What format played U6-U9 in your area?

[IASocFan]

In our U6 and U8 games. We play quarters with no substitution except for injuries between quarters. This guarantees at least half game playing time - more if there aren't a full complement of subs. My only complaint with this is that the teams are full and frequently everyone only gets 2 quarters.

[dolphinscoach]

Originally posted by m-chill
Wow I’d be against keepers as well if things in our league were as crazy as it sounds in dolphinscoach's league. Fortunately things are much more controlled in our league and we don’t have those things happening. One thing that has helped, is each game so far I have gone over to the other coach and told him that if his keeper holds on to the ball after he saves it, our team will back out of their area and give them a free out. This gets rid of the confusion of keepers not knowing where to put the ball. Also my players don't harass the keeper cuase they know nothing will come of it. We generally move back to midfield and let the other team bring it up. This also gets rid of those cheap goals teams can get from situations dolphinscoach talked about in his post. Of course if their keeper wants to play it early because he thinks they can get a quick counter that’s fine as well.[B]

I'd love to play against your team. I really like your approach to the game. I, too, have my kids back off of the keeper, but ours is the only team in the league that does it. I may adopt your idea of letting the other coach know pre-game that we will allow a free out, and it will be nice to see if the league could put something similar into place.

[B] I’m also concerned about what kinda pressure some of these kids must be put under to start crying if they give up a goal. It doesn’t sound like a supporting atmosphere of trying your best.[B]

So am I. I have never gotten on kids about allowing goals, and I have worked to de-emphasize their importance. I make sure to talk with the GKs to let them know that everything is okay. I have also talked with the parents of my kids to ask them not to groan or sigh loudly when the other team scores (a natural reaction, but the kids noticed in the first game when it happened). No one--not coaches, parents or teammates--gets on a kid for allowing a goal, or for a bad play anywhere on the field. In fact, we try to offer encouragement for all of our players throughout the match. (The only player on my team who has been chastised strongly for anything was when he started to retaliate after an opponent punched him--the victim went after the closest opponent, who had nothing to do with the incident and who ran away terrified when my kid threatened him.) And I've not heard parents or coaches from other teams voice anything but support when their GK gives up a goal. The kids in goal just react when the other team scores, which I think is a product of their age more than the environment.

[B]Lastly good players should not be punished for playing well and benched. That does little for the player and sends a confusing message to other players. At this age all players should play equal amounts of time. They should also play all positions; no player should be pigeon holed into a spot this early on in their soccer careers. Of coures this my opinion and not a fact.

I should clarify my earlier comments. Our league requires that all kids play at least half of the game. Some coaches never/rarely sit the good kids, so the good ones play the whole game and the weaker ones play the minimum required. My comment about having the kids be on the bench is not that they should be punished, just that they should be part of the normal substitution process. Our league rules also state that the kids are supposed to play all positions (Defense, Offense and GK), but one team in our league does not follow that policy very closely. To be fair, it is hard to keep U7 kids in positions, with offense-minded players going forward when they are playing defense, etc., but that particular team puts the same kids up top consistently. Those kids are being pigeon-holed: strong players at forward, weaker players on defense, in goal and/or on bench.

[dolphinscoach]

Please note that, in my previous post, I messed up using the quote function. Some of my comments are in bold, and seem to be part of the quoted post. Hope you can figure out which is mine anyway. Sorry for the mix-up.

[dolphinscoach]

Originally posted by IASocFan
In our U6 and U8 games. We play quarters with no substitution except for injuries between quarters. This guarantees at least half game playing time - more if there aren't a full complement of subs. My only complaint with this is that the teams are full and frequently everyone only gets 2 quarters.

We, too, allow substitutions only for injuries and at end of quarters. I like it, for the most part, but some of the kids get awfully tired. We play 7 v. 7, and only have 9 on our roster. That means at least one kid has to play the whole game, and four others have to play three consecutive quarters (i.e., the ones who sit the 1st quarter play 2, 3 and 4; the ones who sit the 4th play 1, 2 and 3). Our first game of the season was at 1pm on a very hot Saturday, and guys on both teams were hurting. On the cooler days, it has not been a problem.

