Playing Time

I have been reading a lot of posts that concern playing time. I'll start off with telling you I am a parent. I have 2 boys that compete. One is a 5th grader and the other is in 8th grade. They are completely different in their size and build. I am very proud of both of them and what they do.

My concern is mainly with the younger one, he is very short and stocky. The team he is on is a 5th/6th grade team. I truly believe at this level (1st & 2nd year) that all the kids need to get equal game time. This way they don't get discouraged and quit before they get a chance to develop physically. I want to believe that the coaching staff here and in my childrens program don't want to just promote and train their own kids. The boy want's to play!! He is always giving 110% in practice, in the 5-6 plays he is in a game he makes a difference. It just seems that he is left out because of his size. I want him to learn the game, team work, and sportsmanship. If all the kids are allowed to get fairly equal game time it will keep them interested and in the program. I know that all kids will not be stars....but where are the stars going to be without the supporting cast? Football is a team sport and it takes more than 11 kids to have a successful team. If the kids coming out of the youth program were being scouted by colleges or NFL teams it would be different. Most of the leagues and teams that have the youth programs by me are the developmental program for the area high school. The kids aren't going out of the area to a football only school.

You have some coaches here that seem to have only one thing on their mind and that is the W. It may be that they are looking for advancement in coaching. But the one thing that has to be looked at is the kids! What good is a kid that has had sunshine blown up their ass in a youth program because of athletic ability and never got to learn the basic fundamentals of the game? When they get to the next level, they are tossed aside, for the kid that may not be as athletic but has the desire, skills and fundamentals to compete.

I may sound like I'm rambling...I hate message board blocks. My next post will be done in notepad and pasted so it doesn't look so jumbled.

Thanks
A concerned parent