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[quote=DCUrbanMom1][quote=Dcum1300][quote=westsidesoccer][quote=Dcum1300]We have a U10/11 DC that plays at one of the more competitive and successful clubs in the area for their age group. We were wondering what thoughts anyone had regarding staying with the current team next year and playing as a reserve with less playing time vs. playing on a top team for a smaller club and helping to lead that team with unlimited playing time. Practices and tournaments would be less competitive but gaining confidence and playing time are intriguing. [/quote]

If this is a function of his size, and he is a serious player, then go to a smaller club and team with more PT so long as coaches are good and teammates are good and play the right way.  [/quote]

Size isn't the main factor here as they are about average on size. Our DC just isn't quite as fast or aggressive as their very high end teammates. In our opinion still a very good player in their own right with the technical ability and enough athleticism to be one of if not the best player at the smaller club. Smaller club teammates are either not as technical or not as athletic whereas their current teammates are high end at both. Would the increased playing time and role possibly grow their aggressiveness with increased confidence? I guess we are concerned that if they stay in their current role, they will always have that mental hurdle.[/quote]

If I were you, I'd stay at your current club. We made the opposite move with our DC a couple years ago - went from a smaller club where he was the top player and got unlimited playing time to a large, way more competitive club, where he was more in the middle of the pack on his team. One thing that the change made me realize is how much the skill level of our DC's teammates matter. Your DC only plays 1 game per week for 60 minutes against another team, while they likely practice 3 times a week for 1.5-2 hours at a time with their teammates. I think they get a lot more from practice than whatever minutes they play during a game - whether that's 20 minutes or all 60 minutes of playing time. For us, making the move helped our DC improve way more than they would have at their smaller club because they were competing against better players 3 times a week. That's what made them more aggressive, more interested in improving, more focused during practice, etc. When they were coasting along at their old club, they could afford to be a bit lazy at practice and during games against lesser quality teams and it stunted their improvement quite a bit.

Of course, you gotta do what makes your DC happiest - especially at this age. So if not being "the best" and not getting a lot of playing time makes them sad/miserable or is taking the fun out of the game, then by all means make the switch. Not a huge deal at such a young age. Just be prepared for something akin to our experience where, once at the smaller club, they start to slow down a bit and the gap between them and the top players for their age across the various clubs widens.

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