11 year old doesn't get stuck in

[Allboyshouse]

My 11yr ds plays for a local football team but he just doesn't get stuck in and it's excruciating to watch. It's not even that he's not very good ..he literally runs away from the ball! He's never particularly keen to go to training and matches , but equally when I say he can give up and try something else he doesn't seem keen!
I don't want to knock his confidence but it really isn't his sport and the added drama of dragging him there just makes the whole experience more painful!
Any suggestions?

Let him give up and NOT try something else?

Or say that he reduces his moaning about going, or stops.

Stop doing it? Sports aren’t for everyone. Why are you forcing him to do something he obviously isn’t in to?

Where does it say OP is forcing him? It literally says they have told him he doesn't have to go and can try something else.

I would not offer to do 'something else'. Take him to try various things out and once he has found something he likes better, stop the football. For me it's important that kids do sports, so I wouldn't let mine quit, but they both have tried a full range of various activities.

What does the coach say?

The coach had previously given him very little game time , which made it worse as it made him feel like the coach thought he was rubbish , but since chatting to the coach this has improved..but actually he's still just not throwing himself into it. I think he's afraid to get hurt.
I've offered him tennis, cricket, basketball, rugby, karate, scouts , a musical instrument...he really just loves to mow the lawn. I'm not pressuring him to stay at football or try something , but want him to have the opportunities to try new things if he wants!