JV Soccer Coach Playing Varsity Players Not His JV Roster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The top girl players do play HS. It’s so fun to be on your HS team and so many things to learn about leadership and sportsmanship not to mention time management. Not sure why boys side is different?

Because the top boys’ league has 4 practices a week and doesn’t allow HS play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ no opposite sex to impress so less likely to put up with BS.

Lol sure. No BS at a single sex school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ no opposite sex to impress so less likely to put up with BS.

Lol sure. No BS at a single sex school.

Re-read. Boys just leave and don’t put up with the BS. They’d rather play high level club. No girls to impress at single sex school…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Freshman son is a GK on a competitive travel team and gets plenty of play time. He is also 1 of 3 GK on his high school JV team.

The Varsity team has 4 GK, 2 are sophomores that the JV coach apparently chooses to play 1 of them for at least half of the JV games instead of giving playing time to his 3 JV GKs.

Fundamentally I was surprised and more than a little disappointed that the Varsity GK are getting playtime on JV. It just doesn’t seem like good sportsmanship when the coach has a full roster and should be focusing on developing his roster of players. Playing devils advocate, if my kid was on Varsity, I wouldn’t support the JV coach playing him when he has 3 JV GK that come out to practice and suit up for every game. Is this just how HS Soccer works and why so many GK… 8 total between both teams. If a Varsity player is a 3rd or 4th string GK on Varsity then chose to play down on JV so the 2nd or 3rd string GK on JV don’t make the team and don’t waste their time practicing and suiting up for JV. Curious to hear what other parents think.

Is this in MCPS? DS is a GK and has friends at multiple area HSs and we don’t know of any that take 4 GKs. His varsity team has 2 which seems to be the norm. JV has 2 but was supposed to have 3. Rumor is one of the kids turned down the spot. I can see having 3 since GKs are injury prone. But 4 is excessive. I have not heard of varsity players moving down to JV to play, only the reverse. It would make sense if the JV team was without a GK due to injury but that’s not your case. I would assume this is simply a case of the coach not having faith in the GKs who aren’t playing. However it’s also good for kids to go into HS sports with realistic expectations. As a 9th grader, our son knew that he could make the team and sit the entire season. He really wanted to make varsity in 10th and we asked him if he’d be ok if it meant sitting since he’d likely be the youngest. He still insisted it was what he wanted to do and so far it’s gone ok. But next year he might be knocked out of his spot if a better player comes along. Some coaches seem to go by seniority but my son’s goes by who is strongest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does your. child think?

More than anything he was surprised and disappointed by the lack of seriousness and commitment on the JV team and that it seems to be more of a social club than a competitive team environment. Last week I picked him up from practice and he said that it was a waste of time and that it would be better for his own skills development to do drills at home instead of the JV practice. He has travel practice 2x a week. Today on the way to school he said that his goal is for now, to accept it for what it is, grind harder than ever and stand out so he becomes the starter or #2. If that doesn’t work out then he knows he gave it all and didn’t quit right away. If a month from now it’s the more if the same he’ll withdraw, it’s completely his choice.

This is a very mature outlook and plan. Kudos to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your. child think?

More than anything he was surprised and disappointed by the lack of seriousness and commitment on the JV team and that it seems to be more of a social club than a competitive team environment. Last week I picked him up from practice and he said that it was a waste of time and that it would be better for his own skills development to do drills at home instead of the JV practice. He has travel practice 2x a week. Today on the way to school he said that his goal is for now, to accept it for what it is, grind harder than ever and stand out so he becomes the starter or #2. If that doesn’t work out then he knows he gave it all and didn’t quit right away. If a month from now it’s the more if the same he’ll withdraw, it’s completely his choice.

This is a very mature outlook and plan. Kudos to him.

Won't it be over in a month for now ? Our season started last week in August and will end last week in October (hooray!). Not letting my kid quit, but they are definitely not staying in this program another year.

[Anonymous]

Based on the posts in this thread, it seems HS soccer experience is so different between Boys and Girls teams whether or not it’s JV or varsity.

I noticed that lots/most ECNL or EDP girls play on HS teams. While it might not be top/elite soccer, it is far from being Rec at least with varsity. JV is definitely pathetic soccer where some players are Rec or select soccer players.