Trouble finding players

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Apr 1, 2017
535
93
If you had 8, I'd say scrap your way through fall and work on filling the roster by spring. You might be able to find a player or 2 that decides they don't like their current team/situation, but with only 5, you are a long way away.
 
May 29, 2015
3,715
113
If you can’t find your players, I would suggest reconsidering the idea of camouflage uniforms ... ;)

Don’t take offense ... just asking questions and offering you things to think about ...

What is your background? What did you do last season? Why do you have to have a team?
 
Oct 14, 2016
77
33
My suggestion.

Continue to advertise. Continue to seek players. Make every practice an open tryout until you have the exact number of players you want.

Train the girls you have. Practice often and hone their fundamental skills. If they leave to other teams because of your training, be proud, not upset. Use your knowledge and skilled resume to get players to come because you will train them to be the best.

Reduce your costs. Allow your current girls to be pick-up players for other teams.

There will be a big shift in the landscape right after fall. And there will be another after winter. It happens every season, every where. Teams like yours will dissolve, others will start. Girls will realize Mr. Coach didn't play them every inning and they didn't start every game, and they didn't get college offers at 12. So they leave for another team.

Hang in there. If you are sincere, dedicated, and really care about development, they will come. The community is small enough, people talk, word will get around.

This is where your coaching patience is put to the test. What will you do now coach?
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,042
113
It's SEPTEMBER...way too early to be giving up. Keep working...if you can't play tournaments, then practice. There's usually some team turnover at the end of Fall. Teams fall apart or individual players are unhappy with their individual situation and are looking for a new team. Some kids don't play during fall for various reasons, and don't start looking until the winter.

Persistence pays off here.
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
63
Hello,

Just needing some advise. I am the head coach of a 12u first year team. I am having trouble finding a full roster because we are not a national organization or don’t quite have the credentials yet. I have 5 girls who are committed, did have 6 but she quit today as “the fall season hasn’t met their expectations” when we have only played one tournament so far. No other reason was given.

Should I keep the fight for my girls and keep trying to locate players or should I dissolve the team so that my parents won’t have to spend any more money on a team that may or may not work?

I love this game and I’m a first year coach which I’m sure plays a part of it but I’m a former player, assistant coach, and softball parent. Do I need to mention my credentials when reaching out?

Sincerely,

I just need helpful advice please.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Coach K, I understand the plight. It is difficult to pull a team out of thin air, especially when you don't have half of them team from rec, a dissolved team, or some other group that some of the girls were already a part of, athletic or otherwise.

The thing that stuck out to me as you have been attempting to put together this team is that you are trying to form a B team from scratch. That seems to be a tremendously difficult way to start a team. The reason being that every girl that is B level, has a team or is looking to improve the situation from their last team. The expectations will probably be pretty high from the players and the parents, as you can see, you've already had one drop because those expectations haven't been met.

My suggestion would be to try to form a C team. I know that may not be the level of play that you want to coach, or witness every weekend, but you're a new team, and a new coach. You can't start at the top. You can't even start in the middle. You have to start at the bottom and build this from the ground up.

You want a B team? Build it. The way to do that is through the C division. Make that the expectation. "We are forming a 12C team with the expectation of moving to B at some point in the spring." Don't oversell it. Find some raw athletes who want to give softball a shot, or some rec girls ready to move up. That type of girl can't make the jump to 12B. Give them a place they can grow and you'll have your B team by this time next year.

I wish you the best of luck.
 
Sep 10, 2019
59
8
It sounds as though you have an abundance of teams in your area. How many are there and how long has each been active?
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
63
It sounds as though you have an abundance of teams in your area. How many are there and how long has each been active?
That's hard to pinpoint, but across this weekend's three local tournaments, there are 37 teams registered in 12B, and 42 teams registered 12C.

Some would be coming from outside of town, but the majority would be local teams.
 

Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
42,809
Messages
678,966
Members
21,423
Latest member
Wes_K
Top