Question for U16-19 Boys Team Coaches - Extra Roster Spots for Future Development

[Anonymous]

Here's a question for coaches of boys teams in the U16-U19 divisions. Have you ever brought extra players onto your roster with the sole purpose of developing them for potential future inclusion to the team? Almost sort of a "walk on" type of player. They pay their full way as a member of the team, but, since they would be above the 18/20/22 roster limit, they would not be eligible for games or tournaments unless there was some advance catastrophic drop in player availability for a given game. They would train with the team and be given the same treatment as everyone else in terms of feedback from coaches, etc. I don't know if this violates state rules for player carding, but, if not, they would have a player card with the club and would have free reign to guest play with any teams that the club has in their age group or with other clubs for that matter. One key to this is that there is an understanding up front about the situation by both coach and player so that there is no mystery about the player's role.

To me, this is beneficial for a player that is interested in being on one of the highest level teams at a given club - or a club that only has 1 team in a given age group - and is willing to work to earn a spot over time. The player has access to the best training the club has to offer and gets the "iron sharpens iron" benefit going against the club's top players. It also affords the player an opportunity to continue to show the coach your work ethic, skill development, positive attitude, team-first mentality, etc. and earn the respect of teammates.

This could benefit the club and coach when there are situations where you see a player that you like and has potential to be a good fit, but you don't have the slots available on the team at that time. Things happen with players over time, and if a slot opens up during the year, you have a built in player who understands the team style of play that can be put in the slot.

As a parent, you might say "why the #!$% would I pay just to have my kid not play?" Good point and one I take to heart as the parent of a player who is continually fighting for playing time on his club's top team in his age group. I see this as an opportunity for the child to learn what it means to earn a spot on a team similar to what one might experience at the college level. It's a double-edged sword for sure as things may not pan out the way you and your player may want. And it certainly requires a lot of patience and faith in the club and coaching staff to give your player a fair shot. Not easy.

I don't think this works as well at younger age groups where there are tons of teams to choose from. But I've seen the effect of the reduction in teams as boys get older particularly at the larger clubs where you'll have 50 kids at a "cattle call" tryout for maybe 2-3 roster spots on a U16 or U17 team. If a kid is really committed to that team, and the coach likes him but doesn't have a roster spot, this seems like an opportunity at a win-win.

I'm sure this will appear asinine to most people, and I'm sure I'm not factoring in various aspects that make this untenable. Or maybe some clubs do this already and I'm just blind to it. I'd love to hear from any coaches to get their perspectives on such an arrangement and what would make it work or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a question for coaches of boys teams in the U16-U19 divisions. Have you ever brought extra players onto your roster with the sole purpose of developing them for potential future inclusion to the team? Almost sort of a "walk on" type of player. They pay their full way as a member of the team, but, since they would be above the 18/20/22 roster limit, they would not be eligible for games or tournaments unless there was some advance catastrophic drop in player availability for a given game. They would train with the team and be given the same treatment as everyone else in terms of feedback from coaches, etc. I don't know if this violates state rules for player carding, but, if not, they would have a player card with the club and would have free reign to guest play with any teams that the club has in their age group or with other clubs for that matter. One key to this is that there is an understanding up front about the situation by both coach and player so that there is no mystery about the player's role.

To me, this is beneficial for a player that is interested in being on one of the highest level teams at a given club - or a club that only has 1 team in a given age group - and is willing to work to earn a spot over time. The player has access to the best training the club has to offer and gets the "iron sharpens iron" benefit going against the club's top players. It also affords the player an opportunity to continue to show the coach your work ethic, skill development, positive attitude, team-first mentality, etc. and earn the respect of teammates.

This could benefit the club and coach when there are situations where you see a player that you like and has potential to be a good fit, but you don't have the slots available on the team at that time. Things happen with players over time, and if a slot opens up during the year, you have a built in player who understands the team style of play that can be put in the slot.

As a parent, you might say "why the #!$% would I pay just to have my kid not play?" Good point and one I take to heart as the parent of a player who is continually fighting for playing time on his club's top team in his age group. I see this as an opportunity for the child to learn what it means to earn a spot on a team similar to what one might experience at the college level. It's a double-edged sword for sure as things may not pan out the way you and your player may want. And it certainly requires a lot of patience and faith in the club and coaching staff to give your player a fair shot. Not easy.

I don't think this works as well at younger age groups where there are tons of teams to choose from. But I've seen the effect of the reduction in teams as boys get older particularly at the larger clubs where you'll have 50 kids at a "cattle call" tryout for maybe 2-3 roster spots on a U16 or U17 team. If a kid is really committed to that team, and the coach likes him but doesn't have a roster spot, this seems like an opportunity at a win-win.

I'm sure this will appear asinine to most people, and I'm sure I'm not factoring in various aspects that make this untenable. Or maybe some clubs do this already and I'm just blind to it. I'd love to hear from any coaches to get their perspectives on such an arrangement and what would make it work or not.

No they don't do this at this age. They are focused on winning at these age groups. I would say that at the younger ages it could be done with just training. I have seen where players have trained with a team, but if you're not good enough they won't let you play games.

[Anonymous]

It sounds great except for the "[t]hey pay their full way as a member of the team" part. That just doesn't sit well with me.

Some sort of reduced rate to participate in one of these "practice only" slots would be more fair.

[Anonymous]

No value for the coach nor player

Coach already has too many players to give individualized attention or quality training sessions.

[Anonymous]

At this age, they are at the tail end of their youth career. Some might describe it as the pinnacle of their youth career. Development is done at this point because they will play 3-4 more years at most, it's about chasing titles and college looks.

[Anonymous]

Some clubs do offer training only slots on a case by case basis. You have to work that out with the club admin and head coach.