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Having recently read some articles about playing time for their child in the Oakwood Pee-Wee football program, it took me back many years to my coaching days and illuminated the fact that things do not change.
What I mean by that is that there will be criticism no matter what you do.
I was constantly vilified back in the day for overlooking someone’s budding super star.
If only I could have more compassion. If only I cared about the kids. If only I knew what I was doing.
The first problem for a coach is that there are only 22 positions in football. If there were more than 22 children, then simple math would illustrate that someone must sit the bench.
Who would you choose to sit the bench if you were coach?
Logic would dictate to any thinking person that you start with the 22 players that show the most interest and effort, not just in games, but also in practice.
There are rules today that force a coach to play all of his or her players at least a minimum amount of time in each game, regardless of effort put forth by the players.
So before you decide to be critical of the football coach for not playing your child, ask yourself a few questions.
Is your child attending each practice session?
Is your child putting forth maximum effort at practice?
Does your child’s aptitude for the game continue to grow?
Does your child know all of the plays he is supposed to know?
In addition, how much effort have you put into the team, if any? Do you just come to the games?
The coaches have a thankless job that encompasses a lot of hours each year. The best part is that you get their time and expertise for absolutely nothing. They are typically former players that love the game and wish to pass on their knowledge of the games intricacies to the next generation.
Back when I coached there were no rules about playing time for each player. The players that put forth the most effort and showed an aptitude for the game got to play the most. However I do remember some players having not played at all one year, that were able to come back the next year as starters because of what they learned about the game the prior year.
All coaches today are bound by minimum play rules. In addition when your team is up, or down by a wide margin, most coaches allow the non-starters more playing time. So the next time you want the jerks head for not playing your son as much as you think would be fair, try to consider the position of the volunteer non-paid coach. He could very easily remove himself from the criticism, then someone else might be asked to step up to the plate and give countless hours of their time, only to eventually come under fire.
Please understand that it is not a personal vendetta against your child when your child does not get to play as much as you would like for them to.
Respectfully,
Vince Ruddy
I would like to submit an addendum to my previous one regarding the youth football league. I would like to apologize if I offended anyone in the process of voicing my concerns in a public forum. I did not, in any way, intend it to be a personalized attack on the league or any of its coaches. I applaud the dedication of all involved with the league and appreciate the time that they spend with the kids. Again, I apologize to anyone that I may have offended, as that was not my intent.
Erin Terpstra
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