One other positive about the policy: It makes my job easier because I can plan out beforehand who will play where and when, and I can track to make sure that everyone is getting equivalent playing time in the various positions.

[JoeSoccerFan]

Columbia MD, U-5 and U-6 (3V3 or 4V4) depending upon how many kids are on a team (6 or 7).
U-7 5v5.
U-8 7v7.
U-9 7v7.

This year coaching U-7, my starting line-up is determined by the first 5 girls who arrive. I have 10 girls on my roster. Therefore 50% playing time if everyone shows. Makes it hard to bench players if we're up by a lot.

At this age, development and fun are the most important things. I would never run up the score intentionally. However, in one game this year, we won 12-1. I felt like a schmuck. I tried everything that I could. I have several very good players and one exceptionally gifted player. I moved the gifted player in the 2nd quarter to defense because she had scored two crushing goals and the score was 5-1. After the third quarter, the score was 6-1. I played my most inexperienced player in goalie (figuring that maybe a couple of goals would be scored) and my lightest kicking at forward. Well, my gifted player started feeding balls to the forward who scored and the other mid-fielder scored a couple... I finally played two defenders (the better players) and my other players kept scoring.

I didn't believe that I could do anything else. I don't think the girls would have understood 1 or 2 touches, shooting with the left foot, 5 passes before a shot. In the future, I probably would have played my less experienced players in the field.

Stacking teams is bad for the league (parents choosing coaches).

[m-chill]

dolphinscoach > me and you are talking about 2 different animals if your playing 7 v 7. no wonder there's so much confusion and problems with a keeper. we play 4 v 4 here and our things on the field are much more controled than what you have discribed in earlier post from your league.



JoeSoccerFan > one thing we do in our league is when the score starts to pile up we ask the other coach to put on more players. this can sometimes help the other teams. sometimes though if they just crowd around eachother than it doesn't really have much effect. it does allow a coach to put on another defender or sweeper to make it more difficult for us to score (which in turn helps our players develope more).

joe would mind expanding on why you think strong teams are bad for the league.

[Viking64]

In Arlington TX, U7 is 6 on 6 plus goalies

In Grand Prairie TX, u5 and u6 are 5 on 5 no goalies, u 7 and u8 are 6 on 6 plus goalies.

I hate it. I think it's a big mistake for u5 through u8 players to be on the field and be lucky to touch the ball some games. It's way too many, but I'm not in League Management Heirarchy to do anything about it. To me goalies in U-8 are necessary, but before then I would not care.

But u-5 and u-6 with more than 4 is just plain wrong to me. And it's not just the game part. It's the practice time. At u-5 to u-8 you want to have no drills that require lines. But you still have to work one on one some of the time to teach proper technique on kicking, passing, throw ins, shooting, and tackling. A team of 6 or 8 is perfect for that. with 10 and 12 kids it's a hard thing.

I would give anything if USSF prohibited more than 4 a team for u-5 and u6, and more than 5 a side for u-7 and u-8.

[JoeSoccerFan]

Originally posted by m-chill
one thing we do in our league is when the score starts to pile up we ask the other coach to put on more players. this can sometimes help the other teams. sometimes though if they just crowd around eachother than it doesn't really have much effect. it does allow a coach to put on another defender or sweeper to make it more difficult for us to score (which in turn helps our players develope more).

That's a great idea! Thanks. I'll keep this in mind for the future.

Originally posted by m-chill
joe would mind expanding on why you think strong teams are bad for the league.

The purpose of league play in this age group is inclusion (the opportunity for all kids), development and fun (not in that order).

It doesn't help either team development, if teams are uneven. The stronger teams aren't challenged and thus, don't progress as much as if they were challenged. The weaker teams get discouraged, have no opportunity to develop, and players might not return.

I'm not saying that every team must be equal because in every league there will be some teams that are stronger than others. I object to artificially creating these stronger teams at the parents whim. Leagues have an ethical and financial interest in competitive teams.

