guest players and playtime

S

sbay

SILVER
Interesting thread on another spot I thought I'd post and see where it goes. Guests being invited to play with your team and current rostered players are put on the bench. My kid was a guest for a big tourney last year and there were parents that welcomed us and parents that were clearly pissed.

Thoughts on how guests impact your team?
 
Just charge your guests the same tournament fees as you charge your parents. Then the guests have the same moral right to playing time as the kids already rostered. If you don't charge the guests, then parents with benched kids have every right to complain, because they are subsidizing a stranger.
 
sbay said:
Interesting thread on another spot I thought I'd post and see where it goes. Guests being invited to play with your team and current rostered players are put on the bench. My kid was a guest for a big tourney last year and there were parents that welcomed us and parents that were clearly pissed.

Thoughts on how guests impact your team?
Click to expand...

I never had a problem with it. In league games winning matters for postseason and thus the best players that can help a team win should play. Showcases are different. I never felt that there was any enmity when my player was a guest. Probably because we wouldn't guest play unless a team actually needed a few extra bodies for a long weekend.
 
Guest players are great when you are short players, especially on hot weekends. I don't think guests should get more time than a rostered players though. I have seen top players guest for flight 2 teams in an effort to win and that does nothing but show the coach's lack of faith in his team.
 
I'll speak to the younger ages since my DD is only U11.

If Guests are brought in to help "win" then your probably on the wrong team. Stop worrying about winning and start asking why your coach can't develop the players he/she selected for the team. Honestly there are very few good coaches and as I've seen this year the coach makes all the difference.

Obviously guests are fine if the coach wants to evaluate how a player fits into things, but too often that's not the purpose.
 
I am okay with guest players for the proper reasons. If a team is down players due to injury, people out of town, etc. or if your GK is not available and you don't really have a backup GK on the roster. I also like the idea of asking a player from a younger age group or lower level team to guest play. Sometimes these players need to be challenged. Ideally, the guest players should not start a game or play more than the rostered players.
 
sbay said:
Interesting thread on another spot I thought I'd post and see where it goes. Guests being invited to play with your team and current rostered players are put on the bench. My kid was a guest for a big tourney last year and there were parents that welcomed us and parents that were clearly pissed.

Thoughts on how guests impact your team?
Click to expand...

been there, my older daughter and 2 team mates guested for 1 of our older teams within the club. They had several injuries and were on the verge of relegation during the season, (they had to win the last 2 of 3 games to avoid it), the 3 younger's guest played in 2 games, the team won both. A few parents were ticked, the complainers didn't make the team the following season, the team went on to have tremendous success their last season with several new player's and those 3 made life long friends. While it was a bit uncomfortable and the shouting match on the sideline was embarrassing, the reality was, they couldn't get it done without help. I didn't expect the backlash from the 1-2 crazy parents but, it was a good experience other than that...
 
Overlap said:
they couldn't get it done without help.
Click to expand...

lol why was it so important that they "get it done"? Perhaps they should have taken the team down to the level that they were playing at so the existing girls could develop. Winning doesn't necessarily equal progress or development. We played a team this year that brought in three guest players for a fairly meaningless league game while most of the girls on the team could hardly even dribble the ball. That team while they squeaked out a win isn't even playing state cup and I guess will be able to maintain the same level for next year while needing a completely new team to do so.
 
Guesting has been fun for my kids. They get to play with their friends on other teams and clubs, at higher/lower level than where normally today, while making new friends and getting to know different coaches. It should be a positive experience for both the guests and the players on the team. we had an instance where the players on the team we guested with asked to be subbed out so my kid could go in because the competition was higher than what they were used to. I'm sure the parents might not have agreed with their kids, but at the end of the day, the kids were happy. I know some coaches want a minimum number of players at tournament. If it goes below that number, depending on the opponents, he will bring in stronger players from higher teams, or take on key players from the lower. Either way, roster kids should start in their positions over guests, but I wouldn't want a forward who's not comfortable in defense to go in instead of a guest defender.
 
stronger players from higher teams are normally just there as ringers. If a coach needs to bring on better players to be competitive in a game, your team is playing at the wrong level. If you are down to 12-13, bring on a girl from a lower team who is fighting for a chance to move up.
 
chargerfan said:
stronger players from higher teams are normally just there as ringers. If a coach needs to bring on better players to be competitive in a game, your team is playing at the wrong level. If you are down to 12-13, bring on a girl from a lower team who is fighting for a chance to move up.
Click to expand...

