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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My son is a U12, and the coach generally plays him as a left back, which he's pretty good at.  He's not a big or tall kid, but somehow, seems to be a good fit for the position.  He doesn't mind being a defender, but wants to get some experience in the midfield (not interested in striker or wing, and not right of those positions either, but wants to try any of the midfield positions).  The problem is, our team has kids who are good as forwards, but only one other kid who is good at defense (a right back), and so generally, DS and this kid are always defenders.  The great thing is that they both pretty much get 100 percent playing time, but the downside is that they never get to try other positions.  DS has asked to try midfielder, and has been allowed to in scrimmages, but never in a game.

Any advice?[/quote]

unfortunately, travel coaches care more about winning every last game than about player development.

keep asking, and if your son starts to be frustrated, find a new team.  it isn't your problem that the other kids aren't versatile.[/quote]

This is a deal breaker for us this year.

My kid was Center D all last year at U11--even after politely asking the coach multiple times to try a new position.  He is a very technical player with high soccer IQ.  The very few times he came out of the game the team would pretty much collapse with somebody else there. The problem is that I don't even believe it's my son's strongest position and he likely won't have Center D height down the road.  He was a prolific goal scorer and tons of assists even in midfield.  But, he started losing his finishing ability after an ENTIRE year only in the back.  Parents on the team were happy with him in that position and voiced it often.  It began to piss me off because he never got a chance elsewhere while the other kids did and it definitely was affecting the love of the game for him.

This year, new Coach.  He started getting a lot of time at center mid and was ecstatic and performing very well.  But, last few games he is once again only at Center D.  I think they do put him there when they think it will be a tough team.  It's frustrating because there is a finishing problem up front and with him in the back it becomes a defensive game instead of coming out on the attack.  Recently, there was a 0-0 game until half---they finally moved him up to mid and he had a hat trick in 10 minutes.  But, now that he is solely in the back again he said to me on the way to the car:  "It's not even fun anymore since I only ever get to play defense".

It's a developmental club yet they seem to stick these kids in spots and never move them.  The striker has never been moved in a single other position for the past 2.5 years no matter how he is performing.

Seeing that it is killing the love of the game for my kid and also hurting his attacking abilities---we will be looking for a new team this spring.  [/quote]

If the club you are at is truly developmental, game results should not be the focus.  You seem very focused on results.  Center backs need to have great field vision and the ability to take balls out of the air, defend well and make the right play (on the ground, to feet) under pressure.  On a 9v9 field, it is THE key position.  When your kid moves to 11v11 next year, those skills also translate well to the holding mid (or even attacking mid).  Also--on a small 9v9 field, he should be able to pick his spots and get involved in the offense.  At U12, he can certainly carry the ball into space and get chances on net from outside of the box.  The more versatile your player is, the better off he will be when it turns into "real" soccer down the road.

Your frustration makes me think that you are not thinking long term about your player's development.  [/quote]

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