SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Should Subsitutions Be Limited ?

I personally believe that they should because limiting subs will show the abilities of a player to perform for a full 80-90 minutes of a game. Subs, when they are not limited will depend on the coach whether if he is willing to sub or not. If he doesn't, the other coach has the opportunity to keep totally fresh players on the field for the whole game. Unfair, in a way i think so.

What is your view on it ?

...no

it's high school not the FA CUP! Kids, even terrible billy who can't do inside-inside, should get an oppurtunity to play. Afterall it is for THEIR benefit (the children). Helming teams are coaches, not managers. The kids are still learning the game and can benefit from a quick pull or sub to get some coaching points and a quick drink.

i agree. this is hs soccer and it really is an after school activity. Most hs teams carry as many players as they can just for the sake of giving kids the opportunity to compete in sports. There are many games that the score becomes so lopsided such as 10+ goal leads that as much as the starting line up as possible should be pulled out.

im not saying it has to be a limit of 3, but i have seen some teams that have subbed more than 20 players in and out. The thing is they don't sub to give the bad player playing time, but they put those other guys in for 5-10 minutes each time just to keep their starters fresh.

their should be a limit in hs soccer. Probably like maximum 10 subs a game. Some teams are taking advantage of the subbing and not using them wisely.

How come in wrestling.....the starters play the whole game?

With all due respect, what teams do you guys play for? Go tell Wando or Irmo or Riverside or BE that high school soccer is just an after school activity. The notion that soccer is just an after school activity at the high school level is ludicrous. I can name about 50 schools right off hand where soccer is not just an after school activity but a passion and is played at a high level. Yes, teams do use subs to give starters a breather or to melt the clock, but that means that coaches are free to use all the players on their bench if they choose. If you limit subs then less skilled players will have even less of a chance of playing. It will also be more difficult to get younger players valuable varsity playing time.

Also, if a very skilled team is playing a less skilled team and gets a big lead, then they usually like to empty the bench and get younger or less skilled players some valuable playing time while resting starters. If you limit subs, that will mean that more starters will have to be in for the duration of the game which will lead to even more ridiculous score lines. Look at how many times we talk about 10-0 score lines on this message board-- limit subs and prepare to discuss 20-0 score lines. Also be prepared to discuss more career ending injuries as those teams losing 15-0 get frustrated and start whacking opposing players.

Also, unlimited substitutions allow for schools where soccer is just an after school activity to allow more players to participate in that activity. If you limit subs, less skilled players on less skilled teams will see far less playing time. Sub patterns, when to rest starters and how to maximize your bench is all part of the high school game.

One more thing.... if you limit subs, then the player who got in for that 5-10 minutes of time to give the starter a rest will not get any time at all.

Who cares why he gets in the game? It is the coach's responsibility to make sure his team understands the importance of that player's role b/c without that bench player, the starter would not get a rest and would be dead with about 10 minutes to go in the game. However, since we can freely sub, we can use many bench players, those players do not have to play out of position (and thus risk a game changing mistake) and, usually, that bench player is younger or less skilled than the starter but they get the excitement of stepping on the field, whatever their role may be.

Why not limit the roster size for these teams? or is that already done. Does that not ulitmately limit the number of substitutions where you wouldn't have these whole team substitutions. Yes, teams will still runup the score but you can't control some of those jerks. I believe that endurance is a big part of soccer. You actually get to see the heart of a player as they dig for that last drop of energy in the final minutes. In additiion. Soccer is about building a team not just one player. However, if just anyone can participate even with substandard skills the respect "in terms of soccer" will be lacking. Thus, building your "team" will be limited by these perceptions. By this age the kids are playing for the honor of representing their school. Does it not reduce the prestige/honor if anyone can participate?

I always thought that it would really stink to be second string in wrestling. You never get to play. The guy ahead of you "plays the whole game".

If it is acceptable in wrestling, why can't it be acceptable in soccer? Limit substitutions to four per game, no re-entry, and make fitness a factor again. It should be an essential part of the game.

