Any team you find will have different level players on the same team. They all make mistakes, and some players will make more mistakes than others. Some of those mistakes result in a loss.
But no decent coach is not going to keep the bottom third on the bench. Imagine what would happen if they did. Parents of the bottom third get fed up, and leave. Club fills out the team with whoever it can find. Repeat every year. Then, when you go 9v9, you get clobbered because you have no bench to draw from.
It's better to just pick the best team you can, and then play the whole team. Even if it costs you a goal or two.
No doubt you gotta play the whole team and grow as a team together but there has to be some sort of merit to deserve the playing time as well, especially in competitive club soccer atmosphere.
Do you reward the player that misses a few practices a month and is not willing to put in the full effort? What message does that give to the rest that do? What separates the starters from the bench. Most likely the starters are putting in more work and growing faster, doing the things outside practice that normally the bench wont do. My observations. should play time be equal then? Now you are pissing off the starter’s parents and they may leave as well.
Better to find the balance and set the bar for play time and use the carrot and the stick to incentivize an earned play time structure or it becomes socialism in the team. Why do I have to work harder than you if I’m not gonna be rewarded in any way. Let’s just do the bare minimum to get by and just be average. Goes both ways. Not saying not playing your bench is fair either but make them earn their playtime by the work and effort they put in and out of practice and the progress that is seen throughout the season.
Evaluations are important as well at the end of the season to measure player growth. For me, if you want equal playing time sign up for AYSO where it’s guaranteed. You want to play club travel soccer. Work hard and earn your play time and if you want more minutes and simply complain to the coach but you are not doing the things you are required then you are on the wrong team. Find one that has those values but don’t complain to the coach because you have not proven your worth on the field.
And for the ones that try hard and do all they can but just can’t seem to get better. Maybe it’s time to think about another sport or a lower flight team. If life was that easy and we all felt that we deserve equal pay, equal play time etc then we would not be the country we are today.
And as far as making mistakes, sure we all make them but we must acknowledge them not get offended by someone pointing them out and accept them and grow from them. The problem lies in not acknowledging them and continue to keep making them. Because all the people that keep shoving their mistakes under the mat. I got news for you all. It piles up and eventually it all blows up and gets exposed. And that’s about the time when kids give up, quit and don’t want to play the sport anymore because they never learned how to deal with mistakes and the emotions they feel from their shortcomings from not growing from them gets to them. Parents get offended by the simple mention of them and teach their kids the same. ThIs is dangerous and can create a weak personality and character to deal with life issues. Encourage honesty and rightful pressure, and to embrace constructive criticism and that will make them grow thick skin and be able to deal with any obstacle the world throws at them when they are an adult.
That’s why I chose to be an entrepreneur and now retired from corporate America. Don’t have to wake up and sit in dreaded la traffic. Make my own hours and have employees helping me build my dream. This gives me the opportunity to cater to my daughter and give her the support to help her become the person she strives to be. Something I had to do on my own growing up.
When you make a #mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, #learn from it, and don't repeat it
