Playing Down in Youth Soccer...what's legal?
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Anonymous
In addition to all the other explanations that make complete since, it was a TOURNAMENT. Good sportsmanship doesn't require you to not to do this, anymore than it means you must play your reserve players for the exact same time as your starters in order to ensure you don't have some "unfair, unsportmanlike" advantage. The rules allow this, and teams even pick up players outside of their club and add them on as guests. You clearly know nothing about soccer tournaments. This is a nothing Burger. |
Anonymous
+10000. Every single tournament rules I have seen allows a certain number of guest players -- EVEN PLAYERS FROM OUTSIDE THE CLUB AT ISSUE -- so bringing A team players from the SAME club to play with the B team is not only NOT unsporting, it is often perfectly developmentally appropriate for both the A team player and for the B team players who get to play with a better player than they typically do. |
Anonymous
It amazes me that people want to insulate their kids from competition -- even when the kids at issue are all the same age. So what are you going to do in HS when your kid is a freshman or sophomore and is trying out for the team against juniors and seniors? Are you going to complain that it isn't fair to have older kids playing against younger kids? |
Anonymous
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Agree with 13:31. Plus when you have a club with multiple teams at the same age level, it makes sense to see how players from different teams interact. As a coach, you don't just want to know how your A team performs - you also might want to have some idea of the good players from B-D because there is often movement between seasons. You might not get a full sense of that during practice, but if Susie from the C team helps out the A team during a tournament, you might realize that Susie is actually good enough to move up if there's an opening.
Chances are, all the teams are doing this. You just have to submit your rosters and waivers before tournaments. |
Anonymous
| Wonder if the parents had issues with this would also complain if the coach let their DC practice with/against better players? |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
If everyone played in the same bracket, no one would have an issue with this. However, some teams are put into a low bracket because they have weaker players. "A team" players shouldn't play in low brackets. Down one team might be ok, but it should be one of the weaker kids on the higher team, not the best. Or put the best player an age group down on the team. In HS, they have the exact situation you are talking about; it's called JV Where does the term nothingburger come from? Just a plain hamburger with no ketchup, mustard, etc? |
Anonymous
Yes you are correct OP for those like you with ambitions no higher than JV for your kids you won't have to worry so much about older or better players. |
Anonymous
Not really sure what you are talking about. I was just pointing out that freshmen and sophomores who can't hang with the juniors and seniors do have a team to go to, no need to complain. Those that can hang with the older kids can do varsity early. And those that are really good don't play high school soccer, but instead play DA. |
Anonymous
| It's neither against the rules nor bad sportsmanship. It's life. |
Anonymous
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I think you only care about this if you are new to soccer and think winning a trophy is the most important thing. If you are a veteran parent of a talented/ambitious player (or just knowledgeable about soccer and development) you are grateful for every opportunity to play with or against a really good player. Instead of complaining about an "unfair" situation (clearly not actually unfair or poor sportsmanship since it's perfectly within the rules and an accepted practice), you and your kid should be thinking about what makes the guest player so good, and whether it involves training or a way of thinking you can emulate.
Actually playing down in age, which I thought this thread was about from the title, is very different and a serious problem. |
Anonymous
Exactly. It is great to play against good player if you care more about development than trophy. |
Anonymous
| My son’s team was down two players last winter at u10 and two A team players (one a year younger) played with them for the season. The other boys learned a lot about ball distribution from them. |
Anonymous
| I think a stronger player playing "down" has a lot of opportunity to develop themselves and others around them. They get the opportunity to work on stuff that may be more difficult to accomplish against stronger opposition and the other players can be recipients of better placed balls or participants in tactics that their other teammates may not be as consistent in accomplishing. |
Anonymous
Nailed it. Only parents who never played soccer on a competitive team think this is unfair. It is usually the same ones that scream "send it," "shoot," and "clear it" . . . it is really shocking how many bad parents there are that worry about this. What message are they sending their kids?! |