Many schools, especially larger ones, already limit roster size by having one or multiple cuts. But, a small school may only have 20 or so people come out for the team and may have a co-ed team. Limiting substitutions would limit those players' playing time as well.

Yes, soccer is, in part, an endurance game. But, at the high school level, i would disagree with measuring a players heart by making them stay in the game for 80 minutes b/c of limiting subs. A senior, 3 or 4-year starter can probably do that. But, a talented freshman starter may not be able to and may need to be subbed 1-2 times during the half for 3-4 minutes each time. That's when the bech player goes in.

At some point, with this age, it is not measuring the heart of a 14 year old, it could be a health issue. Come to Charleston in May and play a game and see if most of the team could go 80 minutes, at a level that will allow you to win the game, without being subbed.

Many schools, especially larger ones, already limit roster size by having one or multiple cuts. But, a small school may only have 20 or so people come out for the team and may have a co-ed team. Limiting substitutions would limit those players' playing time as well.

Yes, soccer is, in part, an endurance game. But, at the high school level, i would disagree with measuring a players heart by making them stay in the game for 80 minutes b/c of limiting subs. A senior, 3 or 4-year starter can probably do that. But, a talented freshman starter may not be able to and may need to be subbed 1-2 times during the half for 3-4 minutes each time. That's when the bech player goes in.

At some point, with this age, it is not measuring the heart of a 14 year old, it could be a health issue. Come to Charleston in May and play a game and see if most of the team could go 80 minutes, at a level that will allow you to win the game, without being subbed.

I've seen lots of posts on other parts of this site relating to improving the level of ability of our better players.
Limiting subs in HS play and club play would help. If you can name 7 and use 3 in every game, two things happen. First, players improve their stamina to be able to play a full 80/90 minutes.
Second, the 11 staters develop an understanding that becomes almost instinctive. Players know how their team mates think and play. When fully developed you can have players making passes to team mates without looking up, because they know that player will be there and is thinking just like him.
I also see that with multiple subs, players come in and out and often play in 2 or 3 different positions. Players should specialise, find their best position and concentrate all efforts at getting better in that position.
The point about blow out games is well taken. But the HS League can take that off the table by doing the sensible thing: have a mercy rule for soccer. If a team is up by 5 goals by half time, game over. If it goes into the second half, as soon as a 5 goal differential is reached, game over. I've seen teams come back from 3 down, but never 5.

It seems to me that both teams would be playing in the unbearable May time Charleston weather! With that said it comes down to more strategy by the caoches. If a coach wants to gamble on young man whose endurance is not as great as others than that is his choosing. Please don't tell me it is a health issue either the player is in condition and able to perform or not. I watched numerous games this summer in 104 degree weather by all age groups. Again, both teams are playing in it. Soccer should be a game of endurance. I did not say that you measured the heart of a player but had visibility into his heart in the later stages of a crueling physical contest. That is competition and this competition is what makes soccer so enjoyable to watch. I watched games this weekend where parents of players were upset that Johnny got hurt on a physical and fair play. Although, Johnny was playing up in age group the parents still had a problem with the big kid on the other side who was just playing hard. If a kid can't play at that level then they shouldn't play at that level. That is why you have different levels of competition (IE JV & Varsity).

ok, here's my situation....

I coach at a small 1A high school with some soccer talent. Due to the way that 4A regions are paired up, it is impossible for us to get 4A teams to play us in the regular season. There are only three 3A teams with soccer within 2 hours. Our region consists of 3 teams including us.

Now, in order to get a full schedule, we have to schedule certain teams. We have a JV, home and travel varsity squad. For us, it is very important to have younger players get experience and to get our starters off the field against some of those teams in order to prevent ridiculous score lines, give the starters rest and prevent critical players from getting whacked.

