Parent guides › Parent coaches
For parent coachesFair playing time:
a simple system
Playing time causes more arguments than anything else in youth soccer. A simple system, shared before the season, avoids most of them.
Decide your rule before the first game, and write it down.
Start with your league’s rule
Many leagues have a minimum for each player, especially at younger ages. Find out what yours is before the first game. Then decide what you will do on top of that, and tell parents at the start of the season.
At 4v4
Keep it equal. With eight players on a 4v4 team, everyone sits half the time, so smaller rosters mean more play. Rotate often, so nobody sits for too long. With quarters, it is easy to plan who plays when before the game starts.
At 7v7
Still aim for about equal time. This is the age to try players in different positions, so plan a rotation that gives each child time in a couple of spots. Everyone who wants to try keeper should get a turn.
At 9v9
On a travel team, minutes may not be exactly equal, and that is a decision for you and your club. Whatever you choose, be clear about it. Every player should get meaningful time, not just the last two minutes of a game that is already decided.
A simple way to track it
- Write your lineup and subs on paper before the game.
- Mark who started, and rotate starters every week.
- Ask a parent to track minutes if you can.
- Look at the totals over several games, not just one.
Missed practices
Decide in advance what happens when a player misses practice, and apply it to everyone, including your own child. At young ages, it is usually best not to punish a child for something a parent controls.
When a parent complains
Ask them to wait until the next day, then listen. Show them the numbers if you have them. Most complaints fade when a parent can see the system is fair. If you got it wrong, say so and fix it next week.
Every practice, already written
You should not have to plan every session on your own. Each season curriculum gives you one page per session and an animated video of every activity. Read it in the car, set out your cones and coach.
Questions coaches ask
Should better players get more time at young ages?
Not at U6 to U10. Every child is there to play. They only improve by playing.
How long should a child sit at one time?
Keep it short for young players. Long stretches on the bench are when they lose interest.
What if we’re in a close game at the end?
Stick to your plan. Parents and players notice what you do when it counts.
Your first parent meeting ›Coaching your own child ›Field sizes and rules by age ›