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Everyone Plays
Our goal is for kids to play soccer — so we mandate that every player on every team must play at least half of every game. Players do not learn much by sitting on the bench. The goal is to have as many players playing as much of the time as possible. Playing time should not be based on skill level or even willingness. It should be shared fairly for the benefit of all players to learn, improve and grow. Most Regions and Areas take this philosophy further. They believe all players should have equal playing and practice time as much as possible. Teams are often sized so no player should have to sit out more than once in a game. They also add a rule that no player can sit out a second time in one game before all players have sat out once. Finally, they ask that coaches balance the total playing time (versus time sitting as an eligible substitute outside the touch line) of all players on the team during the season. While more socialistic on first blush, this helps remove favoritism and gives each player an equal chance at learning new skills on the field of play. Coaches who adopt this philosophy generally find everyone benefits as the players really work together as a team knowing they all must participate equally. They accept each others abilities and work to achieve a common goal of winning the game. There is a myth that AYSO restricts players from being a goalkeeper more than 1/2 the game and thus specializing in that role. In the AYSO Small Sided Game Guidelines for Divisions U12 and below, it is recommended that any player acting as the goal keeper play on the field as a regular player as well. This is to keep the position from being specialized at such a young age and getting the younger player experienced with more field positions and running harder as a player on the field. When combined with the equal playing time rule above, this usually implies that a player be goal keeper for no more than one half the game. Other than this guideline, there is no restriction on a player in the position of goal keeper.
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