A training app trial should answer a question your club actually cares about. Can players record a drill without holding up the session? Does the feedback give the coach something useful to discuss? Will anyone use it again after the first demonstration?
Start with one question and a manageable group. This checklist is for evaluating a training app in a real coaching workflow. It does not promise a particular product feature or a confirmed Marcr trial place.
1. Write a one-sentence trial question
For example: “Can our players record one agreed drill and bring a usable clip to the next coach review without adding more than our agreed amount of administration?”
Agree what a usable clip means and what workload the coach can accept. Choose your own threshold before the trial. A vague goal such as “use more technology” is hard to evaluate.
2. Choose a small, workable group
Use a group the coach can supervise and support. Record the football code, age group, training schedule and available phones. Do not assume every player has a suitable device or data connection. Agree an alternative for anyone who cannot or does not want to take part.
Nominate one club contact and one person who will handle practical issues. If several coaches are involved, agree who collects feedback so the same player is not asked to repeat it to everyone.
3. Confirm the product before promising it to players
Which devices and operating-system versions are supported?
Which features work in the trial build, and which are still planned?
Does recording or upload require a connection?
What does the club, coach or player need to pay, if anything?
Who can see a recording, and how is sharing controlled?
How can a participant remove their material or stop taking part?
Who provides support, and how are problems reported?
For children, use the club’s established safeguarding, parent or guardian consent and recording processes. Ask the provider about storage, access and retention before collecting footage. Keep public posting separate from participation in a private trial.
4. Use one repeatable activity
Choose a drill that fits the team’s normal training and the product’s confirmed instructions. Define its layout, start and finish, number of attempts and review method. Photograph or sketch the layout and note the measurements.
Use the cone setup card for general practice, or follow the provider’s exact protocol if the app requires one. Test the camera view before asking every player to record.
5. Keep a simple trial scorecard
Copy these fields into a shared club document. Keep player-specific information in the club’s approved private system.
Trial question:
Trial dates and review date:
Club contact and coach:
Group and device arrangements:
Confirmed features and costs:
Consent and access process:
Drill and recording instructions:
Players invited:
Players who chose to take part:
Players who completed a usable recording:
Players who returned for another session:
Coach administration time:
Technical problems and workarounds:
Useful coaching conversations:
Player and coach feedback:
Decision and reasons:
Keep the counts separate. Ten invitations, seven participants and five usable recordings describe different parts of the experience. Record why an attempt failed where the player is comfortable explaining it. Device compatibility, unclear instructions and lack of interest call for different responses.
6. Review the workflow and the football value
At the agreed review date, compare the scorecard with your original question. Ask players what they understood and what they would change. Ask coaches whether the information led to a useful training conversation, and what extra work it created.
A short trial can help evaluate usability and fit. It does not by itself prove that an app improved match performance, prevented injury or measured movement accurately. If accuracy matters to the trial, agree a suitable independent comparison and its limits with the provider before starting.
Decide whether to continue, adjust the trial or stop. Write down the reason. A clear “this did not fit our session” is useful evidence too.
Register interest in a Marcr AI club trial
We’re building Marcr AI around football training recordings, feedback and progress. The app is in development, and trial timing, features, costs and supported devices will be confirmed directly.
Register your club’s interest and choose “Club trial”. Include your club, age group and what you would want to test. You can also read Marcr for coaches or use the manual training log while planning.