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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wonder why the same kid got invited again and again, Those same face get invited for everything! [/quote]

That sucks for the morale of the team.  What events were they selected for?

(It is a pet peeve when the Coach or Club, concentrates on developing just a few players at the expense of the rest of the players and keeps re-selecting the same players for event.  Parents notice right away and it is irritating.  It kills morale. A lot of people feel like the rest of the team is just the practice squad for the chosen players.)[/quote]

Honest question. How does the club only focus on developing a few players? Do they not have the players participate in the same drills? [/quote]
There are many ways that players are favored even during drills. [b]Coaches choose which players are neutrals, who rotates where, and who gets most reps in drills. When there is a demonstration which players are chosen to do it?[/b] Which players are given encouraging positive feedback vs which are always negative. We’ve all seen coaches who are constantly calling out bad plays by some players but never when the bad play is from their favorites. The rest of the team sees it and grows to resent it. [/quote]

+1
I’m at a u13 GA Club and this is already becoming apparent. 2nd year with club, same coach…. This kind of thing develops a few players over the other players.  These small coaching biases absolutely add up over time.  Seen this exact thing first hand.   Without a doubt, the coach has already picked 3 players to nominate for next year and is developing them more now in multiple small ways… play the neutral, used repeatedly for examples, lots of praise, allowed them to re-try dribbling attempts in ‘scrimmages’, picked to guest play up more, invited to skills clinics, paying for lots of private training, coaches giving obviously more feedback before/ after practice.  All these things add up.

Most parents have stopped watching practice, but it’s noticeable if you do watch and pay attention.  [/quote]

[b]Honest question: why is it better for development to play the neutral?[/b][/quote]

Good question. Let’s use a small scrimmage as an example.

In this setup, the [u]neutral player[/u] wears a different-colored pinnie from both teams. Their role is to primarily operate in the middle of the field and play for both sides. Each time possession changes, the neutral player immediately looks to receive the ball and make a pass for the team that just won possession.

For younger players, this role is a clear visual signal — it shows who the coach expects to work the hardest during practice. The neutral player is constantly involved, touching the ball on almost every play. This helps them develop soccer IQ and 360-degree awareness much faster than others. They’re always checking their shoulder, receiving under pressure, and passing quickly.

By contrast, players on the outside — defenders, wingers, and strikers — naturally touch the ball far less and therefore develop game awareness more slowly. In fact, they might get 75% fewer touches than the neutral player in a single session.

When coaches consistently select the same players to be neutrals, it sends a strong message: these are the coach’s “trusted” players. Those players also benefit the most, improving two to three times faster than the rest — not exactly the best message to send to 11–14-year-olds. It’s like everyone pays the same fee, but only a few get most of the value and development time.

Our coach occasionally rotates in new neutral players, but if they make a few mistakes, they’re usually switched back out for the regular neutrals who are already comfortable in that role.[/quote]is the coach communicating clearly with his team the measurements of comparison?! If not this
Coach and his neutral approach is a crock of bullsh.  This assessment approach should be clearly conveyed in a slidedeck 1st team meeting. Otherwise there is no transparency.[/quote]

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