Currently coach my 8 YO at club level (pay 2 play). For a variety of reasons, I’m thinking of leaving and taking her to travel soccer (a step below club level*). I used to coach travel before I went to club and thought the general level of player was lower. But how important is the quality of teammates between ages 8-10 in terms of development? At what age does the teammate quality matter, if ever? Need to point out that there are some overlap of players because many play club and travel.
i don't think teammates have much impact until you get to 12U+. for 8Us you're looking mostly at individual skill development because players are so egocentric that they're not really playing WITH their teammates. once you get beyond that, where they are starting to combine and look for each other, that's when it matters more.