Should I say sth to the football coach about this sub arrangement

[midnightOK]

DS joined a football club since May. He likes football though I have to say his performance is just ok, not great. Everytime he went for a training or match, he would like me to watch him. I rarely got time to watch it. However in these few times I did watch him, he was rarely in the field, was often in the subs. This morning the match started at 12:00, by the time I had to leave, which was 12:30, he was still sitting aside and waiting for his turn to go in the match. Later on when I picked him up, I asked him how long he had been playing, he said probably 10 mins. He might not be accurate about the time he was in the match, however it is clear that some kids were in the match from start to the end and my son was only in it for a very short time. Should I talk about it with the football coach? I don't think this is fair. It's supposed to be roughly equal time for every kid to be in the match, is that right?

I agree @ThatSunnyCorner

Thanks for linking @Lucyccfc68. I had found and read that link, but it doesn't say that at all.

I think little children (whatever sport) should very much be about learning and having the opportunity to practice . I love kwik cricket in particular for this, in that the players 'stay in' when they are 'out', just lose points. It is great. However there comes a time when those who have been learning and 'practising' for years, who need the next challenge of playing competitively. Yes, part of this is that better players get more time - in the same way that musicians or actors audition for a role or a place in a competitive orchestra. Some people are better than others. That is part of life. the lovely things about something like football, is that you can play at all sorts of different levels - that is how leagues work. You just have to find a club that plays in a league with other players of your ability.

I think at age 10 the sport is very competitive and the best children get chosen to play. If he’s not getting match play soon then I’d look for a lower division team for him to play. Even by 6 it’s pretty ruthless!

@Kite22

I agree *@ThatSunnyCorner*

Thanks for linking @Lucyccfc68. I had found and read that link, but it doesn't say that at all.

I think little children (whatever sport) should very much be about learning and having the opportunity to practice . I love kwik cricket in particular for this, in that the players 'stay in' when they are 'out', just lose points. It is great. However there comes a time when those who have been learning and 'practising' for years, who need the next challenge of playing competitively. Yes, part of this is that better players get more time - in the same way that musicians or actors audition for a role or a place in a competitive orchestra. Some people are better than others. That is part of life. the lovely things about something like football, is that you can play at all sorts of different levels - that is how leagues work. You just have to find a club that plays in a league with other players of your ability.

It absolutely says:

Foundation phase (age 5-12). Developing the individual players rather than the results of the team. Should be an aim to offer all squad players comparable game time.

Also states:

SCORY does not permit the publication of tables for those age groups U7 to U11. This MEANS it’s non competitive I.e. no league tables.

This guidance is in place so that Football is for ALL (FA’s mantra) from age 5-12. It doesn’t matter how much a child of that age practises (gets 1-2-1 expensive coaching via their pushy parent) foundation phase is about developing individual players and not results - which doesn’t mean giving the best players more time on the pitch at the expense of those who are not as good at that age.

Some players, given the opportunity, blossom as they get older. Without game time, this just won’t happen.

The FA produced these guidelines as best practise in the hope that all children at foundation stage get a chance to play, develop and shine. The ones who don’t buy into this ethos are generally the ones who think little Tommy is going to be the next Harry Kane or Phil Foden and send their kids to some team with the name ‘elite’ or ‘academy’ in the title and spend their time screeching instructions from the side-lines and abusing referees when they don’t like a decision.

Plenty of time when they reach U12’s for competitive football. That’s when you potentially find a club or league that is the right level for your child.

No longer being allowed to publish league tables doesn't mean it is non competitive. It is a sport - ergo - you are competing against the opposing team (in this case - obviously might be opposing player).

^In the Foundation phase the focus should be on developing the individual players rather than results of the team. In relation to the management of a team this should mean that in a game or over a course of games that a squad of youth players should experience a range of situations –starting, starting as a substitute, coming on as a substitute, being substituted. There should be an aim to offer all squad players comparable game time. However, we believe
this approach should be based on a developmental ethos rather than regulation imposed by a stop watch.^

So if you read the last sentence, it specifically says "based on developmental ethos rather than regulations imposed by a stopwatch " which I interpret as the Team Manager / Coach using their common sense and skill, and does not mean saying everyone has to be on the pitch for the same number of minutes every single game.

I have no expectation in my mind that my dd was going to be the next Harry Kane or Phil Foden, and she had a whole season when she knew she would get half a game at the most because of the make up of the squad that season, and she was fine about that. She is fully aware of her abilities and skills and where others are better than her, but that she brought her own qualities to the squad and she enjoyed the training and being part of the squad. So I think you are over generalising there. Oh, and I have never "screeched instructions from the side-lines nor abused referees".
I am 100% for rotating squads and giving everyone time to play and practice their skills. I love rolling subs an no limit on the number of subs, but sometimes there is also a place for developing skills with some stability of knowing (for example) where the winger will be when you make that pass. As I say, it depends on the game, not, (as indeed the FA agree with me), on a stopwatch of equal minutes.

@Kite22

No longer being allowed to publish league tables doesn't mean it is non competitive. It is a sport - ergo - you are competing against the opposing team (in this case - obviously might be opposing player).

^In the Foundation phase the focus should be on developing the individual players rather than results of the team. In relation to the management of a team this should mean that in a game or over a course of games that a squad of youth players should experience a range of situations –starting, starting as a substitute, coming on as a substitute, being substituted. There should be an aim to offer all squad players comparable game time. However, we believe
this approach should be based on a developmental ethos rather than regulation imposed by a stop watch.^

So if you read the last sentence, it specifically says "based on developmental ethos rather than regulations imposed by a stopwatch " which I interpret as the Team Manager / Coach using their common sense and skill, and does not mean saying everyone has to be on the pitch for the same number of minutes every single game.

I have no expectation in my mind that my dd was going to be the next Harry Kane or Phil Foden, and she had a whole season when she knew she would get half a game at the most because of the make up of the squad that season, and she was fine about that. She is fully aware of her abilities and skills and where others are better than her, but that she brought her own qualities to the squad and she enjoyed the training and being part of the squad. So I think you are over generalising there. Oh, and I have never "screeched instructions from the side-lines nor abused referees".
I am 100% for rotating squads and giving everyone time to play and practice their skills. I love rolling subs an no limit on the number of subs, but sometimes there is also a place for developing skills with some stability of knowing (for example) where the winger will be when you make that pass. As I say, it depends on the game, not, (as indeed the FA agree with me), on a stopwatch of equal minutes.

Yes I agree with this. Of course competitive football is allowed with under 12s, even if league tables arent published, you'll find competitive matches all over the country every weekend. And tournaments. And cup competitions with finals.

It's clear from the FA guidelines that coaches can also use their discretion regarding equality of time on the pitch.

I don't think football is a very inclusive sport, unfortunately. However, there should be teams in different divisions which allow for different ability levels, as others have suggested.

Otherwise I would suggest athletics. It's much more inclusive, there are plenty of track events and junior and 5k parkruns happen every weekend.

In my admittedly limited experience the FA is completely rubbish at making sure that the rules are followed. My son played football and had a much nicer time when he switched to athletics.