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[quote=Anonymous]Hi!   I have been involved in soccer for 45+ years, playing, coaching, reffing, managing and have focused on helping kids get better for a good part of the last 7 years.

I would say the kids "should" be rotated to all positions (excluding a few goalkeepers) until U13.  Usually it is coach dependent.  
Some coaches will only keep a few key players in central roles, like Attacking Center Mid, Defensive Center Mid and Center Back.  And they will largely rotate a few players for defensive wings/ wingbacks and rotate few players to play offense, such as striker or winger.  This is a typical game plan by coaches by U11.   The problem with this is, you are really only developing a few key players on the team and afraid to let other players work in those positions.  Coaches run the risk of not developing all the kids on the team.

Take a kid who only played striker, winger or defensive left/ right back.  Aside from the fact these are positions largely on the periphery of the formation and thusly do not get to handle the ball as often, these players are also substituted more frequently.

The 3 kids who are allowed to play in the 3 central positions are involved in most plays and usually not subbed out as much...they are in essence getting 2x the amount of play time a development as the rest of the team.

I would argue at the U11 level, equal playing time should be given to kids to play in the central positions.  This should be done to better develop players, even if it comes at the expense of taking the better players out/ out of a central role.

What good will a kid be if they play right winger all the time and when U13-U15 hits and their new teams/ coaches want them to play a different position?  They will have a hard time and possible fail at it, thusly, not get a starting sport where the team needs a player as they may already have 3 wingers.

So, to answer your question, positions are not set at all.  But if a coach plays some players in a central spot all season, they are doing it at the expense of the other team members and only concerned with wins or developing only a few players.   I would somehow request that all players get a chance to rotate.  And that rotation should be practiced during the practices leading up to game day.

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