Bench DA player vs Flight 1 starter

[Supermodel56]

I've always been a believer that my kids have to be on the pitch to develop. Whatever the level they are playing at it, doesn't help mine to not be playing during games.

Agreed. Even if it’s at a lower level of play, better to be on the pitch than off it... although there are times when the quality of play is so bad, there’s no point in even being out there because the team can’t possess the ball long enough to complete more than one pass.

 

[i_am_taxed]

It depends on your kid and what the circumstances are.

If my kid typically rises above the challenge then I would keep him in DA even if he is a bench player. Give him an opportunity to fight for the starting spot.
If he can't after a season, I would ask the coach to make him a PT player.

There was a comment above that it's more difficult to get into DA as they get older.
Why do you think that's happening? is that true?

Every DA team would go through the same thing.... there are 5-6 kids not getting rostered, 3-4 kids not getting enough times, high school, girlfriends, top players moving to MLS DA and etc.
I would expect there would be enough spots to come back (if you are good enough).

 

[SoccerFan4Life]

Starter over bench player. I made that mistake with my boys, always pushed to play up on better teams and be on the bench rather then play their level and be a starter. They both quit by the time they got to High School. I learned from those early club days and not making the same mistake with my younger 9 old child. The only positive is that they are fighters and learned how to battle for playing minutes on the field as a bench player from age 9 to age 14.
Once they got to high school they kept that spirit in other sports and the coaches are huge fans of my boys. I have seen some kids that have lived as entitled starters (stars) and once they see better competition, they tend to shut down a bit or get too frustrated because they are no longer starters.

 

[focomoso]

There was a comment above that it's more difficult to get into DA as they get older.
Why do you think that's happening? is that true?

The DA is a funnel. There are fewer spots the older you go, so the competition increases as you get older. In a perfect world, every year would be a fresh slate and DA and non-DA kids would be evaluated purely on talent, but that rarely happens. Coaches will almost always prioritize the kids they've worked with over new (non-DA) kids, which makes it harder to "break in".

 

[Supermodel56]

The DA is a funnel. There are fewer spots the older you go, so the competition increases as you get older. In a perfect world, every year would be a fresh slate and DA and non-DA kids would be evaluated purely on talent, but that rarely happens. Coaches will almost always prioritize the kids they've worked with over new (non-DA) kids, which makes it harder to "break in".

I’m sure a lot of it has to do with team chemistry. It’s not a matter of keeping kids out, rather allowing you to build upon what you already have instead of having to start over every year.

 

[i_am_taxed]

I’m sure a lot of it has to do with team chemistry. It’s not a matter of keeping kids out, rather allowing you to build upon what you already have instead of having to start over every year.

That makes sense. How about kids between U13-U15 where boys go through puberty? Do you normally see a larger change in DA roster during puberty and then stabilize? I would expect big changes as kids go through body changes.