Kids Grassroots Football - The good stuff!
Discussion
I now what you mean .... my boys are playing 11 a side at under 14s and came very close to throwing in the towel over the summer mostly due to parents and players who seem to behave like the professionals (ie I may join your team, but I want to see if something better comes along !!).
In this day and age of technology, it shouldn't be that difficult to just reply quickly to a text or email that their son isn't available, rather than just not showing up !!
In this day and age of technology, it shouldn't be that difficult to just reply quickly to a text or email that their son isn't available, rather than just not showing up !!
mark2705 said:
I now what you mean .... my boys are playing 11 a side at under 14s and came very close to throwing in the towel over the summer mostly due to parents and players who seem to behave like the professionals (ie I may join your team, but I want to see if something better comes along !!).
In this day and age of technology, it shouldn't be that difficult to just reply quickly to a text or email that their son isn't available, rather than just not showing up !!
Ah, I thought you must be somewhere around that age. We've been playing 11-a-side since under-11's and it's a real eye opener. Sad to say (and hopefully it won't be your experience), it gets worse in the last year. Seven teams at our age group folded in the summer, that's 15% of the teams in the league!! It's doubly said as (a) the teams are from well established clubs and (b) like us, some of the teams have been together since they were 5 years old. My own lads have been with this team since that age and I will keep going almost regardless of what happens as I want both of them to get their 250 appearance certificates. In this day and age of technology, it shouldn't be that difficult to just reply quickly to a text or email that their son isn't available, rather than just not showing up !!
mark2705 said:
Unfortunately, the opposition manager obviously doesn't share my same views and left two of his players on the bench all game. So, they made the effort to get up, get to the match (with their parents) only to stand around in the rain for 2 hours ....
Disgraceful behaviour. Stuff like this angers me so much about grassroots football. Sheer selfishness on the part of the manager, I hope he chokes on his personal pride. It's so important that they all get a game at that age, it's about building confidence and having fun and enjoying the game, you want kids to look forward to playing and not feel the burden of pressure.
Kids develop at different times some will be built like men at 13/14 others not till late teens, it's really important to keep them engaged and for them to have a love of the game.
On a positive note I've seen players who warmed the bench at 13/14 who then turn out to be the star players at academy level at 17/18, funny thing puberty.
Kids develop at different times some will be built like men at 13/14 others not till late teens, it's really important to keep them engaged and for them to have a love of the game.
On a positive note I've seen players who warmed the bench at 13/14 who then turn out to be the star players at academy level at 17/18, funny thing puberty.
Hes started back playing after broken foot,
He only got twenty minutes of the game, to be honest, i was going to go and get him and take him home, then i turned away to watch a pen on the next pitch and he was on.
we only had two subs so i was a bit annoyed about that, particularity as it wasn't a strong team we were playing against, i could understand it if it was this next couple of games as we play the top team twice in the next seven days.
But then again i suppose if you think about it it was his first game back, and even though hes stayed slim over the summer he wont be fit.
We dont seem to be scoring at the moment which is odd, i reckon we will stay mid table.
Its the keeper that's keeping us in it at the moment, they are sooo important aren't they?
His old team managed to pick up a few players from an over-spill of another team so im glad they haven't folded.
but they are still getting pummeled
He only got twenty minutes of the game, to be honest, i was going to go and get him and take him home, then i turned away to watch a pen on the next pitch and he was on.
we only had two subs so i was a bit annoyed about that, particularity as it wasn't a strong team we were playing against, i could understand it if it was this next couple of games as we play the top team twice in the next seven days.
But then again i suppose if you think about it it was his first game back, and even though hes stayed slim over the summer he wont be fit.
We dont seem to be scoring at the moment which is odd, i reckon we will stay mid table.
Its the keeper that's keeping us in it at the moment, they are sooo important aren't they?
His old team managed to pick up a few players from an over-spill of another team so im glad they haven't folded.
but they are still getting pummeled
anniesdad said:
mark2705 said:
Unfortunately, the opposition manager obviously doesn't share my same views and left two of his players on the bench all game. So, they made the effort to get up, get to the match (with their parents) only to stand around in the rain for 2 hours ....
Disgraceful behaviour. Stuff like this angers me so much about grassroots football. Sheer selfishness on the part of the manager, I hope he chokes on his personal pride. 
k right off!The school team was worse with the captain picking the team and selecting his d
head matesI would agree.
We have a squad of 12 but only allowed to play 10 each week. All of them geto equal time on the pitch, regardless of the results or there ability.
