ask. Worth it every time.
• How they want teammates to describe them. This is the question that tells me who your leaders could be. The kids who write “someone people can count on” or “the one who picks others up” — I’m watching them differently from day one.
• Anything else they want me to know. Always leave this open. It catches things I’d never think to ask directly.

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What I Do With the Answers

I read every single one before the next practice. I pull a few things into how I talk to specific kids that week — not big changes, just small ones. A kid who wrote that they want to improve their first touch gets a specific word from me at training. A kid who wrote something honest about nerves gets checked in on quietly, not called out.

By the second week, I’ve already got a rough sense of who’s going to lead this team — not from athleticism, but from how they answered “how do you want your teammates to describe you.” That question alone has told me more than a full season of tryouts ever has. It’s also shaped how I think about playing time decisions later in the season — kids who show up honest in August tend to be the ones I trust most in October.

Download the free printable pre-season player questionnaire I use — same one, ready to hand out

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