Playing time in the competitive league

Coach Wade:

You hit the nail on the head. Playing time must be earned through hard work. Showing up for every practice does not equal playing time on gameday. Some may think that's commitment...no, it's expected! Commitment is what a player does to better himself, by listening to the coaches, doing the best he can in all drills and practice scrimmages, demonstrating to the coaches his desire to play the game, for himself and his teammates.

I agree with your minimum play rule; that it should be the coaches who determine playing time, and not a mandatory rule specifying the number of plays for each boy per game. I cannot imagine a rule like that in our associaton...I can see it now, parents in the stands with notepad and pencil in hand, counting the number of plays their son gets in, or doesn't... good grief!

So many in today's society want to give away goals/rewards without first getting the effort. There is nothing wrong with the concept of having your players put forth the effort to earn that time on the field. Guaranteeing a set number of plays on gameday for a goof-off, who would do more harm to himself and his teammates? I don't think so.

Keep the faith.

Coach Jim