We've played 3 games now. Drew the first 4-4, lost 2-11 in the second and lost the third 3-2.
One thing that has become apparent is the other teams have all played with only winning in mind. There have even been some dubious tactics employed such as calling players off to be subbed when the ball is in play.
None of the other teams appear to be concerned with kids playing in any kind of positions or passing. They just have all 4 of their outfield players chase the ball down in a pack.
This has caused our lot a few problems and caused a bit of panic. But on Saturday some of them started to get that they could easily pass round them and create chances.
One thing I have noticed is the size of other teams we play. Some of the kids are huge and can strike a ball unbelievably hard. Something most of our kids can't do.
Something we need to work on.
We have a squad of 12 but only allowed to play 10 each week. All of them geto equal time on the pitch, regardless of the results or there ability.
We've played 3 games now. Drew the first 4-4, lost 2-11 in the second and lost the third 3-2.
One thing that has become apparent is the other teams have all played with only winning in mind. There have even been some dubious tactics employed such as calling players off to be subbed when the ball is in play.
None of the other teams appear to be concerned with kids playing in any kind of positions or passing. They just have all 4 of their outfield players chase the ball down in a pack.
This has caused our lot a few problems and caused a bit of panic. But on Saturday some of them started to get that they could easily pass round them and create chances.
One thing I have noticed is the size of other teams we play. Some of the kids are huge and can strike a ball unbelievably hard. Something most of our kids can't do.
Something we need to work on.
It sounds like your kids are much younger ? You'll always find that teams will have 'big' players and sometimes managers will set their teams up with the big kid up front, lump the ball up to him and then expect him to use his superior strength/speed to latch onto the ball. However as they get older, they start to even out (not always !!) and the coaching and technical ability of the boys starts to become more important.
I was even talking to a Manager a couple of years ago who only signed boys born in September - November so they were the older boys in the year !!
The difficulty I found, especially last year with relegation, is that the parents want them playing in a 'winning' team rather than seeing the bigger picture. So you may find you lose some players each year if results dont go your way initially .. but stick to your principals !!!
I was even talking to a Manager a couple of years ago who only signed boys born in September - November so they were the older boys in the year !!
The difficulty I found, especially last year with relegation, is that the parents want them playing in a 'winning' team rather than seeing the bigger picture. So you may find you lose some players each year if results dont go your way initially .. but stick to your principals !!!
mark2705 said:
I was even talking to a Manager a couple of years ago who only signed boys born in September - November so they were the older boys in the year !!
Terrible, the better academies will move some autumn borns/really exceptional/more physically developed kids up a year and the same goes for summer borns who they might drop a year especially with the younger aged kids.It works both ways as a more physically developed kid will use his speed and strength often neglecting the technical and decision making aspects of the game, so in the end they lose out as well.
Edited by Silvernoble883 on Tuesday 4th October 19:26
48Valves said:
We have a squad of 12 but only allowed to play 10 each week. All of them geto equal time on the pitch, regardless of the results or there ability.
They just have all 4 of their outfield players chase the ball down in a pack.
Sorry, am I right in saying that you have a squad of 12 players at 5v5 but only allowed to turn up for development games with 10 players so 2 miss out? No chance you can make up 2 teams out of the 12? They just have all 4 of their outfield players chase the ball down in a pack.
anniesdad said:
Sorry, am I right in saying that you have a squad of 12 players at 5v5 but only allowed to turn up for development games with 10 players so 2 miss out? No chance you can make up 2 teams out of the 12?
Correct.It's not really a problem. We've just done a rota so 2 sit out each game and switch as necessary if someone is ill or away. We have had all but 1 kid turn up to the 3 games we've had so far. They can join in with the warm up and enjoy supporting their team. It's not often all 12 are available anyway.
10 works well for matches as its easy to give them all 2x10 minute quarters. If there were 12 it would be a pain ensuring they all get equal time on the pitch.
We could make 2 teams but then we have double the admin, arranging fixtures, shortage of pitches. How would we decide to split them? Plus if there was only one spare player per squad it doesn't leave any cover for illness or badly timed birthday parties. not to mention how knackered they would be towards the end of a game.
48Valves said:
Correct.
It's not really a problem. We've just done a rota so 2 sit out each game and switch as necessary if someone is ill or away. We have had all but 1 kid turn up to the 3 games we've had so far. They can join in with the warm up and enjoy supporting their team. It's not often all 12 are available anyway.