You are telling me that (with sub limitations), i have to 1. leave starters in longer increasing the margin of victory 2. risk injury to key players 3. not be able to get younger players valuable playing time and 4. not be able to call up JV or less skilled player to give them the excitement of playing in a varsity match.

well said voice of reason

how about this a compromise but a little complicated. at the beginning of every game you are given 5 subs. for every goal you are up or down by you are given an extra sub. so it encourages getting the better players off in blow outs such as games where one team is winning by 6+ goals and limits the use of wasting time in close games.

good try...i'm assuming you play somewhere where the score is usually ugly but not in your favor?

says he supports ben lippen there benp

UH OH INFAMOUS 1

oh...i know who he is, i didn't see that it said where he was from...thought i'd joke with him.

Goals, I'm not sure how much the adding subs with each goal may be a factor. While in theory it may seem like a good idea, realistically, the refs would have to keep track of subs and how many each team has left and whether or not injuries count as subs. Some teams might abuse the priviledge and might try to sub too many people in without the ref keeping track.

I agree with Bazza

Look, if you limit subs these are the results:

1. You improve good players, and nobody said that once you have a good lead you can put your subs in to get some playing time. There is a big difference between giving players on the bench playing time and USING them as a resourse to revamp your starters.
2. Team chemistry is extremely important in a soccer game. You can't just keep subbing players in and expect them to have a good flow throughout the game.
3. Stamina is essential to build a performance player because without stamina and the ability to manage your pace through a game will make a player totally worthless.
4. Usually if the score reaches 7-0 the refs step in and tell your team to slow down on the scoring. That is when you put in your subs and make them work on possession skills. Hard ? I don't think so.
5. High school is supposed to be preparation for the future. If some of your players are set on playing for colleges, subbing them out constantly is not the way to go. College soccer is just high school soccer brought to a more sensible and faster pace with no room for errors. IF you want to play for a college soccer team and a scout is watching you get subbed out every 10 minutes, I'm sorry to say but after the first 2 subs in the game, the scout will leave thinking about how much time he waisted.

Star, the only thing I'm going to comment on your post is your fifth argument. In reality, how many high school players in one year are going to play for their college? Maybe one. If that is true, then those players shouldn't be subbed out. Besides, even if a team is winning 10-0, they may sub some bench players in, but they usually keep at least one or two good players in to ensure the shutout. If this college level player is good enough, he probably won't be subbed. Also, scouts usually go to more competitive games, at least so I've seen in the past. Plus, if you're good enough, you can walk on, regardless of being recruited or not.

Are you suggesting we make a rule to change the game or are we suggesting we make a rule to correct the game that has already been changed?

Please remember, no one is saying you can't give young players a chance. As someone else has already pointed out, you can use the 3 subs available to you if you want to give someone a run out and you are comfortable with it. You just have to be more cautious in when and how you do it in case you get an injury after you've used your 3rd sub like Chelsea did in last years FA Cup against Newcastle.
Also you can start these players. Although most teams will start with their strongest 11 in competitve matches, they can start some of the more inexperienced players in games that are seen to be less competitive.
Also I have found that if you have this limitation, the fringe players try harder in practice to impress to get a starting position, and always try harder when they do get the chance to show what they can do. Those chances will come every season. Players will get injured, suspended, lose form, or be on vacation. There will be plenty of time and opportunity for non-starters to get a chance.
Usually if they are up to it they grab that chance with both hands and then you have something that any coach loves to have: Competition for starting places.!!!!

I don't think you need to specialize in high school. It's better to become a well-rounded player. Ever heard of John Wilson? Played striker in high school for Seneca. Played in the back for the Battery and DC United.

Look if a team subs constantly and the players of that team know that, what motivation do they have during practice to become better? Is it to try and get a starting position, but oh wait, they get subbed in on the 15th minute of every game and play for a good 20 minutes, does that encourage a player to play to his full potential ? It's not necessarily the subs that i'm worried about here, its player morale and a players ability to gain improvement each practice because of that extra effort they give to impress the coaches. As for running 3 miles a day, that should be a usual thing during soccer practices, you may not realize you run 3 miles every practice, but you do, it's not a rule, its a natural thing.

