Parent's guide to trial day

The week before: your responsibilities

• Confirm reporting time, venue, age band and the exact document list in writing with the organiser.
• Assemble copies of the birth certificate, school certificate, Aadhaar, photographs, medical certificate and a signed consent letter.
• Plan travel so you arrive 45–60 minutes early, including a margin for traffic.
• Pack food and water your child already eats. Trial-day is not the time for experiments.
• Run the trust and safety checks if this is an organiser you do not know.

On the day: what to say and not say

Let your child report to the officials themselves. Coaches notice which athletes can speak for themselves, and a parent who takes over the interaction costs their child that impression.

Where to stand, and how to behave

1. 1Find the parents' area and stay in it; do not stand at the boundary or courtside coaching.
2. 2Keep your phone for photographs, not for filming other children — ask before filming anyone else's child.
3. 3Ask questions of officials at breaks, politely, and only about logistics.
4. 4If the day runs long, make sure your child eats and drinks between rounds rather than waiting.
5. 5Note the names of officials present and photograph the notice board or schedule.

The drive home

Ask one question, not ten: what was the best thing you did today? Debriefing in detail is a job for two days later, when the emotion has drained out of it. If the day went badly, treat it as one data point in a long process — the athletes who progress are usually the ones who were allowed to fail without it becoming a family crisis. If it went well, keep the celebration proportionate; the next rung of the ladder arrives quickly.

Never pay an individual for a promised place, and never let your child attend an assessment in a private residence or hotel room. Assessments happen on grounds and courts, in daylight, with other athletes present.