Should this manager play to win?

[stevethefootycoach]

I have recently started helping out with a local U7s boys team that my son plays for. We have nine players but can only play seven at a time during matches. Recently, we have been subbing the 'weaker' players during matches, but ensuring they get at least 20 minutes of soccer over two 20 minutes games.

We have heard rumours of some disgruntled parents complaining that it is always their child who seem to be subbed. This is effecting the players' confidence and parents find it hard explaining the situation to their children.

The team manager's view is we play to win, and the weaker players have to accept this and just keep trying hard at training to impress. My view is the children are only seven-years-old and winning isn't the most important thing. Having fun and enjoying their soccer is.

I appreciate that life won't always be 'rosy' for them, but I think it would be better to have a rota-style system where every child gets at least 30 minutes soccer every week (out of a possible 40 minutes over two games).

Have you ever come across this kind of situation before and what advice would you give?

[Sirius]

It's not a yes or no for me - what is the team philosophy and what were the parents expectations when they joined?

Wether you should be playing to win by not playing some players at Under 7 is another discussion.

Only advice I would give is stick to your original philosophy otherwise everytime parents don't like something they will be trying to change you and the team - you have to run it not them.

[currynchips]

As above, has he told the parents prior to signing on that their kids may get less pitch time?

[tieliebird]

Our local athletic league teams are divided into 4/5. 6/7, etc. Until they turn 8, the rules of our league require all children to play all positions. I currently coach 4/5 girls, and we play 6 on, including the goalie. Last season I had 9 girls, so I usually had 3 sitting out each quarter. We play 4 8-minute quarters. I created a system where I rotated each girl from offense to defense to goalie to sitting out. Each game, (if all nine showed) I would have to have 2-3 girls sit out twice. I made sure I rotated that as well each game so the same girls weren't out twice every game. I did make sure my stronger players were in goal and on offense the last quarter, but all girls played all positions. I had a chart, or 'game plan' where it was all written down before each game. Then I informed the parents and players at the warm up who was doing what, when. Usually my girls called out early enough so I could make my plan, but I always wrote it in pencil, so I could change it at the game if need be.

Since they are young, obviously the lines between offense and defense are blurred. Pretty much the only one who stayed put was the goalie .

The main thing was communicating with the parents that this was the rule of the league, not just my whimsy. Also letting them know ahead of time who was playing in each quarter made them more aware that each child was being given equal playing time.

Another rule in our league: technically, we don't keep score until they turn 8. So no one team is 'better' than the other, everyone just has fun and learns!!

[Blub]

I have found that unless you give all of the boys equal playing time, then they will soon play as separate teams anyway, with the "better" boys not playing with the "weaker" boys whilst on the pitch, and team work has to be one o fthe basic tenets of what we are teaching these boys.

My team is now entering U10's, and I have found that with consistent equal playing time on the pitch over the last 3 seasons, the previously "weaker" boys no longer stand out as they once did, and the team has very much the ethic of "playing as a team".

On a practical basis, with 9 players playing a 7 a side game, you can split the game into 4 quarters, making 2 x subsititutions each quarter, and with the goalie staying on for the whole game, that gives every boy, three-quarters of a game. If this is clear to the parents, then this will not cause any issues.