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Football Dilema

6 replies

jellybrain · 04/12/2007 03:15

This is going to be a long one so, please bare with me .

I have a 7 yr old ds who plays in a junior football league. The team is run by parents one in particular who gives up every monday evening and Saturday/Sunday without fail. A lot of emphasis is placed on winning and where they are in the league. The club is very popular and consequently there are more boys than places on the team.
To get around this a rota has been drawn up whereby six of the boys only play alternate weekend games each weekend there are 2 games played (one which counts twds league placings and a second'friendly').

The reason given for the rota was to let everyone play a full game- which is absolutely fair however something about it really bugs me;

  1. Some boys get to play in both games every week.

2. There appears to be some bias towards those whose parents are involved in running the team or are prepared to stand on the sidelines for every match and training session.
3.If you are friends with the select group you are more likely to be picked.

The reason I am so angry about this is that at 7 it should be about them getting excercise, learning teamwork and most of all having fun.

Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW have posted this at a ridiculous hour as couldn't sleep as the heating was on! Off to bed a gain now and will log back in tomorrow.
OP posts:
Riddo · 04/12/2007 04:15

Sorry can't think of anything helpful to say - just wanted to let you know that your post has been read by a fellow insomniac. My ds is also 7, his football club is fair as it's not run by parents but don't get me started on his teachers' idea of fair!

seeker · 04/12/2007 05:50

have a look at this

Our ds's football club is run along these lines and it's brilliant. Happy to say more if anyone's interested.

Hallgerda · 04/12/2007 10:11

jellybrain, I know the feeling - I'm considering moving my sons to a different cricket club for very similar reasons (plus some personal nastiness against my rather clumsy DS3 and snobbery towards those not at the right school).

seeker, thank you for your link - it's great to know there's someone out there doing something about the problem. You wouldn't by any chance know of anything similar for cricket, would you?

singersgirl · 04/12/2007 10:12

Oh, that link makes me want to cry. DS1 (9 and not very sporty) stopped going to the afterschool football club this term because the same people are always picked as team captains, and they in turn always pick the same people, and no-one ever passed to him. He was keen as mustard to play and he was crushed .

southeastastra · 04/12/2007 10:17

great link!

yep i had the same when my ds(now 14) was younger. he was always the goal keeper until another (allegedly better) one joined. my son just left, fed up with being left out.

the parent's on the sidelines used to wind me up too.

southeastastra · 04/12/2007 10:22

saying that though, he did join the afterschool club which was much more fairly organised.

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