Benching players

[Anonymous]

My daughter is playing her 1st year of club (non-travel) and has been benched at both tournaments her team attended so far this year. She doesn't know why and we've had zero communication with the coach. How/when should we raise this as an issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is playing her 1st year of club (non-travel) and has been benched at both tournaments her team attended so far this year. She doesn't know why and we've had zero communication with the coach. How/when should we raise this as an issue?

Before you talk to the coach, you should check the club policies. They might be on the website or you may have been received a contract when you signed up for the season. They should explain the court time policies. Non-travel teams are typically developmental and they should not tie play time by how well a player is playing. The best time to talk to the coach is after you notice that she doesn't play. She should approach the coach and ask for the reason why she is not offered court time. If your player is out of her league, she should not be a starter, but she should still see the court. If the answer does not satisfy you, please post the name of the club here as a warning to others to avoid that club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is playing her 1st year of club (non-travel) and has been benched at both tournaments her team attended so far this year. She doesn't know why and we've had zero communication with the coach. How/when should we raise this as an issue?

What?

This is absurd.

Your DD asks the coach at the next practice.

Then you leave.

[Anonymous]

The financial agreement was signed/completed through a 3rd party online site. I don’t recall any info about playing time, nor is it showing on the online confirmation.

[Anonymous]

Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The financial agreement was signed/completed through a 3rd party online site. I don’t recall any info about playing time, nor is it showing on the online confirmation.

What level is DD? What club are you at?

[Anonymous]

A lot of clubs require you to wait 24 or 48 hours before talking to the coach about playing time after a tournament. So don't ask at the tournament; ask at the next practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is playing her 1st year of club (non-travel) and has been benched at both tournaments her team attended so far this year. She doesn't know why and we've had zero communication with the coach. How/when should we raise this as an issue?

It is hard to provide meaningful advice with so little information. Knowing that this is your first year of club, your DD could be anywhere between U10 and U15. It is likely that you would receive very different advice / feedback for the two ends in that range of ages. One reason why some coaches reduce play time is for missing practice. We simply don't know whether that's your case - was your DD present at the practices?

Asking your player to have an honest conversation with the coach is always an option. She could say: "Coach, I noticed that you didn't send me on the court at those two tournaments - is there any specific reason? I don't feel like I am part of the team if all I do is stand there and cheer for the other players. Is there anything I can do to get some tournament experience?" She could also ask about the club policies regarding play time. She could say that her family wanted to give her the chance to experience club volleyball and nobody expected that she would be benched at tournaments.

The longer you wait to have that conversation, the longer your DD will spend on the bench. Even if your DD won't get court time, at least you will know why (and learn the club policies on court time). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

This. But how old is she? If this is U12 or 14 and not travel, there should be some playing time for everyone. After that, nothing will be guaranteed for any team, at any level. It’s hard but it is what it is. Your daughter needs to talk to the coach, even at U13, and ask how she can improve to earn playing time.

And then make sure you don’t play for that coach next year if you don’t like how things are run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

Stop with this non-sense. This might be true for a competitive / travel team. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to be #15 on the Metro Travel roster. The OP clearly stated that this is not their case, plus this is their first year of club volleyball. All players should see the court on developmental teams. It is not fair for families to pay club fees to have their kid ride the bench as part of non-competitive teams. The club director or the coach should have had a discussion with the player and their family, explaining what to expect before signing the contract. If the club director / coach didn't have such discussion, they have the responsibility to offer court time to that player. During tryouts, it is their responsibility to place on the roster only players who can see the court. Stop blaming the the players and their families for not being able to foresee the level of the other players on the roster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

Stop with this non-sense. This might be true for a competitive / travel team. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to be #15 on the Metro Travel roster. The OP clearly stated that this is not their case, plus this is their first year of club volleyball. All players should see the court on developmental teams. It is not fair for families to pay club fees to have their kid ride the bench as part of non-competitive teams. The club director or the coach should have had a discussion with the player and their family, explaining what to expect before signing the contract. If the club director / coach didn't have such discussion, they have the responsibility to offer court time to that player. During tryouts, it is their responsibility to place on the roster only players who can see the court. Stop blaming the the players and their families for not being able to foresee the level of the other players on the roster.

