Kid doesn’t get a lot of playing time on A team. Has played town with some of the B kids. They are much weaker. Better to have better competition in practice and not a lot of playing time, or play with weaker kids but play a lot? Also have to get over the ego/social of moving down etc...
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Whats a mommy have to do to get her kid more playing time? Huh? -
Watch the movie "Bad Parents" with Jeanine Garafolo, that will show you what you need to do too get your kid more playing time.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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the $10,000 question (or $2,500 - $3,500 depending on the club). Depends. how old is the kid? How much fun is it for him/her. why is she doing this? does she like the other kids on teh team? how bad is the B team? how little playing team is it really on the A team... how bad does she want to work adn get better to earn more PT - and is that realistic. do you like the coach? what does he tell you?Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
paying money to ride the bench sucks. unless she really likes the team, feels like there is a realistic shot of moving into a more important role, i wouldn't do that a second year. Unless she is exceptionally motivated to work her way into a starting role, or she has a major growth spurt coming up, a second year of 'practice player' and she could be talking about dropping out of soccer. You'll get over the ego / social - trust your gut - change your car magnet, and maybe have a happier player. good luckComment
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Good post above. The other consideration is players with little PT are most at risk this time of year to get cut.Comment
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Always better to be playing than not. You would see a greater chance of your child surpassing players that currently sit and watch a year or two out from now if your child is consistently playing more. This could be a bigger confidence booster in the long run.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Don't know what club you're at, but just because it is a "B" team doesn't always mean the coach or training is. Maybe there would be possibilities to practice with both as well, couldn't hurt to ask.Comment
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I'd bail out of A team. Did two years of long bench, spent a lot of money and time watching other kids play and in the end my son completely soured on the game. Wish we could do it all over again, would have walked much sooner.Comment
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My daughter was the last kid cut from Varsity her freshman year. She was so disappointed but it turned out to be a good thing. She would have sat the bench. Instead she started on JV and her confidence improved so much. At the end of freshman season the JV scrimmaged the varsity bench players and beat them. Because they knew how to play together. The next three years she was on varsity and did great!Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Really depends on
- how good the A team training is (if it's only marginally better than B it may not be worth it)
- how bad the B team is (if it's god awful it may not be worth it)
- player personality (some are fine with little PT and use it to push themselves while other kids get crushed)
Other options are
- Depending on the player's age playing two teams eg club and travel. Yes the schedule can get nuts and I won't advocate for it past probably U12 or U13, but that can give players the training/playing time balance they need.
- Do the B team but seek other good training options to make sure they have opportunities to keep up
Thread OP needs to really assess their kid's personality, drive and skill set as well as have discussions with them on what they want and prefer. Maybe they really are a B team player. Maybe they have the potential to be a good A team player but don't have the drive it takes to work hard and improve. Maybe they excel at a different sport and soccer becomes 2ndary, in which case definitely go B team. End of the bench players are always at risk of being cut which can add to stress each tryout season and even more stress if they do get cut. Just another thing to think about.Comment
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Excellent response. Thanks. I will think about all of this. There are 5/6 strongest kids and then most pretty similar. At that point playing time/being put out with stronger line mates seems to be controlled by favoritism and personal relationships with families off the field.Comment
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I agree with this ^^^^. Been in both spots and watching better players is not the same for confidence, becoming a leader and learning the game as being the leader. You definitely give up intensity on the B team, but tell your kid he/she should work harder on the B team and still play at top speed .... they will all benefit, especially your kid and confidence should go through the roof. If they can not dominate there, then you definitely made the right choice and this should confirm your decision .... but dont give up on getting back.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Sounds similar to my daughter’s team. She does very well in practice scrimmaging against teammates but then is given minimal playing time or gets put out on the weakest line.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Sounds similar to my daughter’s team. She does very well in practice scrimmaging against teammates but then is given minimal playing time or gets put out on the weakest line.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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some players aren't good on the field in game situations. open your eyes. by and large coaches play the players that will help them win. sure there's some favoritism and politics in youth sports but it's not nearly the degree that some imagine. more often parents can't admit their kids aren't as good as they think.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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