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[quote=Anonymous]My opinion is that at U10, players should be able to play two different field positions well.

That's good that the kids are playing all positions in training and scrimmages to start out with.

Assuming the team is playing 7v7, the possible "slots" for field positions would be:

Left / Right Back 
Left / Center / Right Midfield
Left / Right Forward

Every player will have one natural position that they are very good at. The coach should be searching out each player's "second best" position and give them enough playing time in that position for the player to become highly reliable when playing there. This makes each player more versatile/dynamic, and also creates depth for the team. That could mean splitting playing time 50/50, 60/40, or even 66/33, between the player's best and second best positions.

Those 2 defenders should also be splitting time in another position, even if its 66/33. I know the pain of moving your best defenders out of position, but its important to give other kids experience there too, otherwise in the long run, your team will have no depth at that position. Maybe keep one of them at defense while the other one rotates out.

Sometimes players develop comfort zones on one side of the field, they need to play the same position on the opposite side of the field (but I would not count that as a true "second position" because the role is exactly the same. The only difference is they may have to use their non-dominant foot more often, which is good for their development.

L/R backs should be 100% interchangeable 
L/R mids should be 100% interchangeable
L/R forwards should be 100% interchangeable

So to answer the question, in competitive situations (league, tournaments) if the players are getting significant playing time in 2 different positions, that's satisfactory.

When it comes to the goalies, each player should spend one half in goal (lets say there are 12 players, so each player should get a half over the course of 6 games). The problem is, there are just going to be players at that age who are very ineffective goalkeepers, make unintentional mistakes (kicking right to the other team on goal kicks, running out of the goal, etc) because they don't know anything about the position, and then you also lose them as a field player during that time.

So if you had to rank your players 1-12 in ability level, its hard to justify putting any of your top players or even your mid-range players in goal when they are semi-clueless there, plus they don't have any special interest in playing GK, and then are not playing a field position either.

The domino effect is that the only 2 players who are playing GK are having their development short-changed because they are in goal all the time. In rare cases a player will specialize in GK at that age, but it may be because a parent was an experienced goalkeeper and the child really wants to play there. If a player really expressed a lot of interest in playing goal at U10, I'd say give them half a game at most in goal, get them some GK training through the club... but they are not locked in to GK forever by any means.

On one hand, at U10, the games do not matter at all in the long run. Zero. Results mean nothing.

On the other hand, the weekend game is something all the kids look forward to all week, the parents look forward to it all week, and you as the coach are planning for in practices all week. Every family that is going to be at the game has put off other plans and is going to make a drive plus the hour of getting a 9 year old ready just to make this game happen.

So when you get out there as a coach, you're probably not going to say "hmmm I think I'll just stick every player in their weakest position so they learn what areas they need to develop more". (you might do that in a scrimmage, though).

Generally you will start the game off with the strongest starting lineup with the players in their strongest playing positions. Once the game begins, you will be able to tell if:

1) Your team will dominate
2) Your team is slightly better
3) This will be an evenly contested, competitive match-up
4) The other team is slightly better
5) The other team will dominate

I don't think about this consciously when I'm coaching, but in the back of my head, I have a sense what type of game its going to be, and then I rotate players around according to what type of game we're in.

With 1 and 5 games, the result of the game will already be determined in the first 10 minutes, so I will rotate players in different positions all over the place because no meaningful result is within reach for the lesser team, and the game should be used as a learning experience

With 2 and 4 games, I will rotate players into different positions here and there to see if I can create matchup advantages in different parts of the field, to plug a hole that the other team keeps exploiting, or to see if a player can make an impact on the game if I place them here or there on the field.

With 3 games, I will play the players in their best positions that they are most comfortable in, and because the game is so tight, the level of competition brings out the best of their ability and they can improve their level of play this way. They may play a little in other positions, but most of their playing time will be spent in their best position.

During the course of a league season, you will have a range of different types of games, so its up to the coach to adjust.

With post-season tournaments (only do 2-3 tourneys a year at younger ages anyway), you do play to win with players in their best positions until the game becomes a 1 or 5, then at that point you use it as a learning experience and start rotating players around more.

This is just my opinion, I know others would disagree with me and say that every player should play every position in league games. At U10, I'm satisfied as a coach with them being reliable in 2 positions.[/quote]

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