My kids have had coaches who reward hard work in practice with starts and punish kids for missing practices by not starting them. The minutes still work out to them playing however much their otherwise would have |
My kids have played D1 and D2 in this league. The D1 teams play their non-starters more, actually. Usually all 10 players are D1 level. In D2, there can be a much bigger drop off in skill from Kid 1 through Kid 11. |
| So 12 players is a lot, too many? for a roster? |
| So 12 players is a lot, too many? for a roster? |
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Yes. Max is really 11.
What most coaches REALLY want are 10 on the roster + 2 practice players, but practice player is a tough sell, and 12 is hard to play, so they often go for 11. |
So a kid on a D2 team who isn't great would be better served playing house for playing time? Or will they get some playing time? Our roster has 11 kiddos. |
Most coaches will say 11, but realistically they're only consistently playing 8. Unfortunate but true. |
Do all 11 show up? Our experience is that the top players usually play elsewhere and have conflicts |
I would say yes? For FCYBL, definitely. AAU is probably a bit more hit or miss depending on the time of year, but FCYBL you'll rarely see players miss games. |
| If we are talking about FCYBL, then yes, players show up unless they are sick (at least, on the boys side as I have boys). The team is supposed to be their first commitment/priority in the winter. Skipping out for AAU is not a thing I have noticed on my boys teams in Division 1 or 2. I don't think a coach would be very happy if a player missed travel practices or games for a different travel team. That kid is taking a spot away from someone who would have prioritized the fcybl team and there are so few spots! |
Really? Which FCYBL teams have your kids played on where this was an issue? |
Did the guy coach last year? If so, what do last year's parents say about play time? You can always sign your kid up for a house league just for fun and to get extra game time in. |
All kids have to play at least 2 quarters in house....no matter how good or bad your kid is. If your kid is pretty good, he'll probably play 2...maybe 3...quarters in house. In FCYBL, playing time isn't guaranteed at all, but it just depends on the coach. If your kid isn't great and there are 11 players, then he probably wouldn't play a lot. One thing to keep in mind...if your kid wants to learn and continue to improve, playing FCYBL might be better even with less playing time b/c there are usually at least two 90 minute practices per week. House only has 1 practice per week. Also, b/c house has beginners, you won't be doing much advanced stuff, while in FCYBL, you'll get to practice zone D, press D, press break, etc. Your kid will probably learn more about the game in FCYBL than house. |
Or sign your kid up for both. Rec/house can be for extended playing time under a lot less pressure to perform. We had someone on DD's team last year who did both at once. |
Didn't work out for my kid, who worked hard with extra lessons, clinics and workouts. The coach just couldn't give him credit for improvement that outpaced teammates. We stuck it out and it's gotten better, though kid is still underrated. He occasionally plays on tournament teams off season where his skill is more appreciated. We don't move because there isn't a better alternative for development. |