How about we try this: Substitution on the fly!
Like in hockey. A player runs over to the bench and another runs onto the field. We would have to have another ref (the fourth official) to keep track - but we should have them anyway. Of course there would be unlimited subs. This opens up a whole new strategy, especially when pulling someone from the other side of the field that doesn't want to come off.

On the fly substitutions could help the game flow better, make it faster. Just my thoughts.

I agree well said voice of reason.

Hurst - How can you even compare wrestling to soccer? I don't see your point. It is a known fact that you DO NOT sub in a wrestling match. You can not call time out in a match and sub. You can though at weigh ins (dual matches) weigh in two kids at one weight class and choose who wrestles at the time of that particular match. Normally (at least a lot of years ago when I wrestled)prior to weekely wrestling matches if you had multiple kids in one weight class you had a wrestle off in practice. The winner wrestled varsity. Wrestling at most part is an individual sport. You can't sub, you can't depend upon Johnny to back you up.

Coach Cady,

I completely agree with your recommendation, and have lobbied for that for years. The problem for coaches and players is as you stated, how do you assign left and right backs and midfielders? Normally it's based on who's left footed, but now it would be based on fitness. I know many of my players can play on either side, and often ask me to play on either the coach's side or the parents' side, depending on their disposition. With on-the-fly substitutions, that would add a whole new decision point. I would however love to spend a few practices coaching quick line changes, and even more importantly pushing our advantage during the other team's line change.

But I doubt that we'll ever get a fourth official for HS games. I'm sure that some of our favorite refs in the 2 whistle system could easily cover the task of watching subs from whatever spot on the field they've set up camp. It's not like they're distracted with watching the flow of the game or anything...

(Oops, sorry. I resolved for the New Year not to speak negatively of officials.)

"LINE CHANGE"

That just brings more confusion into the game, soccer should stay like soccer and not try to bring in rules of other sports, that's what makes soccer original.

ok i think that teams should be able to have a total of 4 substitutions a game and at half time they can change up the line as much as they want. if strategy comes into play then their should be two substitutions a half and an unlimited amount at half.

as for injuries a substitution wouldnt count if and only if they replace the one injured player.

not a bad thought there swansea, i kinda agree with the 2 per half and unlimited at the half

however i think injuries should count for a substitution but only if the player who is injured is NOT returning for the rest of the half, if it is just a temp, i don't think it should count as a sub

An injury is unexpected, you never know when one will happen just keep the game like it is. I say substitutions should stay the same for high school soccer.

Brilliant topic star 11. What a great discussion.
I think that if a team has exhausted it's subs and may substitute on an injury, we may start seeing some (more?) fabricated injuries late in some tight, often very important games.
It's important to note that what was suggested was a limit on substitutions, not an elimination. What effect any new rule may have would depend on how stringent it is. If we allowed only 2 subs per game then we would see a lot of lopsided scores, injuries, etc. But if we limited a player to come off the field only twice in a game before returning or limited substitutions to 4-6 per half we would see a lot of players playing and learning to play through moments of fatigue and we would see a lot of coaches giving differnt sorts of consideration to how and when they substitute.
Also, I'm not sure the SCHSL would have the authority to make such a change or if it would have to be made at the national level.

Limiting subs will not accomplish anything in HS soccer.If you limit subs, but don't count injuries every player will come done with an injury. If you limit to 2 subs per game why would you ever need to dress more than 13 players.