Huh? Players should still lead convos with coaches on developmental teams. It’s an important skill for them to learn! “What can I work on?” isn’t a wild or hard question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

Stop with this non-sense. This might be true for a competitive / travel team. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to be #15 on the Metro Travel roster. The OP clearly stated that this is not their case, plus this is their first year of club volleyball. All players should see the court on developmental teams. It is not fair for families to pay club fees to have their kid ride the bench as part of non-competitive teams. The club director or the coach should have had a discussion with the player and their family, explaining what to expect before signing the contract. If the club director / coach didn't have such discussion, they have the responsibility to offer court time to that player. During tryouts, it is their responsibility to place on the roster only players who can see the court. Stop blaming the the players and their families for not being able to foresee the level of the other players on the roster.

Huh? Players should still lead convos with coaches on developmental teams. It’s an important skill for them to learn! “What can I work on?” isn’t a wild or hard question.

I didn't say that players should not talk to coaches to figure out what to work on. But the coaches need to initiate that discussion on developmental teams. Benching the player to force that conversation is not the solution. Bench the players on competitive teams, where they know what they are getting into. But be honest about their chances to see the court before they sign the contract for the season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

Stop with this non-sense. This might be true for a competitive / travel team. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to be #15 on the Metro Travel roster. The OP clearly stated that this is not their case, plus this is their first year of club volleyball. All players should see the court on developmental teams. It is not fair for families to pay club fees to have their kid ride the bench as part of non-competitive teams. The club director or the coach should have had a discussion with the player and their family, explaining what to expect before signing the contract. If the club director / coach didn't have such discussion, they have the responsibility to offer court time to that player. During tryouts, it is their responsibility to place on the roster only players who can see the court. Stop blaming the the players and their families for not being able to foresee the level of the other players on the roster.

Huh? Players should still lead convos with coaches on developmental teams. It’s an important skill for them to learn! “What can I work on?” isn’t a wild or hard question.

I didn't say that players should not talk to coaches to figure out what to work on. But the coaches need to initiate that discussion on developmental teams. Benching the player to force that conversation is not the solution. Bench the players on competitive teams, where they know what they are getting into. But be honest about their chances to see the court before they sign the contract for the season.

Sorry but you sound bitter. I’m sorry your kid isn’t getting the playing time you hoped for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Playing time isn’t guaranteed. No chance your contract speaks to that.

Has your daughter asked her coach for feedback? “What can I work on to show you I’m ready to play?”

Mom and Dad shouldn’t be involved. Players talk to coaches.

Stop with this non-sense. This might be true for a competitive / travel team. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to be #15 on the Metro Travel roster. The OP clearly stated that this is not their case, plus this is their first year of club volleyball. All players should see the court on developmental teams. It is not fair for families to pay club fees to have their kid ride the bench as part of non-competitive teams. The club director or the coach should have had a discussion with the player and their family, explaining what to expect before signing the contract. If the club director / coach didn't have such discussion, they have the responsibility to offer court time to that player. During tryouts, it is their responsibility to place on the roster only players who can see the court. Stop blaming the the players and their families for not being able to foresee the level of the other players on the roster.

Huh? Players should still lead convos with coaches on developmental teams. It’s an important skill for them to learn! “What can I work on?” isn’t a wild or hard question.

I didn't say that players should not talk to coaches to figure out what to work on. But the coaches need to initiate that discussion on developmental teams. Benching the player to force that conversation is not the solution. Bench the players on competitive teams, where they know what they are getting into. But be honest about their chances to see the court before they sign the contract for the season.

Sorry but you sound bitter. I’m sorry your kid isn’t getting the playing time you hoped for.

Sorry, but you sound full of yourself. Plus you are making assumptions. My kid is getting court time on a middle of the pack team. This is not about my family or my kid, this is about fairness in developmental teams. Most of those kids / families have no idea what they are getting into and they are paying thousands of dollars per season. If the coaches offered them spots on the rosters, they must get court time. I am not saying that they have to be a starter or anything, but they should see the court. If they were so bad in the first place, the club shouldn't have extended an offer.

[Anonymous]

Which clubs we are talking about in this thread? Just about every club lists USAV Nationals as a tentative tournament on their team’s schedule, which suggests an intent to try to compete, not just develop players. Metro is the only club I’m aware of that has Travel and regional teams, and they don’t seem to try to get the regional teams bids. But even still, those teams clearly work to be regionally competitive.

Are there others?