Anonymous wrote:Did your child's coach sit many of the players out or did they rotate? DC on a team where most everyone shows up to every game and I'm not sure how it's going to work with 18 kids and only 11 on the field. Last year we had many kids on the bench and it was really unpleasant for everyone.

Last season ds was a U14 and played right and left back for 65-75 minutes a game. It was NPL and he was one of the stronger players on the team. He moved up to ECNL so I’m a bit anxious to see how he transitions.

Our club believes that play time should be close to evenly distributed until u15 and up

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

You belong at Rec then. They absolutely should guarantee playing time, and if they don't deliver, you've got a legitimate gripe. Not for travel though. Playing time is earned, not given.

Imagine being in bottom division of NCSL with a losing record and thinking “playing time is earned, not given” lol

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

You belong at Rec then. They absolutely should guarantee playing time, and if they don't deliver, you've got a legitimate gripe. Not for travel though. Playing time is earned, not given.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

It's travel soccer. It is a competitive environment and equal playing time is not guaranteed. That is the territory. If you want equal playing time, that is rec soccer. There is a gradient here though. With age and level, things get more competitive, so the disparities in playing time become more significant. This is exacerbated by larger rosters of course.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

I understand your point but if you player cant keep up and earn the game minutes its not fair to the team to play with anything but the most competitive line up. If your player needs more development training / practice is where that needs to happen. As you get older the focus is less about development and more about competitive play.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

Ha, ha. I can tell your kid is NOT on the top team!

Sorry, I disagree. If you are paying a club to develop your player, they should be getting playing time. If my player was not getting at least 50% playing time, I would talk to the coach, then the age group director, then the technical director.

Anonymous wrote:You have to realize the older you get the more competitive the play becomes. The better players will and should play most of the game. At u14 many times some kids will little or not at all some games. Minutes should be earned not expected. If you accept that everything will be fine and your player will compete to earn those minutes.

+1

Agree. And that was the big awakening switching to 11x11.

You have to realize the older you get the more competitive the play becomes. The better players will and should play most of the game. At u14 many times some kids will little or not at all some games. Minutes should be earned not expected. If you accept that everything will be fine and your player will compete to earn those minutes.

Do they rotate the wings more because they’re on the larger field/more running? Wondering if they’ll be a difference in 11 V 11 versus 9V9 on substitutions.

With 18 players, you can have a range from some players playing 1/3 of the game to some playing half, 3/4 or one or two playing the full game.

Mine played the entire game most games as center back, but there were three rotations of wings. There were players on the roster solely because there were no COVID cuts. Definitely big disparities in playing time.

Talk to the coach. More kids = more money = lesss play time.

We have the same issue on our U13. 18 kids for 11 V 11.

Did your child's coach sit many of the players out or did they rotate? DC on a team where most everyone shows up to every game and I'm not sure how it's going to work with 18 kids and only 11 on the field. Last year we had many kids on the bench and it was really unpleasant for everyone.