Thanks for the praise Edmund. CCsoccer, what i'm trying to say is that with the 2 subs per half, it would take off tired players, if there was to be an injury and it was for the whole game, it would count as a sub, however if it was a temporary one where a player would come in for a few minutes till the injured has recovered, it would not be counted as a sub. But thinking about i think that would be complicated in ruling whether a player is eligible to play for the whole game or not. So how about 3 substitutions during each half, and unlimited at the end of the first half. That sounds fair to me. I also like Edmund's theory of a player being limited to coming off the field twice but the thing is that it would be a major stress on the officiating crew on keeping up with who has been on and off. I think the 3 subs during a half and unlimited at the half is a perfect solution. (it could be more but i'm just making a generalized statement on the topic).
CCsoccer also to reinforce the main idea of the topic, limiting subs will accomplish a lot in high school soccer, it tests the players stamina and their ability to perform through a rough time instead of just releaving himself everytime he feels tired. A good example is let's say you are a A school and you are playing a AAAA school, you have 16 players total, while the AAAA team has 30 players total. Now let's say that the skill level of all players on both teams are equal. With the current rule of unlimited substitutions, if you see your players get tired, and you only have 5 people on the bench it is going to be hard to keep fresh players on the field, now the AAAA school will rotate their whole team out almost in rounds of 3 every 5-8 minutes, whose team do you think will last longer, yours or theirs ? I hope you can relate to what i'm trying to express through this topic here, with limiting substitutions it will bring teams to an even playing field and test out their skills in stamina and so forth and their ability to play for 80-90% of the game in good condition.

Star

I know of plenty AAAA teams who dont have 30 quality players on the team. South Aiken comes to mind from last year as does Northwestern and Dorman. Having watched all three teams play last year, most starters played 70-80 mins a game (at least in the close games). Their coaches obviously stressed being fit and made very few changes. Do you think players like Geathers and Arroyo, etc came off the field in close matches?

Some coaches dont even sub the first half. If any limits on the subs it should only be the second half. They shouldn't limit substitutions, they are part of the game.

sorry about my last statement i meant to take off the last sentence* sorry

to Loc Dog what i didn't mean that your team had to be of superstars like geathers, i was talking about having the basic skills, i think it should be limited, not so much as to be ridiculous, but to set a reasonable amount

It should be unlimited.

first of all, not one person on here has said how you would handle the lopsided games with subbing logically. Because of region games, there will always be lopsided scores. When you are a better team and you play teams like LR, OW, Rock Hill, Marlboro Co., Hartsville, etc., it allows some of your bench players to get considerable minutes. Your starters still get their run, but then some of the kids who dont play much, if any, in the big games get a chance to show what they can do. If you limit subs then you limit some of these players minutes.

Secondly, why is unlimited substituting an advantage? I think leaving players in the match is better than having these line changes, which I have seen very little of. the good teams tend to get in a flow and want very little changes to stay in it.

Thirdly, by limiting subs, will that really make everyone match fit? Or will it just slow down the pace of the game? Teams will just sit in more and counter even more than they already do if they are not fit.

Lastly, high level club players, ie premier and challenge level, are not asked to play 90 mins or sit, so why should a high school player who may only play during the high school season be asked to do something different? Lets be real, only at the big schools are they getting 18-20 soccer players if they are lucky. Do you think Heise is getting that many soccer players? some years he might, others he definitely is not.

i understand what you are saying but limiting subs would help create better plays and get a few that plan for college ready for a college like atmosphere. we can argue about this all day but for a change to happen like this it would be national and that would just make to much of a problem. so the verdict is that until subbing becomes a problem nothing about the rule will change

As I see it, a HUGE problem with limiting substitutions would be the officials keeping track of it. In college there is a fourth official. Now, I haven't coached, or been, to a high school game in 4 years, but when I did coach, we sometimes had trouble getting 2 refs at a game (and I coached in Greenville County). I think it would be very hard to get a third or a fourth official. I have seen very few competent high school officials so it may be asking a lot to have the ones in the center keep track. Just my opinion.

that's y the 2 subs per half and unilimited at the half is a perfect option, i don't think it would be a burden on 1 ref to keep track of 2 subs per team per half, at halftime its unilimited so they wouldn't have to worry about it

once again my idea about 2 subs a team each half and unlimited during half would be perfect. its simple and not very hard to follow and the only way this would work is if the rules were changed on a national scale.

idk but i think my statements about the substitutions has been my first good comments on this forum in a long time. everything else has been actual argueing with others on how good i think swansea actually is. a change is in due process, i will continue to contribute to forums only when i express my opinion and ill try not to drag swansea into it unless it is relevant. (man i think i spelled a few words wrong.) just gimme this one last post...SWANSEA TOP TEN IN 2A. thats my last swansea comment. i bid you fellows goodbye.

