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**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 09:11 AM

Fall

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

How do your teams coaches split playing time?

And how do you feel it should be split?

Does it work for your team? Is it working now but isn't benificial for the long term development of the team?

This is Fall league. Should be fair play and developmental time. If your coach isn't following those rules...... Get to a better club!

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 09:19 AM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

How do your teams coaches split playing time?

And how do you feel it should be split?

Does it work for your team? Is it working now but isn't benificial for the long term development of the team?

PT should be earned. Every practice and every time you step on the field. Earn your way or ride the pine.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

How do your teams coaches split playing time?

And how do you feel it should be split?

Does it work for your team? Is it working now but isn't benificial for the long term development of the team?

Depends, if your DK is playing rec. or select divvy it up pretty evenly.

If playing competitive. The DK needs to earn it. Every practice is a try out.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 11:35 AM

So say a team is a top level competitive team, do you have kids that sit the bench the whole game?

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:05 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

So say a team is a top level competitive team, do you have kids that sit the bench the whole game?

I have never seen a play not get in a game at all at this age. But certainly kids who only get in for maybe 5 minutes at half if the game is close. In the cases where I witnessed it, the kids we unfortunately placed on a higher team than they should have been based on a two day try out. The ones I am thinking about were tall and fast, but could not handle speed of the game at the top level. In one case the parents asked the coach to move down to the B team half way through the season, which I thought was very smart on their part. In the other cases, the kids just did not make the A-team the next year. Some coaches are reluctant to move kids down a team but are still willing to play the kid less.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:08 PM

Lower than top division players get more even playing time. When my kids have been on Premier teams, it depended on the coach, but bench players didn't have much playing time, many times only a couple minutes or none at all. Wins are definitely top priority over development. Probably shouldn't be that way at the youngers but it is. Also, kids hardly ever switched positions like they are supposed to for development. Many clubs and coaches have big egos. The parents of all the starters don't want the bench players to play at all & seriously whine & complain about a coach who gives more "fair" playing time. Isn't high school the same way? But HS soccer doesn't cost $$$$$ and parents of pine riders pay the same. Maybe club fees should be prorated based on playing minutes? Jk

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:13 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Lower than top division players get more even playing time. When my kids have been on Premier teams, it depended on the coach, but bench players didn't have much playing time, many times only a couple minutes or none at all. Wins are definitely top priority over development. Probably shouldn't be that way at the youngers but it is. Also, kids hardly ever switched positions like they are supposed to for development. Many clubs and coaches have big egos. The parents of all the starters don't want the bench players to play at all & seriously whine & complain about a coach who gives more "fair" playing time. Isn't high school the same way? But HS soccer doesn't cost $$$$$ and parents of pine riders pay the same. Maybe club fees should be prorated based on playing minutes? Jk

I should add that I believe playing time should be on merit but do feel the pain of parents paying big $ to see their kid only play 5-10も mins. Coaches shouldn't take those players on the team or should move them down a team so they can get more playing time elsewhere.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:18 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

How do your teams coaches split playing time?

And how do you feel it should be split?

Does it work for your team? Is it working now but isn't benificial for the long term development of the team?

speaking of top level teams only....

from U10-u13 every kid should get an opportunity to produce in a game...games should be divided up as equally as possible and kids should be moved around in different positions...

that being said...NWCL and State Cup should be handle differently, this is where results outweigh development slightly.

all of this should be explained by the coach prior to each event...

if non of the above occurs you should look to play elsewhere.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:30 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

speaking of top level teams only....

from U10-u13 every kid should get an opportunity to produce in a game...games should be divided up as equally as possible and kids should be moved around in different positions...

that being said...NWCL and State Cup should be handle differently, this is where results outweigh development slightly.

all of this should be explained by the coach prior to each event...

if non of the above occurs you should look to play elsewhere.

All true but please name a club that truly does this at U12 & U13? Ours simply doesn't. Is there really anywhere a player can go to get this?

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 12:52 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

All true but please name a club that truly does this at U12 & U13? Ours simply doesn't. Is there really anywhere a player can go to get this?

Our boy's coach was great at this. He explained that during the course of the season he would move boys around and play them differently, but would strive for pretty equal time, however, if we are in a tournament or a situation where advancement is based on winning he might make a decision not to sub as much. This makes sense because winning means more games that can be split around. Even in those games I don't believe we ever had anyone ride the bench the whole game. Between 2 teams we won 8 state championships, one time regional finalist, one semi-finalist, and one quarter finalist.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Our boy's coach was great at this. He explained that during the course of the season he would move boys around and play them differently, but would strive for pretty equal time, however, if we are in a tournament or a situation where advancement is based on winning he might make a decision not to sub as much. This makes sense because winning means more games that can be split around. Even in those games I don't believe we ever had anyone ride the bench the whole game. Between 2 teams we won 8 state championships, one time regional finalist, one semi-finalist, and one quarter finalist.

That is awesome. I've never seen this dreamland you speak of but I have girls... Wish all coaches were like yours!

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 01:21 PM

This is not the age to focus on winning

If a European parent were reading this comment he would know that it will be a long time before the US Mens National team will be a threat. Nuuuuuhting holds the development of US soccer back more than the focus on games and winning games at these ages.

Read any book on the subject of development soccer, even ones written my prominent US coaches, and they all say that merit playing time at these ages only rewards the early developers and discourages the late bloomers who in many instances become superior athletes.

So the answer to the OP's question is if kids U10-12 are not getting substantial time and movement between positions you have the wrong coach. The key at this age is to find the right coach who has a track record of managing parents as well as players.

We have all seen players make great strides over the course of a season and at this age playing is games is crucial to making that improvement. So a coaches who relegate players to the bench early in the season are not only are doing a disservice to that player but their whole team as when the winner take all tourney's arrive at the end of the season he might only have 11 developed players vs. 15.

**Unregistered** · 09-07-2014, 01:38 PM

Not easy to find a new coach when you live in an outlying area with only one club. Our coach (and even more so parents) are desperate for wins. The club wants wins in order to attract more good players from the local & surrounding areas. Players will switch from rec or drive from nearby town to a team that is winning a bunch and at the top of Premier. Sometimes a player switches just to sit the bench but they are on a top team so parents are so proud!