GK not getting field time

[Anonymous]

Got it. I would just talk to the coach. But I am not sure that being a field player for significant time at U13 is necessary to developing as a goalie. Both my son's team and my daughter's team (she is U16 now) had dedicated goalies at that age, who did not play in the field for more than very short times per game. I would ask around more about that. Unless the issue is that your son just wants to play in the field, in which case he should get to, if that was what you were promised.


I don't know about general recommendations. I do know what my kid's GK trainer wants for my particular kid, and specifically looked for a team that said they could provide it. My kid is playing up a year, and didn't play on a team during the pandemic, but did a lot of backyard type training. So, it might be that his GK trainer feels that it's appropriate for him to still get an experience, even if other U13 kids no longer need, since they've got 2 more years experience than he does. Or maybe he suggests if for all U13's. I just don't know. I do feel that since we talked about this very specifically when the club moved him up, they should do what they agreed to.

Part of the problem is that I think if I insist, and the team loses because the other team scores more in the half he's not in the goal, my kid's going to get a lot of pressure from teammates to stay in the goal. I'm not sure how to handle that.

I see. Under the circumstances you describe then, that makes sense. He's going to have to handle the pressure from teammates on his own, there's not much you can do for him except encourage him to do what is best for him. I would think that, if it were a situation like a tournament where the team had a chance of winning, he should make an exception, but otherwise, he needs to stand firm and do what he thinks he needs to do to develop as a player.

[Anonymous]

What does your kid want?

My older son was a GK and went on to play in college. At this age, he liked playing field but he would never have prioritized playing there over winning the game. He would have considered that putting himself over his team. Keepers usually have a specific mindset and scoring on them is a personal affront. He and the coach were of the same mind that he could play field if they were winning by a lot.

[Anonymous]

Keepers usually have a specific mindset and scoring on them is a personal affront. He and the coach were of the same mind that he could play field if they were winning by a lot.

Yes, that is what the coaches have always done on our kids' teams as well. My son is a left back, and when they are up by a lot, the coach will give him a rest and put the goalie in for him. My daugher is a wing, so she doesn't get swapped with GK, but her team's right back will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But it sounds like you're saying that increased playing time wouldn't be the solution to being less fit. I agree with that. I just don't think that's the issue. I don't think that the issue is his field playing at all. I think this is being driven mostly by the fact that he's better than the other GK

Got it. I would just talk to the coach. But I am not sure that being a field player for significant time at U13 is necessary to developing as a goalie. Both my son's team and my daughter's team (she is U16 now) had dedicated goalies at that age, who did not play in the field for more than very short times per game. I would ask around more about that. Unless the issue is that your son just wants to play in the field, in which case he should get to, if that was what you were promised.

I don't know about general recommendations. I do know what my kid's GK trainer wants for my particular kid, and specifically looked for a team that said they could provide it. My kid is playing up a year, and didn't play on a team during the pandemic, but did a lot of backyard type training. So, it might be that his GK trainer feels that it's appropriate for him to still get an experience, even if other U13 kids no longer need, since they've got 2 more years experience than he does. Or maybe he suggests if for all U13's. I just don't know. I do feel that since we talked about this very specifically when the club moved him up, they should do what they agreed to.

Part of the problem is that I think if I insist, and the team loses because the other team scores more in the half he's not in the goal, my kid's going to get a lot of pressure from teammates to stay in the goal. I'm not sure how to handle that.

It sounds like your kid isn't ready to be playing up a year. I would consider talking to the club about having him move to a team in his own age bracket so he has an opportunity to make up the experience gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But it sounds like you're saying that increased playing time wouldn't be the solution to being less fit. I agree with that. I just don't think that's the issue. I don't think that the issue is his field playing at all. I think this is being driven mostly by the fact that he's better than the other GK

Got it. I would just talk to the coach. But I am not sure that being a field player for significant time at U13 is necessary to developing as a goalie. Both my son's team and my daughter's team (she is U16 now) had dedicated goalies at that age, who did not play in the field for more than very short times per game. I would ask around more about that. Unless the issue is that your son just wants to play in the field, in which case he should get to, if that was what you were promised.

I don't know about general recommendations. I do know what my kid's GK trainer wants for my particular kid, and specifically looked for a team that said they could provide it. My kid is playing up a year, and didn't play on a team during the pandemic, but did a lot of backyard type training. So, it might be that his GK trainer feels that it's appropriate for him to still get an experience, even if other U13 kids no longer need, since they've got 2 more years experience than he does. Or maybe he suggests if for all U13's. I just don't know. I do feel that since we talked about this very specifically when the club moved him up, they should do what they agreed to.

Part of the problem is that I think if I insist, and the team loses because the other team scores more in the half he's not in the goal, my kid's going to get a lot of pressure from teammates to stay in the goal. I'm not sure how to handle that.

It sounds like your kid isn't ready to be playing up a year. I would consider talking to the club about having him move to a team in his own age bracket so he has an opportunity to make up the experience gap.

+1. There is really no benefit to "playing up" once they hit this age. If he out-classes the kids on his team, find a more competitive team. I do think it is odd you are getting this advice from your trainer. I have a kid who has worked for years with an "elite" level gk trainer in this area, and it just does not seem to ring true once they are 12/13. How old is your kid exactly? For 2 years during MS, my GK played on both a travel and select level team so he could get time playing as a field player. He did not play in a field position on his travel team. Even if your talented goalie is standing around with not much action, other parents will feel he has played the whole game. Hard for coaches to justify subbing your kid into a field position when there are others who may not be getting any playing time.