I believe you mentioned preparing the players for college by limiting subs. How does the come into play for Swansea? I just don't see how you personally would want to limit subs for college purposes?

omg i was saying for athletes that plan on going to college to play, not people from swansea. well so far we actually already have one person who has committed

Committed what? Suicide? Bull St? Grand theft? You swansea boys kill me.

Many of you keep ignoring what this may do to score lines and injuries. Someone, anyone, who is interested in limiting subs please address the following points....

1. As the score line approaches 6, 7, or 8 to 0, a coach will normally empty his bench. Limiting subs to 2 per half will keep the starters in through the second half. It is easy to limit subs at the college or international level b/c score line rarely approach 3-0, much less 8-0.

2. As those starters stay in the game and the game that may end at 7-0 with mostly JV players in the game for the one team, begins to approach 15-0, and the losing team gets even more frustrated. As they get more frustrated and begin to foul harder and harder, it is impossible, with limited subs, to get players out of the game. Yes, i can instruct my players to pass and move quicker, but that still does not stop an opposing player from two-footing my player from behind when he does not have the ball. We could also begin to "fake" injuries but that makes your limited subs rules even more ridiculous-- when we would normally just sub a player, we now have to fake an injury to get that player out. The opposing coach can even instruct his players not to take it personally, but in the end, we are talking about kids who may be losing by 10+ goals. Even if the other team does not score any more goals, they are still keeping possession and "toying with" the other team. This will create even more animosity.

3. As younger, talented players realize that they are not going to get playing time at the varsity level, they will begin to gravitate back to club soccer. With only 2 subs per half, how am i supposed to get talented, but young, players meaningful playing time??

like i said unlimited subs at half. i dont think a game will explode to 8-0 after half time. all the coach would have to do is sub in his desired less talented players for the starters all at the same time. the coach would still have one substitution left.

Voice of Reason:
I'll answer those points for you. The High School League should address the first 2 in that they need a mercy rule. If there is a 5 goal differential by half-time, game over. If it reaches 5 in the second half, game over. They should do that now regardless of changing the laws re: subs. Don't forget, you can still use 3 subs.
As for "younger talented players" they will always get a chance, and if they are that talented, they can get a starting job for themselves. It should motivate them to improve both in practice and when they do get on the field, instead of sulking on the sidelines like a lot of them seem to do.
Someone also mentioned refs keeping track, limiting subs to 3 per team all game is easy. All score cards that the refs use have 3 lines at the bottom for subs. Just record them as they happen, that's easy.

While i do disagree with the above points, at least someone stepped up and addressed the issues. The mercy rule will never happen, and if it begins to gain momentum, i hope it is enacted long after my coaching career is finished.

As i think about more, substitutions at the college level are unlimited. If you are considering limiting subs, then consider the college rule-- there are unlimited subs in the first half but once a player comes out, they cannot re-enter. There are unlimited subs at half time. In the second half, a player is allowed to come out and re-enter once.

Personally, i do not think that sub limits of any kind have any place in high school soccer. I think the substitution strategy is part of what makes high school soccer so much fun. Also, this topic was originally brought up b/c one person was concerned that less skilled players were only playing 5-10 minutes per game. If you limit subs to any degree, then those players will begin to receive no playing time at all. Then, that same person will be arguing that players are put on the team to simply "fill the roster".