It's perpespective. The game is about the kids not about coach's ego.

Luckily, in my league there are usually approx. 30 teams per age and gender. Therefore, I'm going to ask the age group coordinator to put our team in a more competitive division.

[m-chill]

Originally posted by JoeSoccerFan

The purpose of league play in this age group is inclusion (the opportunity for all kids), development and fun (not in that order).

It doesn't help either team development, if teams are uneven. The stronger teams aren't challenged and thus, don't progress as much as if they were challenged. The weaker teams get discouraged, have no opportunity to develop, and players might not return.


1st all kids at that age have fun no matter how the game is turning out. only the parents and the caoches have any idea about how competitive a game was. 2nd games are not for developing; practices are. the games are were kids try the things they learned in practice out against kids they don't know. i know that games develope players a little, but even when our team was an average team our developement happened at practice. now that we are a strong team the practices are incredable for their development. i know that my son has improved vastly due to the great practices with good players. also other parents have commented on how well practices have been for their child. lastly ofcourse no player is turned away by our league at this age.
Originally posted by JoeSoccerFan


I'm not saying that every team must be equal because in every league there will be some teams that are stronger than others. I object to artificially creating these stronger teams at the parents whim. Leagues have an ethical and financial interest in competitive teams.

It's perpespective. The game is about the kids not about coach's ego.



if i wasn't a coach and just a parent i would have a problem with a league that wouldn't let me have a say in who coaches my son. and if several friends get togther and create a team with their sons i just can't see how that's a problem. i know our league doesn't because the pros outway the cons by a huge margin. and all leagues want to develope competitive teams that can compete for titles against other leagues in the future years. ofcourse i would perfer more competitve games now, but thats up to other coaches to prepare teams better. last week we played agianst a team that went into half time up 2:1 on us. we did end up winning 7:2 but the game was a fun game to coach and watch. and get this....they were a team full of U6 players playing up. i have some other games i'm trying to put together as well against other strong teams at another park but still inside of our league.

final note: i can't see any coach fluffing his ego over young youth teams. results are meaningless.

[dolphinscoach]

Our U7 season just ended, and I am considering some changes to propose to the club for our U7 & U8 leagues before the spring. To let you know how I decided which changes to consider, I identified the areas for possible changes based on my own observations and/or the comments of other coaches and refs from the league; from coaching clinics and instructional materials; and from good comments posted on this board. I have drawn from your insights for some proposals already, and I would appreciate your input on a couple of other points I am considering. I am not certain that all of the changes I am considering need to be made (or even proposed), so knowing what other leagues do, and what problems are involved, would be useful. (I will not state my reasons for/against change yet because I don't want responses to get sidetracked by people responding to my arguments. For instance, you already know I don't like GKs at the U7 level. However, it isn't practical to propose eliminating them at this point, and we've already argued the pros and cons of GKs.)

1. When the ball goes out of bounds, do you restart play with throw-ins or with kicks? Our league has used throw-ins, with the players getting a second chance if the first attempt is bad (and most refs allow the second throw if it is anywhere close to acceptable).

2. If you use goalkeepers: When the ball is in the keeper's hands or it is a goal kick situation, do you have any special rules or informal agreements in effect? [Please note that our league does not have an 18-yard box, so the opposing team only stands a few yards away on goal kicks and can get the ball as soon as it leaves the GK's foot.] For example, m-chill mentioned that he and other coaches informally agree to pull attackers back to around the midfield stripe to make it easier for the goalkeeper to distribute the ball. Another possibility might include a free out (i.e., where the opposing team does not attack until another player on the keeper's team touches the ball). Any other suggestions?

3. When are substitutions allowed in your league? Our league allows substitutions only at the quarter break or when a player is injured.

That's all for now. I may ask for a little more help in the near future. Thank you in advance to all of you for your help.

[IASocFan]

Originally posted by m-chill

...
final note: i can't see any coach fluffing his ego over young youth teams. results are meaningless.

Ideally yes. Real world - unfortunately, not.