Anonymous wrote:So this is a normal travel team? Or “select”?

OP here - it's a normal travel team. They plan around the region, and tournaments, and a pretty good team too.

No, not everyone gets equal playing time. And the Coach's son is good, but I suspect its a vicious circle; you play better and more confident because you are in the game more, and thus there an interest in putting you in the game more. It is noticeable that some get more playing time than others (especially if the match is competitive) but it is especially noticeable that Coach's son plays more than the others.

This is not a parent volunteer, he is part of the coaching staff.

My point to him would be, try to develop all the players, and give your son a taste of sitting on the bench eager to get in. Either way, as a father/coach, we would want to be mindful of other players.

There is nothing you can do. This is what happens when the coach's son is on the team. Nobody in the history of sports has ever convinced a coach to play their kid less. Give.it.up.

Anonymous wrote:So,

Coach has a son who plays on the team. Interestingly enough while other kids are rotated out to give everyone playing time and or for strategic advantages, the Coach's son comes out rarely and only for short periods. What/How to say to coach "play fair" with time and rotation without creating a dust up? If you want everyone to progress and get better in game situations then they all need turns in game situations, and your son needs to sit the bench for stretches, just like everyone else.

I like the Coach, I don't think he's a bad guy, but I try to suggest some equity, it may go south for both of us, and I don't want to jeopardize my son's time, production, and integration with the team.

Welcoming ideas...

If this is a rec league there are likely equal playing rules already in place.

Parent coaches kids, especially in a rec environment, generally do get more playing time it is just the way it works. Not fair, not right but they will argue, "I volunteer to coach" and will play some form of moral high ground when in most cases they volunteer to coach specifically so that they have control over their kid's training.

It happens in rec all the time and as long as all
the other kids are getting the required amount of playtime (usually half the game for rec), then that’s just how it goes. Volunteering is a lot of work and it’s just one of the perqs.

I would honestly not take a spot on a travel team where the coach’s kid is also a player.
That is unusual and not going to end well.

So this is a normal travel team? Or “select”?

Our coach does this too, but it's not professional and I think it's the perk of volunteering. For a pro coach, I think either the parents band together or you switch teams. Complaining about it by yourself will not bode will for your child's future on the team.

So does everyone else get equal playing time?

It is unusual for a professsional/travel coach to also have a kid on the team. Weird.

Is it rec or travel?

Anonymous wrote:What age and are we talking professional coach or a parent? Travel or rec?

OP here. Professional coach, in the U10/U9 group... Parents can't volunteer.

Volunteer to coach. This is how youth sports works.

^^whoops, didn’t realize this is the soccer forum. Same situation with basketball though.

Same thing on our team. And he’s also a ball hog. Almost no one else on the court gets to touch the ball offensively when he’s on the court. But DH and I didn’t volunteer to coach, so I feel like we have to live with it. Some people volunteer to coach in order to have those perks, but it is a lot of time and work.

What age and are we talking professional coach or a parent? Travel or rec?

So,

Coach has a son who plays on the team. Interestingly enough while other kids are rotated out to give everyone playing time and or for strategic advantages, the Coach's son comes out rarely and only for short periods. What/How to say to coach "play fair" with time and rotation without creating a dust up? If you want everyone to progress and get better in game situations then they all need turns in game situations, and your son needs to sit the bench for stretches, just like everyone else.

I like the Coach, I don't think he's a bad guy, but I try to suggest some equity, it may go south for both of us, and I don't want to jeopardize my son's time, production, and integration with the team.

Welcoming ideas...