Auburndale Premier Travel tryouts run at Fort Totten Park in Bayside — boys and girls U-8 through U-16. Two age slots per session, real coaches on the field, real evaluation. Intramural, First Kicks, and TOPSoccer are open enrollment — no tryout required.
Auburndale's Premier Travel tryouts are run by licensed coaches who actually train these teams — not a one-day stranger. Small age slots, real evaluation, honest feedback, and a clean answer either way. The whole point: get the right players on the right roster.
Younger players (U-8 to U-12) run first, older players (U-13 to U-16) second. So 8-year-olds aren't sharing a field with 15-year-olds.
The same USSF-licensed coaches who run the Travel teams run the tryout. They know what they're looking for and they tell you what they saw.
Warm-up, technical work, small-sided games, position-specific reps. Coaches watch how players solve problems — not just whether they can blast a ball.
Players who make the team hear so. Players who don't hear why — what to work on, when to come back, or whether Intramural is the better fit for now. No silent rejections.
Every tryout slot at Fort Totten Park. No back-and-forth across boroughs, no scrambling for a Long Island carpool. Park, walk the kid in, watch from the sideline.
Make it: a full Travel year. Don't make it: Intramural is open enrollment, summer clinics build skills, come back next cycle stronger. Auburndale runs every step of the pathway.
Auburndale Premier Travel tryouts are intentionally simple — one location, two age slots per session, real evaluation. Check the events calendar for the current cycle's dates and reserve your slot.
Fort Totten Park
Bayside, Queens, NY
Same field every cycle. Free parking on-site. Easy access from Bayside, Whitestone, Flushing, and Fresh Meadows.
Posted on the events calendar.
Annual cycle each spring plus open dates throughout the year. Reserve a slot for the next session on the events page.
Two age slots per session.
Slot 1 (earlier) for U-8 to U-12, Slot 2 (later) for U-13 to U-16. Warm-up → technical → small-sided games → position-specific reps. About one hour per age slot.
Tryouts are about how the player moves and decides, not what they wear. Bring the essentials and a positive attitude. Coaches don't care about gear — they care about effort.
Soft-cleat soccer boots. No metal spikes. Sneakers are fine if cleats aren't broken in yet — coaches won't penalize footwear.
Required for small-sided games. Any size that fits — they don't have to be branded or expensive.
Filled and labeled with the player's name. One hour of running burns through hydration fast — bring a full bottle, not a small one.
Size 4 for U-8 to U-12, size 5 for U-13 to U-16. Bring it if you have one — Auburndale provides extras at the tryout if not.
Anything they can move freely in. Doesn't matter if it's a soccer kit or a school PE shirt — fit and freedom of movement, not branding.
The single biggest thing coaches notice. Show up ready to compete, willing to listen, supportive of teammates. That stands out before any technical move does.
Want a deeper checklist? Read the full first-soccer-tryout guide for what parents pack, what kids forget, and the one thing parents do that makes the tryout worse.
Tryouts aren't a skills test. Coaches are reading instincts — how the player reads the game, reacts under pressure, and treats teammates. Here's what gets noted.
Can the player receive a ball cleanly under pressure and play it forward? More important than fancy moves at every age.
Faster decisions matter more than faster legs. Coaches notice the player who scans before the ball arrives.
Running hard after a turnover is the most reliable signal of a coachable kid. Speed off the ball reads louder than speed on it.
How does the player react to a bad pass, a goal scored against them, a missed shot? Composure stands out instantly.
"Square!" "Man on!" "Switch!" Kids who talk on the field signal they're thinking — and they make teammates better.
Coach asks for a tweak — does the player try it on the next rep? That single moment tells coaches everything they need to know.
U = "Under." US Soccer's birth-year age-bracket system determines which group a player tries out for — not what grade they're in.
U-age = (year the season ends) − (player's birth year). Example: a child born in 2015 lands in U-12 for the 2026–27 season (2027 − 2015).
US Soccer switched from school-grade to birth-year brackets in 2016 to align with international standards. Every Travel league in the country uses this system now.
Premier Travel runs U-8 through U-16. That's nine age groups, each with its own roster, coaching staff, and league bracket. Younger and older players join Intramural, First Kicks, or TOPSoccer.
Need the deeper breakdown? Read the full U-system explainer — what each tier means, what changes at each level, and how to think about the jump from U-12 to U-13.
No silent rejections. Every player gets an answer either way — and a clear path forward. Travel isn't the only door at Auburndale.
Show up 10–15 min early. Check in, get a pinnie or color, warm up. Coaches start the technical block on time.
Most cycles include multiple sessions so coaches see players on a good day AND a bad day. Reserve every available slot in the cycle.
Auburndale's coaching staff meets after the cycle to set rosters. Decisions go out by the dates posted at registration.
Registration link arrives by email. Full Travel year — Spring + Fall seasons, league play, tournaments, training. Welcome to Premier.
Coaches share what to work on. Intramural is open enrollment — same Auburndale field, same families. Summer clinics build skills for the next cycle.
Plenty of Auburndale Travel players didn't make it the first time. The kids who train through the summer and come back hungry have a real shot the next cycle.
Premier Travel is the only Auburndale program that requires a tryout. First Kicks, Intramural, and TOPSoccer are all open enrollment — sign up, show up, play.