I don't agree. My daughter guest played numerous times. If a player is asked to guest play and is a stronger player then they should play. Why else would a strong player waste their weekend helping a team out if it is just to sit? A kid that has somebody take their position just learned a lesson about working hard. Sports in America is one of the true meritocracies. If you are a baller you play. If somebody is better than you then you have work to do. If the need is there play the players.

I also can't think of a time that I ever heard a coach ask for a weaker player to help their team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AFC
chargerfan said:
stronger players from higher teams are normally just there as ringers. If a coach needs to bring on better players to be competitive in a game, your team is playing at the wrong level. If you are down to 12-13, bring on a girl from a lower team who is fighting for a chance to move up.
Click to expand...
you don't get to choose who you play in a tournament. there are teams that should be playing on higher brackets end up in yours. if you are playing flight 2 against a flight 1 team, how's a flight 3 player going to help?
 
Im talking about what appears to be a stronger player from the top team helping out a B or C team in order to win a game. I think a coach should play the level his team is at, and not rely on ringers to help win a game they wouldn't win otherwise. Maybe bring in a player from the top team who diesnt get much playtime on their own team.
 
I didn't say bring in a flight 3 girl, unless she is strong enough to play flight 2. But why are flight 2 teams bringing in strong flight 1 players to help them beat a team they would never be able to beat otherwise?
 
chargerfan said:
I didn't say bring in a flight 3 girl, unless she is strong enough to play flight 2. But why are flight 2 teams bringing in strong flight 1 players to help them beat a team they would never be able to beat otherwise?
Click to expand...

With all due respect, are we talking about winning again or are we talking about development?
 
100% development. I'm saying don't bring in ringers just to win. Develop players by letting a kid play forward instead of defense if your forward is missing. Or develop a stronger lower team player with her sights on moving up by letting her guest.
 
I am biased as my daughter guest played like crazy this year. She is also a keeper and there seems to be a shortage of '05 keepers. Did she help teams win tournaments this year, yes both in her age group and playing with '04s. But in every case the team either didn't have a FT keeper or their keeper wasn't available to play for all or part of the tournament. We didn't pay, but we offered to - the decision was up to the team manager. Was she a ringer? For Coronado Cup with her age bracket I can see that argument. For Manchester City with the 2004's the answer would be no; she simply filled in for her old coach for the games their FT keeper wasn't available. In all of her guest playing one parent seemed to be bothered by her guest playing since they had PT keepers; I think she got over it when they won the finals game 1-0. My $0.02
 
My boy has guest played for two teams that traveled from Canada and Florida to play in Vegas. Usually went on as a second half sub or when the scoring was lopsided already. He likes it because he usually gets a jersey or training shirt for helping out. Since I am his club coach, I enjoy just watching him play. Since I am not a perfect coach, it gives me an opportunity to get feedback from other coaches on what he may need to work on. Win-win. It's supposed to be fun.
 
chargerfan said:
100% development. I'm saying don't bring in ringers just to win. Develop players by letting a kid play forward instead of defense if your forward is missing. Or develop a stronger lower team player with her sights on moving up by letting her guest.
Click to expand...

Two problems with this statement.

1) OP states that this was for tournament games. The purpose of tournaments are to win, is it not? While it may help with development to play against strong opponents in a need to win situation (yes, learning to win is a part of development. After all, why are they playing a game, if ultimately winning is not the objective).

2) If all coach does is to bring up less competitive players for the sake of development, it is completely unfair to the team hosting the player. They don't need anyone to drag down the team performance in tournament games. For practices, friendlies and even SCDSL league games, sure, its a good thing to do for the player that needs more development. But also recognize that its at the expense of better players on the higher level team.

My older kid used to play for one of the largest clubs in OC. He probably guested for almost every teams in that club, his age and up a year or two, during the five years he was with that club in various games - tournaments, league, friendlies. Most of the coaches knew him and would ask for him from time-to-time.

When he guested, almost always he started and played more than the players on the team that hosted him. I suspect their parents didn't like it but they did like winning the games as he made a difference. Usually, he was asked to comeback by the parents and coaches. Its hard to find a forward that can finish consistently, be technical in tight spaces and not turn the ball over, and defends, which over the years has set him a part from just athletic forwards.

My point is that it depends on the situation and how effective the guest is. It also requires the guest player to be sensitive to the situation and make the other players on the team look good and not be selfish in games.

There always will be the bottom half of the team's parents that get miffed at guest players that play more than their kid. Its the nature of competitive sports, not just soccer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top