Playing Up

I was recently asked by a few of the parents on younger Infinity teams about players "playing up." I found an article that shares the view of the club and I have used it to educate these inquiring parents in regards to the philosophy of player development. I feel it is important to share this information with each of you as well. The below article is dead on. Please recognize when it says player instead of team or players. I also added some post article thoughts below the article as well.

Playing Up
by Bobby Howe

It has been ten years since I left Washington State Youth Soccer Association. The landscape has changed during that time and undoubtedly, the game is improving. Clubs with professional coaches are emerging.

Therefore, as we develop further, clubs must bear more responsibility for the development of play within the state. Not only must we be responsible directly for the improvement of the most talented players, but we must also play a role in the playing environment of all the players and an important role in coach education for our youngest players.

One of my first observations on joining the Emerald City club last year was that our club and others had a vast number of players playing above their age group - obviously with the intention of gaining an advantage in competition and experience.
The following are my views on this topic.
Soccer development will occur through the improvement of individual players at their levels of challenge. While chronological age is generally the vehicle to monitor progress academically and on the sports field, and while many children fall within that spectrum, there are some that rise above and some that fall below the expectations of the age group. It is the responsibility of every soccer coach to recognize the standard of each individual player within his/her team and place that player where he/she belongs.

I have asked our coaches in the club to observe players carefully and to talk regularly on the topic of player movement within our club. Should a player move up from a "B" team to an "A" team or should a player move up from one age to another?
The criteria always must be to challenge the player at his/her level. The questions the coaches must ask are:
Is the player physically able to play up?
Is the player psychologically able to play up?
If the player moves up the process should be monitored and discussed. If a player is asked to move from an "A" team to a "B" team or back down to his/ her own age group, the player must not feel or be made to feel that the move is a demotion. The decisions always must be in the best interests of the player, not the team.

The greatest enjoyment for any player is to be challenged at his/her level of competency. Anything below may lead to boredom and bad playing habits. Anything above may lead to disenchantment, losing a love for the game and ultimately, leaving the sport.

At the ages of U-11 to U-15 size plays a huge role in a player's effectiveness and often, size plays an important role in player selection. At the younger ages many bigger players are able to compete because of strength and physical presence. As a result, they do not have to try as hard, or work on their skills as much or think about the demands of the game to the same extent as their less physical colleagues.
While some of these players progress to a high standard, most do not. Bigger players can compete regardless of their playing habits at a young age. Unfortunately, if those habits are poor, they will not be able to compete at the age of sixteen at which time size is much less relevant and when total soccer ability and awareness is much more important.

Smaller players that can compete at a young age have a much better chance of being successful at the age of sixteen, because they have had to use their soccer talent and understanding in order to compete with the bigger players.

Most teams that dominate a league at a younger age rely on the abilities of bigger players. If those players are also very talented, they should play up to test their skills. The remainder of the team should stay at their own level to allow those players to improve.

It is important to note that, in most cases, the success of any young team in competition is due to the performance of some players, not the whole team. Therefore, the better players should move up, but the whole team should not.
All of our club decisions must be based upon the enhancement of the playing environment and ultimately, what is best for the player.

In conclusion, in the future at Emerald City Football Club, we shall discuss and allow the movement of players to a higher level, but we shall not permit the upward movement of teams.
More about Bobby's final paragraph in future World of Soccer Newsletters. "Not playing a whole team up? Hogwash!" I can already visualize some coaches beginning to foam at the mouth.

Ginn's after thoughts:
We will soon see players moving from team to team during the the winter break. The trick is to not look at the team aspect so much as the individuals (your child) development. If your team is scrimmaging older/better teams from the club and the rest of the valley they will develop faster. One more quote from the US youth soccer organization is found below. I have also put a link to the full 70 page document that you can download. This is the newest movement in youth soccer across the country.

CONSIDER THIS: At the younger ages (6 to about 10), soccer is not a team sport. On the contrary, it is a time for children to develop their individual relationship with the ball. The fact that younger children are placed into team environments is not their fault. Do not demand that the more confident players share the ball. Encourage them to be creative and go to goal. Do the same with the rest of your players.Work to bring all your players up to that level of confidence and comfort with the ball. Coaches should avoid the impulse to “coach” their players from “play to play” in order to help them win the match. Coaches should not be telling their young players to “pass rather than dribble,” to “hold their positions” or to “never” do something (like pass or dribble in front of the goal).

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Best_Practices.pdf

Ginn's final contribution:
Below is a video that i am sharing with the Infinity Coaching Staff this month. It is focused on player development philosophies and shares an insight of the contrasts between American philosophy & Brazilian philosophy. It is a very low quality production, but the efficiency of educating parents and coaches is very high. Please find the time to watch the video.

Please enjoy the video