Playing Time

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Aug 13, 2013
344
28
Sayville
College coach and travel coach here. I have 15 girls on my travel team. Everyone has missed at least 1 to 2 practices.
Sat pool play day...every girl plays two of three games (some play one in field and one just hitting). 3 girls play all three. Even sat 2 of my best players last game!!!
We go 2 and 1...play great...girls are happy. Parent at end comes up and says some parents are unhappy with how I do playing time since some girls are always here and some aren't!! And that we all pay the same amount!! Are you kidding me?
Vent over! Thanks!!
 
Aug 19, 2012
39
8
The one coaching lesson that has to be learned over and over is that it is impossible to please all of your players/families. Accept that on any given Sunday you will have a couple parents with their nose out of joint. Do what is right and try to ignore the noise.

I would say 15 is a large bench for a travel program, there are sometimes good reasons for doing it but you are pretty much destined for conflict with that many players.
 
Oct 2, 2018
205
43
Georgia
15 is too much unless a long 2 day tournament. From a parent's view, We spend enormous amounts of time, money, travel and energy to watch the girls play on Saturdays so if they play very little amounts then its frustrating. Only a few people in life are vocal even though everyone has the same thoughts. You definitely can not make everyone happy and it shouldn't be a goal of a great coach.
 
Apr 20, 2015
961
93
Unless you are a very high level travel team where parents and players understand the concept of earning spots and role players and some pitchers just pitch 15 is asking for trouble

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
I know a guy. HS coach. His dd played with my dd a couple of travel seasons.

My DD’s HS played his in a district
Final. These are programs that are huge rivals in every sport. They won an exciting 3-2 game to win the district. Lots of action some good defense and a final out at home that would have tied the score.

I see him at the first travel game and congratulate him on the district win and subsequent advancing into the State quarterfinals. He told me that after the district game, while they were lining up the girls for the trophy ceremony and pictures. A parent confronted him through the fence about playing time. They just beat their biggest rival, in a big game. And people are still bitching.

You can’t make everyone happy and some people don’t have the sense to know what’s appropriate or not.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
Why not? Players should know where they stand. They also know who has been there and who hasn’t. This just gives everybody a reality check.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
We once won a 10U championship and girls were ecstatic and exhausted and on the field during the trophy presentation one dad bitched to me about playing time.

I knew then that coaching was not a long-term thing for me.
 

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