Voice of Reason, in my opinion, playing time is determined from you how you perform at practice. At practice you can tell which players are serious about improving and the ones that think they have a starting spot and just slack off. In my opinion, no matter how excellent a player is, if he doesn't act like he wants to play at practice, i as a coach (if i was one) would sit him on the bench for a couple of games to make him realize that he has to fight for a spot. Unlimited subs just doesn't encourage players that know they don't have a starting spot to play harder, and i mean the 2 subs per half, unlimited at the half is just a generalized suggestion its not something i want to appoint, its an idea from which we can look at and come up with something that will be beneficial to all players. The mercy rule should only be applicable to the second half, teams can make a come back from 3-5 goals, i know its not hs soccer but just look at AC Milan and Liverpool, reason i say that is because of the caliber of AC Milan and their failure to secure an already won game. I think if the goal differencial is 5 goals with 10-15 minutes left in the game, the refs should be able to decide whether the opposing team has a chance of a comeback, and if they don't just call the game earlier, it saves humiliation of the other teams and it prevents the losing team from creating injuries to players of the winning team for no apparent reason. I think refs are slack for the majority of the time in controlling games and issuing cards yellow or red. They just give warnings and it's pointless. I've seen some teams, i won't mention who, that play american football on the field when they're losing just because they feel they don't have pride to play for, it's really kinda sad lol. But i mean i hope you understand why i started this topic, limiting subs i guarantee you will show changes in scorelines to at least 40% of teams in South Carolina High School Soccer, i know we can't go watch all the games but if we could look at stats of a game like subs made and all that i'm sure we could tell the difference.

Star,

From all of your posts, it sounds like you have an issue with your individual coach. Most of what you point out can be handled by the coach. Take it up with him, or her as the case may be.

the point you mentioned about with 10 minutes left in the game is a good idea. i know that the ref at our game stopped it 10 minutes early cause of the score. it was against columbia

Individual coach, no, i don't have problems with my coach, i'm just talking about a substitution rule and how changing it will and definitely affect outcomes of games. if i had a problem with my coach i would talk to him, but he can't change the rule, he will listen to me but then what ?... that's right lol
i just wanted to get opinions of other people about how they would feel if this were to happen.
so what do u think about it Bear, limit subs?

Well, I have just read this whole topic and am going to take a gander at it.

Firstoff, limiting subs would make the High School game so much more enjoyable to me. High School varsity soccer is not a game where the goal is to get everyone playing time. We have rec league for that. The 2 subs per half and unlimited at halftime is perfect (I would suggest 3 per half however). Limiting subs would increase the competitiveness greatly. Like star said, players would be constantly challenging eachother for starting spots. Personally, as a high school player, I enjoy a challenge in keeping my spot. Moreover, I hate to be subbed, even when I am injured or extremely tired.

Also, I think that the games would actually be lower scoring with this type of subbing. If teams only get 3 subs, then the starters are naturally going to pace themselves better and not be so aggressive. The way we have it now allows the starting 11 to quickly score many goals on weaker teams and then be subbed out to rest, only to later release more onslaught.

Limiting Subs would slow the game down and create more strategy in how key players should be subbed. This would create a playing environment closer to the European style, which is what we aspire soccer to be like in this country. Am I right?

I'll go back to an earlier post by "the voice of reason" - "You are telling me that (with sub limitations), i have to ... 4. not be able to call up JV or less skilled player to give them the excitement of playing in a varsity match." If your JV & Varsity boys travel together as they do this year in Reg VII 4A, your JV players probably will not be able to play Varsity b/c they will have just played in the JV game.

Star,

Limit Subs? From my perspective, no.

"Limiting subs would increase the competitiveness greatly. Like star said, players would be constantly challenging eachother for starting spots."

What programs do you know where bench players do not care to challenge for a starting spot? I would like to transfer to this school so I could just rest on my laurels. As far as I have seen, it still means something to be a starter. Players take pride in earning a starting spot. Substition rules have nothing to do with it.

The posts on this thread make it sound like high school soccer is a substitution exhibition with a little soccer in between. Does this happen? Do coaches sub 6 or 7 people at a time? Do coaches sub after 10 minutes?

In a competitive contest, the starting 11 play the majority of the game. From what I have seen substitutions are made based on strategy or fatigue but when two quality programs battle it out, the players that have earned their starting spot also earn continued playing time by the play in the game. I would assume most are in match condition to play at least 70 minutes of the match.

In non-competitive contests, the players are still in match condition, they are not going to slow down because of fatigue. In some regions, as many as 40% of the games are a mismatch. Give the starters a run because they have earned the chance to play and then let the subs and JV players step have a chance.