10 works well for matches as its easy to give them all 2x10 minute quarters. If there were 12 it would be a pain ensuring they all get equal time on the pitch.
We could make 2 teams but then we have double the admin, arranging fixtures, shortage of pitches. How would we decide to split them? Plus if there was only one spare player per squad it doesn't leave any cover for illness or badly timed birthday parties. not to mention how knackered they would be towards the end of a game.
Got ya, are you affiliated to a club that can provide another coach? Or is this just a team you have set up yourself? Apologies if you've mentioned earlier in the thread and I haven't picked it up. I take your point about the admin, fixtures, pitches etc. I was just wondering if there was a way around you having to leave players out. If it's working for you and your players though then it's working and doesn't need fixing. I'm thinking back to when I had a 5 a side team and we had 9 in our squad. It was difficult giving them all sufficient minutes on the pitch in a game situation but then it wasn't a problem for me as gameplay isn't where these kids will improve their technique. That's training sessions and knocking a ball around in their back garden. It's not really a problem. We've just done a rota so 2 sit out each game and switch as necessary if someone is ill or away. We have had all but 1 kid turn up to the 3 games we've had so far. They can join in with the warm up and enjoy supporting their team. It's not often all 12 are available anyway.
10 works well for matches as its easy to give them all 2x10 minute quarters. If there were 12 it would be a pain ensuring they all get equal time on the pitch.
We could make 2 teams but then we have double the admin, arranging fixtures, shortage of pitches. How would we decide to split them? Plus if there was only one spare player per squad it doesn't leave any cover for illness or badly timed birthday parties. not to mention how knackered they would be towards the end of a game.
If you were to split them, not saying you should, I would take the more capable kids in one team and the less capable in the other and put them into groups that their ability level matched.
anniesdad said:
48Valves said:
Correct.
It's not really a problem. We've just done a rota so 2 sit out each game and switch as necessary if someone is ill or away. We have had all but 1 kid turn up to the 3 games we've had so far. They can join in with the warm up and enjoy supporting their team. It's not often all 12 are available anyway.
10 works well for matches as its easy to give them all 2x10 minute quarters. If there were 12 it would be a pain ensuring they all get equal time on the pitch.
We could make 2 teams but then we have double the admin, arranging fixtures, shortage of pitches. How would we decide to split them? Plus if there was only one spare player per squad it doesn't leave any cover for illness or badly timed birthday parties. not to mention how knackered they would be towards the end of a game.
Got ya, are you affiliated to a club that can provide another coach? Or is this just a team you have set up yourself? Apologies if you've mentioned earlier in the thread and I haven't picked it up. I take your point about the admin, fixtures, pitches etc. I was just wondering if there was a way around you having to leave players out. If it's working for you and your players though then it's working and doesn't need fixing. I'm thinking back to when I had a 5 a side team and we had 9 in our squad. It was difficult giving them all sufficient minutes on the pitch in a game situation but then it wasn't a problem for me as gameplay isn't where these kids will improve their technique. That's training sessions and knocking a ball around in their back garden. It's not really a problem. We've just done a rota so 2 sit out each game and switch as necessary if someone is ill or away. We have had all but 1 kid turn up to the 3 games we've had so far. They can join in with the warm up and enjoy supporting their team. It's not often all 12 are available anyway.
10 works well for matches as its easy to give them all 2x10 minute quarters. If there were 12 it would be a pain ensuring they all get equal time on the pitch.
We could make 2 teams but then we have double the admin, arranging fixtures, shortage of pitches. How would we decide to split them? Plus if there was only one spare player per squad it doesn't leave any cover for illness or badly timed birthday parties. not to mention how knackered they would be towards the end of a game.
If you were to split them, not saying you should, I would take the more capable kids in one team and the less capable in the other and put them into groups that their ability level matched.
Our games are split into 4x10 minutes. Each kid gets to play in 2 quarters regardless of their ability. So they all get 20 minutes. We rotate so they get to play in different positions including in goal.
We try and balance the teams in each quarter with a mixture of abilities.
If we split them into two groups on their ability the ones with lesser ability would get hammered every week.
There is also the social aspect to consider. They are essentially a group of mates who all but 2 go to school together and play together. Even the other 2 are friends now outside of football.
It works at the minute and they are improving an enjoying their football. Cant ask for much more really
Just jumping in here as I have no idea on how things work. I've been taking my lad to a club over the last month for U7s. They have a policy of 8 to a team. My lad is part of the 4th U7 team they are running (once all the others are registered). How are they able to schedule matches with 4 teams in U7? They seem to be building my sons team on the basis of newcomers rather than ability etc.
Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.
Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him
I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.M3ax said:
Just jumping in here as I have no idea on how things work. I've been taking my lad to a club over the last month for U7s. They have a policy of 8 to a team. My lad is part of the 4th U7 team they are running (once all the others are registered). How are they able to schedule matches with 4 teams in U7? They seem to be building my sons team on the basis of newcomers rather than ability etc.
Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.
That sounds like quite a big set up. If it's anything like our league the local FA work out the fixtures and will work out who plays where to a certain extent, depending on the info they are given on who shares pitches. As the games are only 40 minutes we sometimes have to stager games so one will play at 10 and the next at 11.Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him
I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.I obviously don't know the setup. But to be honest, at that age I would just put new kids in the same team too. The others may well have been playing together for a while and may be of mixed abilities anyway. I would prefer teams of mixed abilities as I believe it helps everyone of them improve and stops the lesser able kids from getting demoralised when getting hammered every week.
It's very hard to judge ability at that age. In a matter of weeks a kids skills can improve an unbelievable amount.
48Valves said:
That sounds like quite a big set up. If it's anything like our league the local FA work out the fixtures and will work out who plays where to a certain extent, depending on the info they are given on who shares pitches. As the games are only 40 minutes we sometimes have to stager games so one will play at 10 and the next at 11.
I obviously don't know the setup. But to be honest, at that age I would just put new kids in the same team too. The others may well have been playing together for a while and may be of mixed abilities anyway. I would prefer teams of mixed abilities as I believe it helps everyone of them improve and stops the lesser able kids from getting demoralised when getting hammered every week.
It's very hard to judge ability at that age. In a matter of weeks a kids skills can improve an unbelievable amount.
Thanks - that's reassuring. I must say that I've been really impressed with the coaching. I have a background in other sports but you can tell a good structure for juniors when you see it. The usual issues are things like admin etc (manpower, not anything to do with lack of effort) but the coaches seem really dedicated so good see.I obviously don't know the setup. But to be honest, at that age I would just put new kids in the same team too. The others may well have been playing together for a while and may be of mixed abilities anyway. I would prefer teams of mixed abilities as I believe it helps everyone of them improve and stops the lesser able kids from getting demoralised when getting hammered every week.
It's very hard to judge ability at that age. In a matter of weeks a kids skills can improve an unbelievable amount.
M3ax said:
Just jumping in here as I have no idea on how things work. I've been taking my lad to a club over the last month for U7s. They have a policy of 8 to a team. My lad is part of the 4th U7 team they are running (once all the others are registered). How are they able to schedule matches with 4 teams in U7? They seem to be building my sons team on the basis of newcomers rather than ability etc.
Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.
If you're playing in a local league, then it will be streamlined. So between now and Christmas you'll be in a division which is basically a (generally speaking) lottery. After Christmas you'll change divisions, and should end up with teams of a comparable level. But it's tricky to gauge, as results/tables are not published.Just to add, I'm not fussed, just interested. He just loves running around, kicking balls, falling over and shouting "corner!" When someone goes past him
I blame his father for total lack of football knowledge.Just been told they will start playing matches Dec to give them time to train for a while. Anybody have any ideas for training kit? There's a lot of falling over on artificial grass at the the moment not unusual for my boy I must say as he seems to go for the Unachievable . What should they wear through winter training?
not unusual for my boy I must say as he seems to go for the Unachievable . What should they wear through winter training?My lads are under-16's this season, their final year before they join under-18's football next year and play up a year basically.
Went along to watch the current u-18's tonight and surprised to see four of my lads' friends playing. Fair play to the manager for blooding them early... in theory, there could be 18-year-olds in the opposition and some of ours are still 15. That said, they didn't look out of place and one of them assisted the late winner in a 3-2 win.
Although youth football can be a right ballache at times, it's nights like tonight that make it worthwhile. The lad who set up the winner has been with my team since he was five and has scored nearly 250 goals in the ten years. Tonight, he got his reward!
Went along to watch the current u-18's tonight and surprised to see four of my lads' friends playing. Fair play to the manager for blooding them early... in theory, there could be 18-year-olds in the opposition and some of ours are still 15. That said, they didn't look out of place and one of them assisted the late winner in a 3-2 win.
Although youth football can be a right ballache at times, it's nights like tonight that make it worthwhile. The lad who set up the winner has been with my team since he was five and has scored nearly 250 goals in the ten years. Tonight, he got his reward!
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