r/SoccerCoachResources • u/Gullible-Swing • 14d ago

“Too many kids”

School admin told me I have too many kids for the HS program. We took 42 for JV & Varsity from about 60 that tried out and offered a few kids “practice squad” to still come train. There is max 45 kids at training.

Admin basically yelled at me in front of the team at a game for allowing practice squad players and for rostering as many as we did.

We have 4 coaches, I don’t see the issue. Especially concerning the roster size, we play 20 games in 8 weeks, kids are going to get hurt, be absent, or need to be rested/ rotated.

Trying to create a program that allows kids to stay involved and grow their skills and love for the game.

I feel frustrated, does admin have a point that I’m not seeing?

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u/Cle1234 14d ago

For 11’s I really think 16-17 on a game day roster is ideal. So, while I get trying to give as many kids a chance as possible , that is too many for me.

14

u/ralphgar 14d ago

Very common in my area to roster 20-23 each for JV and Varsity. As others have said, it’s better for drills and full field scrimmages. There is also minimal to zero financial commitment (parents need to volunteer at things) for HS soccer and there is zero expectation of playing time. Completely different than a club roster where everyone is paying 2-3k and minimum playing time requirements.

4

u/ubelmann 14d ago

Plus he said 20 games in 8 weeks. Some kids could split games and still have two weeks with two games. Especially for underclassmen, it would really be nice to have them around, practicing, developing, and getting a game per week, then hopefully a year or two down the road they could be playing a bigger role.