Guest player etiquette

[Anonymous]

I have a question about etiquette for guest players. By way of background, we are the bottom team in our club, and played another team at the bottom of their club. They said they were bringing two guest players, because they didn't have enough (7 a side). However, in fact, they had 8 players from their regular team, and brought two guest players from the top team in their club, both of whom they played for the entire game. This seems like it can't be right to me, and at the very least, is terrible sportsmanship.

What does DCUM say?

[Anonymous]

Sketchy!

[Anonymous]

We came across a similar situation last year (we are in ODSL). I read the rules as saying you could use higher level team kids to supplement a "deficient roster," but wasn't sure what that meant and could not find any explanation. I am not sure if it means not 7 players (the minimum required), or that that the roster would be deficient if you lacked subs on a hot day, etc.

[Anonymous]

It's called Sandbagging. Same tactic as top level teams playing in lower divisions in tournaments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a question about etiquette for guest players. By way of background, we are the bottom team in our club, and played another team at the bottom of their club. They said they were bringing two guest players, because they didn't have enough (7 a side). However, in fact, they had 8 players from their regular team, and brought two guest players from the top team in their club, both of whom they played for the entire game. This seems like it can't be right to me, and at the very least, is terrible sportsmanship.

What does DCUM say?

Sounds like a Jill Ellis team. I am sure it is all about building the confidence of those top team players by any means necessary, including a less challenging environment. I agree 100% that it is sketchy. But your kids are better for it.

[Anonymous]

That’s standard practice in every club I’ve been a part of, in every sport.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, OP, and allowing it benefits large clubs because they always have teams from which to draw players.

I hate this from every angle. Hate playing a team that is supposed to be around your team's level and hearing later that four of the opponents were from the club's elite team that plays in a different league. And hate when my child is invited to guest player for a lower level team and is never subbed out--while others sit on the bench--of an easy win.

It makes me wish there was rule that you can only guest play kids from lower level teams unless you are completing a roster to prevent a forfeit.

[Anonymous]

I don’t have a problem with guest players if they are short for whatever reason. You can also bring in guest players from outside the club but I mostly see teams use guests from within.

So you were playing 9v9 and the opposing team had two guests to bring their total to 10? How many did your team have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have a problem with guest players if they are short for whatever reason. You can also bring in guest players from outside the club but I mostly see teams use guests from within.

So you were playing 9v9 and the opposing team had two guests to bring their total to 10? How many did your team have?

No, OP said they were playing 7v 7. The other team had 8 players plus two guest players for a total of 10 players, so 3 subs. Instead of having 1 sub with the original team so that everyone got plenty of playing time, the opposing team played the 2 guest players the whole game while the other 8 players had to sub in and out of the remaining spots. And let's say the same goalie was used the whole time that means 4 spots with 7 players- so some kids played only half the game. That is just wrong! This is why I would never pay for my kid to be on a C team in a big club.

[Anonymous]

It is 90 degrees if your child played this game recently. The team should have at least two subs if not three. You are overthinking this.

[Anonymous]

PP if the issue was the heat, why didn’t they ever sub out either of the ringers? It was equally hot for them as the rest of the kids, right?

[Anonymous]

DS is also on the lowest team at his club. On the (infrequent) occasions, when the team has needed guest players, they generally come from the next team up. On the first weekend of Spring Break, when all the teams seemed to be scrambling for players, we got a couple of guest players from two teams up. Our coach always starts guest players on the bench (assuming he can field a full team without them), and they get subbed in and out like everyone else. That seems like the fairest approach.

[Anonymous]

Not cool them subbing out the ringers. More so because I think it sends the wrong message to the other players. My DS has played on the 2nd team before and didn’t start and was treated as a regular sub. In addition I haven’t seen 1 or 2 “better” players make a huge impact. Just our experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP if the issue was the heat, why didn’t they ever sub out either of the ringers? It was equally hot for them as the rest of the kids, right?

Better endurance

[Anonymous]

I think having a full bench of subs is helpful for the team, the coach should probably have balanced their use more. It doesn’t matter what team the came from but a couple of very athletic kids can make a big difference in the game at this age.