Need Guidance: 16 players for a 9v9 format

soccertard wrote:My DD plays in LH and gets 50% playing time, as do all of the other kids except two.  Should I get loco with the coach and demand 90% playing time?

Before your DD joined the team, before your family signed the contract and made the financial commitment, did your DD's coach commit to a certain amount of playtime for your DD?  Was that clearly articulated commitment by the coach an important part of your family's decision making before selecting this team instead of another?

Yes, all of that was reviewed back in May long before signing day, and evaluated through and up until signing day. Luckily, our coach is a Saint...maybe even Godly (I'd like to think of him as Jesus with a Tuxedo T-Shirt ). And not to prod at your situation, because nobody likes being lied to, but I'm not sure playing time ever truly equals development. If your DD is not having fun, then no development will happen, regardless of playing time.

Honestly, in your post, you seem to know the answer already...Early Release...

soccertard wrote:Yes, all of that was reviewed back in May long before signing day, and evaluated through and up until signing day.  Luckily, our coach is a Saint...maybe even Godly (I'd like to think of him as Jesus with a Tuxedo T-Shirt   ).  And not to prod at your situation, because nobody likes being lied to, but I'm not sure playing time ever truly equals development.  If your DD is not having fun, then no development will happen, regardless of playing time.

Honestly, in your post, you seem to know the answer already...Early Release...

Agreed, nobody likes to be lied to.

Maybe playing time does not truly equal development BUT I don't think anyone here would argue that playtime negatively impacts development.

My advice would be to pause and reflect on whether your DD is indeed developing on the team. If her expectation is 90% - 100% playing time that's probably an expectation worth managing. If others are getting less, is someone else getting significantly more? If they are then what are they doing that the coach values that bit more and is it something your DD can or wants to do? The difference between being on the pitch 50% and 80% for development is negligible in my personal opinion. What's the training like and what is the coaching like?

My sense is the trust is gone, so that's a reason to move. However if LH allows 16 on a 9v9 roster, the clubs that have the best reputation and the coaches that parents want to have coach their DD's will have 15-16 on their roster. So if you move I wouldn't do it with an expectation of fewer kids or more playing time.

ECNL allows up to 26 on a roster for an 11 v 11 format and even less flexibility for substitutions. Something to look forward to.