[Anonymous]

Even if your talented goalie is standing around with not much action, other parents will feel he has played the whole game. Hard for coaches to justify subbing your kid into a field position when there are others who may not be getting any playing time

I don't think that should be the case. They would likely swap a goalie in for a defensive position, which tend to get subbed out less.

[Anonymous]

I think someone said it earlier- but if you’re DC wants to play the field because he likes it, then push for it.

I do agree with others that playing on the field will not necessarily make them a better GK though. If that is why there is a push to get time in another position outside of GK I think it’s the wrong reason

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

I think the coach is prioritizing winning over developing my kid as a player. Which I am sure is common. Just not sure what to do.

I would talk to the coach, but also don't be upset if the field players and their families get annoyed because if your child is playing at least one half in goal plus getting field time it is taking away from the other players who may "deserve" it more based on skills or their own need to develop. At that age teams can be big and if your child is playing in goal plus getting field time because you threw a stink, and other kids are on the bench you can bet their families are either going to complain themselves or secretly not like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Even if your talented goalie is standing around with not much action, other parents will feel he has played the whole game. Hard for coaches to justify subbing your kid into a field position when there are others who may not be getting any playing time

I don't think that should be the case. They would likely swap a goalie in for a defensive position, which tend to get subbed out less.

On DC's team they tend to sub the goal into the mid field and all the field player families are really upset about this because it's a full roster. A few parents were fuming about it last game.

[Anonymous]

Can your child sub in on a rec team as a field player? Is that allowed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two things, first -- practice time working on field skills is more important than game time on the field. As long as your GK is regularly practicing with their teammates and working on foot skills, passing, etc. during practice (and outside of practice), they should continue to develop. Passing drills and small-sided games are great places for your kid to get "field" touches outside of games.

Second, the reason why GK coaches recommend field playing time at younger ages is because young teams don't play through the keeper like older teams do. If your kid's team plays out from the back and through the keeper (like they should be doing at u13) your keeper should be getting a lot of "foot" touches during the games. If they don't -- that could be a sign to look for another club/team.

Of course, getting field playing time when your keeper is not in goal is ideal, but it sometimes isn't feasible as the keepers get older. While the adage that the keeper should "at least be able to make the team as a field player" is true, "make the tam" and "play regularly" are very different things as things get more competitive.

Finally, I'm not sure I fully agree with the GK coach's reasoning on field playing time. I've always been told play in the field to develop footskills. Playing in the goal in game and game-like situations allows the keeper to best develop their sense of how plays develop and where dangerous shots and crosses come from, with the added advantage that they see it from the right perspective and get to learn from their successes or failures in reacting to that situation. While seeing the play develop from the other perspective (ie as the attacker) could be helpful, I don't think its an experience keepers necessarily need on a regular basis.

I agree with all of this. Also, if this is a travel team (which I assume it is since we’re even having this discussion), some clubs are really strict about kids who try out as GKs playing as GKs rather than splitting once they reach U13. If they aren’t, they end up with kids who have decent GK skills trying out as GKs when their real goal is to be a field player and they use GK as a way to back door onto a team they wouldn’t otherwise make. Holding a hard line on GKs playing as GKs reduces the gamesmanship.

Which would be fine, if they'd said that to me when they approached me about moving him up to this team. We would have turned them down, and there would be no hard feelings. But we didn't engage in any gamemanship here.

If you made this deal, you should just move your child back down or ask if your child can get field time with one of the lower teams.

[Anonymous]

On DC's team they tend to sub the goal into the mid field and all the field player families are really upset about this because it's a full roster. A few parents were fuming about it last game.

My kids teams always swaped with the backs. My son is a midfielder (also U13) and I would not be upset if our goalie was put in for him. We have a roster of 18, but no more than 17 seem to ever show up, and our center backs stay in the whole game. We don't have a glut of midfielders, and my son generally plays most of the game. He would not mind a sub.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Even if your talented goalie is standing around with not much action, other parents will feel he has played the whole game. Hard for coaches to justify subbing your kid into a field position when there are others who may not be getting any playing time

I don't think that should be the case. They would likely swap a goalie in for a defensive position, which tend to get subbed out less.

On DC's team they tend to sub the goal into the mid field and all the field player families are really upset about this because it's a full roster. A few parents were fuming about it last game.

OP here,

I don't really understand this.

If my kid is in the goal, then the other goalie is in the rotation on the field. If the kids trade places, it's not leading to more kids competing for spots on the field, because someone else is taken out of that competition.

I can understand that if the other goalies don't actually want to play goalie (and I don't know if this is true or not) that kid/family would be upset. I think part of the problem is that the coach told us my kid would be one of several goalies. In reality, he seems to be the only specialist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Keepers usually have a specific mindset and scoring on them is a personal affront. He and the coach were of the same mind that he could play field if they were winning by a lot.

Yes, that is what the coaches have always done on our kids' teams as well. My son is a left back, and when they are up by a lot, the coach will give him a rest and put the goalie in for him. My daugher is a wing, so she doesn't get swapped with GK, but her team's right back will.

What does it matter if she is a wing. The goalie should be the most athletic player on the team.

[Anonymous]

GKs are a premium if your team is lucky enough to have a decent GK the coach should work with him/her as much as possible to keep them from jumping clubs. 1,6,and 9 in that order hardest positions to replace when you lose them.