SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP There's no "I" in team......but everyone wants to play!

Playing time vs. playing at the highest level. One of the great conflicts to manage as a parent of a soccer player.

My son wants to play at the absolute highest level he possibly can. I asked him if he had to choose.....between being the 14th man on a Premier team versus being the man on a lower level team....and he said he would rather be on the Premier team.

I can't picture that. But thats his take.

I think a player probally earns his/her playing time during the weekly training. If a player works at the highest level over the course of a season, and has trouble getting on the field, they probally need to re-think their options. I think local G'ville coaches are fair to a fault about playing time. I would also be more concerened about quality training than game minutes.

No child wants to sit the bench but if it means being on the winning team then some are alright with it but as they get older their attitudes do change and really what fun is watching your team play from the sidelines...Everyone usually falls into place over time..Some just want it more than others..

I think everyone needs to make sure their priorities are straight. Everyone wants to maximize player development and maximize winning. Administrators, DOC's, coaches, players and parents all need to be on the same page. The club soccer experience works best when everyone's level of expectations are closely aligned.

sweet, you are absolutely right about quality training (player development). But when push comes to shove, and the coach feels either pressured or compelled to get a victory....sometimes the player who works the hardest, has the most skill and is most technically and tactically aware.....doesn't get on the field.

Sometimes the coach turns to the "athletic" player. As the stakes rise, often Bigger, Faster, Stronger wins.

And let's not forget the WILL to win..or what we want to call IT..Some players have it and some don't. And this is something that I believe can not be taught..Some players also perform well at practice but struggle in games or under the pressure of game time..

The Will To Win....good point.

Imagine if you could get 11 "gamers" on the same team? Especially with the girls.....11 "chicks with an attitude!"

Development never stops and if it does, you have a coach that has lost sight of many things.

Hurst, you are right...will to win.

If kids want playing time and they aren't getting it, then they need to try and earn it at anything that is classic and higher level.

Been watching this thread for a while; lots of good stuff here. There are good points on all sides; I personally think there has to be a balance between the immediate need to win matches and the long view of developing players.

Development ending at U12-U13? Deliver us from short-sightedness. There is still a lot to be done well past that age. Fact is, until a player turns pro--strike that, until a player RETIRES, there's always a "next level" to prepare for. So, if a player hasn't reached the top of their potential by the onset of puberty, we relegate them to the Land of the Lost Causes? Some of the best players I've seen have hit their stride much later. I think some coaches may miss out on some great players by forgetting that development can still happen even at the higher levels; sometimes the player who isn't dropped into someone's lap ready to play in the World Cup is pushed aside instead of pushed to excel.

Playing time, though...now that's a tough one. How do you balance player development with the responsibility you feel to the team to secure the win? No doubt, time on the field in real competition is the best way to develop players. I coached a U17 Classic team (yeah, I know, I'm not talking Premier League here, but I also don't think that's the only league worth discussing) last year that spent most of our season with only 12 players on the roster; we played a lot of games with 11 or even 10. We didn't win a lot of games in the regular season, but with everyone playing almost every minute of every game...the progress over the season was impressive. By the time we hit State Cup, we were taking teams that beat us 4-0 and 5-1 at the beginning of the season to 0-0 draws. A lot of that had to do with what CHT and Hurst mention as the "will to win"...the motivation of players who have something to prove can be nothing short of amazing.

Another consideration, even if we put winning ahead of or on par with development, is depth of the bench. A coach might play his "favorites" 98% of the time to get the wins, but what happens when we have an injury or an absence and there is nobody battle-tested to fill the gap? Nothing prepares a player for competition quite like competition--practice only goes so far. Getting a second-string player some valuable field experience when opportunity presents itself may make the difference between winning and losing if the first-string player can't take the field.

The last thing I'll mention is one of those intangible factors that can make the difference between skilled athletes and winners--love of the game. Players are at their best when they love what they do. Give them a chance to shine, and sometimes a player will surprise you...relegate them to the bench with no hope of putting all that practice into action--or experiencing the thrill of the competition--can take the love of the game right out of them.

Don't get me wrong...competitive sports are about competition. I only know one way to play...you play to win. Playing time isn't guaranteed at that level, and the players on the field should be the ones who can help the team to a victory. Still, PT should be something everyone has the opportunity to EARN...something worth working for, something worth training for, something worth developing for. I say play to win, and coach to win...but the short-sighted victory can lead to the long-term loss, and vice versa.

I always say, it's not how you start out...it's how you finish. That's where development comes in, no matter what the level. And make the game worth loving for those involved...otherwise, what's the point?

"Development ending at U12-U13? Deliver us from short-sightedness. There is still a lot to be done well past that age"

While I agree with this....I'll stick to my original premise that starting at about u13, if your child plays at the highest level, understand that its all about results and that coaches and clubs will be measured by State Cup performance, Region 3 performance, R3PL performance, Disney, CASL Shootout, WAGS, etc etc

Everyone talks about training versus games and that is such an adult perspective. The reality is, the training makes you a better player but the games validate your position within the team hierarchy. How and where you stack up...is typically more important to a kid than the solitary pursuit of getting better for getting better sake.

If your son or daughter is on one of these teams....and is a 13th-14th player or lower....you probably understand that.

Coach....I agree with you on just about everything else.

Very good points.

As the player, who may show exceptional ability, moves up the ladder and on to the highest level teams....competition becomes stiff. If the team is only carrying 13 or 14 players, most of the the time this player will have an opportunity to get quality minutes on the field. If the team is carrying 17 or 18 players it becomes a little different. It's very difficult for a coach to make wholesale substitutions, and get 6 or 7 substitutes quality minutes, if the coach is primarily focused on winning the game.

The problem often arisies, at the higher level, when the perceived difference between the player getting the playing time, and the player sitting the bench, is extremely marginal. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that's why the coach gets paid the big bucks. Tough decision.

I believe it's also up to the player and parent to figure out when it might be the best time to step down to another team where you can get the playing time you need (or feel you deserve). On the college level it's called transfering, on the club level it is asking for your release at mid-season or sticking it out until the May free agency period. Years ago, especially with girls, it was tougher to get them to leave a team for greener pastures. Most club teams were fairly local and girls played with their friends and classmates. There was a real strong bond and emotional attachment there. Now it seems much easier, at least at the higher levels, especially if the girl really loves the game and wants to succeed, as opposed to just being out there for the social experience.