Roster Size - 16/18U Exposure Team

I just would love some thoughts from both COACHES and PARENTS on best roster size at this age and for a high level team -- what works, what doesn't, why, considerations, etc? TKS.

IMO the question that needs to be answered is who is going to show up to the games.

If they are all going to be there all the time 11 or 12 is fine, if they are not you need a large enough Roster were you are not running around looking for quest players.

quincy said:

IMO the question that needs to be answered is who is going to show up to the games.

If they are all going to be there all the time 11 or 12 is fine, if they are not you need a large enough Roster were you are not running around looking for quest players.

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Yep...What Q said. DD is a senior in HS and doen't want to miss Prom, retreats, homecoming, dances ect....
Need to know who is going to show up week after week.

14-16 is a good number if you have team players rather than girls/parents who think it's all about them.

MNDad said:

14-16 is a good number if you have team players rather than girls/parents who think it's all about them.

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Explain.

IMO, showcase is all about them, as long as 'them' is the players (and not parents) and 'them' remains plural.

IME, 11-12 is too small for 16U/18U because injuries become more of an issue from 14U on and there isn't enough competition within the team to push players. The 14-16 range works well if you have the right players and the coach handles it well. IOW, don't add more players if they aren't up to par with the rest of the team and/or you aren't going to play them enough.

12 for 10U and 12U, 14 for 14U, and 16 for 16U and 18U.

Thanks everyone. That jibes with my thinking. We've had a smaller core at 18U in the past (that we knew well) as we continued this fall with a newer group (a few holdovers) and we had a lot of misses and not as much competition as I'd like. I haven't managed a 15-player roster before, I know all the tricks but just haven't managed the people (player/parent) dynamics yet. My thought: practice hard and often, play a tough schedule, let the cream rise while respecting and helping each and every player best we can. And be ready for a few malcontents (something we haven't faced with smaller rosters)....TKS

RichK said:

Thanks everyone. That jibes with my thinking. We've had a smaller core at 18U in the past (that we knew well) as we continued this fall with a newer group (a few holdovers) and we had a lot of misses and not as much competition as I'd like. I haven't managed a 15-player roster before, I know all the tricks but just haven't managed the people (player/parent) dynamics yet. My thought: practice hard and often, play a tough schedule, let the cream rise while respecting and helping each and every player best we can. And be ready for a few malcontents (something we haven't faced with smaller rosters)....TKS

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The keys to happy player/parent dynamics are setting expectations up front and playing in a variety tournaments. Plays friendlies, showcases and non-critical tournaments to get better. Bat everyone, cross train players in multiple positions, use them as a learning experience, push them to make mistakes and to learn from them. Then when you play qualifiers and at nationals you play to win - best 9 on the field.

A lot of coaches get themselves into trouble with disgruntled players/parents because they do not set expectations and let their egos get the better of them and they "manage to win" instead of "managing to get better" in friendlies, showcases and non-critical tournaments. Notice I said "managing" and not "playing".....

I run with 14-15 for my 18U team.