ECNL Puts Player Development First with no re-entry?

Yes, U13 follows the substitution rules that once a player comes off in the half, the player cannot re-enter in that half.

To me, the rule makes sense. One, it keeps coaches from simply pulling a kid because he made a mistake so it gives players an opportunity to settle into the game. This is particularly true for players that are not starting. With 35 minute halves, most of the subs come in at the 20 to 25 minute mark. Obviously, once the subs are used, there is no one else to put in the game so the coach has to let the kids play. Two, it helps to limit some of the fast break, kick everything long and run because most kids cannot go full speed for 20 minutes straight. With unlimited subs, you have kids play like their hair is on fire for 10 minutes, then sub and then sub out the subs. The only real drawbacks are if a player is hurt early in the half and a sub is made, the player is done for the half or if a player gets hurt after all of the subs are used, the team is playing a man down for the remainder of the half.

My problem with the rule is that it does not replicate the college rules. To me they should allow players to re enter in the second half like college does.

Also for injuries I have seen some unfortunate substitution issues. For example a few weeks ago one of our players got fouled and had turf burn that was bleeding enough they made her come off. This was only 7 or 8 minutes into the half and we played a man down for 5 minutes while the trainer was cleaning the wound and bandaging it. Finally the coach got fed up playing a man down for that long and subbed someone in. That poor kid only played 7 or 8 minutes in the second half. How is that good for players?

The college game should be changed! It’s not real soccer, to me, where players run out for 10 minutes. Then are subbed off to rest.

As for what age should reentry not be allowed. I think U13 is the age. I like the ECNL/GA rules are spot on. IMO we can not treat it like Academy soccer.

Youth is youth.  I dont care firmly about the subbing for the youth age groups.  However, the college game is another thing.  (Womens soccer focus) ... The college rules in the US were made in a vaccum before US professional soccer really took hold. Think about it.  Who decided years ago that unlimited subbing was ok? It goes back to the purpose.  If the purpose is to develop players and create a product that is most like the rest of the world, then the rules should be changed including roster limits.  If the purpose/goals are simply to have the numbers to satisfy Title IX and fund the University (happening right now) then leave it as is.  

Here is a great article from 2016:  www.foxsports.com/soccer/gallery/the-7-biggest-flaws-of-college-soccer-111816

emotionally.

I agree with several of the "flaws" but think that some things are better left as is. USSF has to stay out of college soccer IMO. They have enough trouble managing their own institution. I am happy to see that pro soccer had allowed 5 subs since covid as this is more reasonable especially in light of injury prevention. Though college soccer allows for 11 subs at a time I have never seen more than 6 (and that is usually only the cream of the crop at UNC and FSU that do that many at once). While I am on that note considering that UNC (for a very long time) and FSU (recently) has been producing the best of the best players maybe allowing subs does not hurt development as much as people think 🤔.

Really I don't think college soccer is about developing for the pros nearly as much as it is about satisfying title IX and college kids having fun and getting a discounted education.

As for the remainder of that article I hate the countdown clock. It is stupid. I agree that the season is so short that injuries are increased hence the need for the big rosters. However these students are student athletes with only 2% or fewer going pro so they do need time to focus on studies and take classes.

As an aside I do think the substitution rules in college are a bit lax. Maybe limiting them to using only 18 players on game day would make some sense.

MLS Next is 7 substitutions over 3 stoppage/moments and NO re-entry at all starting at U15. U13/14 is no re-entry per half.

Depends on the type of injury.

If a regular injury, player can leave the field to be evaluated but the team plays a man down during that time period.  If substituted off, the player is done for the half.

If a head injury, provided that subs are still left, a sub can be placed on the field while the evaluation occurs and the original player can return if cleared by the training.  If out of subs, the team must play a man down.

See Rule 3.9 and 3.9.1
docs.google.com/document/d/1YX_CbbGBwRvRpo1ZxPiWV8XvdZBd8966/edit

Full disclosure, my initial post was one of emotion and frustration. I haven't responded because I wanted to give myself time to allow reason and logic to set in, as well as, hear from others on the topic. That being said, my opinion hasn't changed and this is the why.

At U13 specifically, many of these players are not ready to play 11v11 and cover a 120v70 pitch and do so while playing quality soccer. I have watched several ECRL teams this season struggle to make dynamic runs, take risks going forward or transition at speed. I have seen my fair share of players just coasting, going through the motions. When I was informed of the sub restriction, minutes before my initial post, I had a profound ah ha moment. These teams weren't suffering from bad coaches, poor fitness or lack of motivation, they literally had to hold themselves back in order to cover more ground for longer, until their coach was allowed to sub them. As a coach, my goal is not for my player to feel relieved when she comes out. I want her to be like, "Hey Coach, did I do something wrong, why did you take me out?" I want her to want to be on the field, I want her to want to play the game that she loves and I fear that this rule that might seem arbitrary to some, may be doing more harm than you think.

As a player I played with my "hair on fire", to use a phrase from a previous poster, and I coach my players to play the same way. I expect them to give their team everything they can every time they step on the field, be it training or a match. I push my players to play high pressure, we don't LET the other team out of their end, you can often hear me yelling, "That was too easy," as a response to my players not making it harder, not pressuring or positioning themselves defensively to make it more challenging for the opposing team. I am also one of those coaches that expects my team to transition at speed, not just jogging up the field together. If we play the ball out of the back then I expect my back line to push up at a sprint, not a walk or jog, if they don't they will surely be hearing from me and their keeper. By making my back line push up at speed, it forces the midfield to get up and so on. It acts as an ignition to start everyone going forward at speed. Lastly, I expect my forwards to work back, if it's a winger coming back to receive a ball down the line from her OB or a center forward coming back into the midfield to double the opponents holding midfielder, there isn't much resting time when the ball is in play. Thats why I know 12 year old children are not ready to play high level soccer on a full size field for 20-30 minutes. They should be focused on building up to that as they grow and mature. There is a big difference between a 12 year old child and an 18 year old young woman, so why are we expecting them to do the same amount of work? Is it better for a player's development for them to play at 100% for 10minutes or at 75% for 20minutes? If the players have the knowledge of the game to make dynamic runs, play high pressure and quick transition at speed, but don't have to ability to put it into practice in a game because they aren't able to cover the field AND play quality soccer, the player is left with but a choice, to work hard or conserve, attack the space or hold off it's only minute 2, to high press the defender in her box facing her own goal or hold? Not only can I see the rule potentially hampering development, but I would argue, it's doing a good job of taking the fun out of the game for these kids. If I just wanted to jog around and cover a large space for 20minutes I would have run cross country. This season I have seen a lot of underwhelming soccer, frustrated coaches, players and parents... not saying it is cure all, but I think this restriction is a mistake at the ECRL level especially for U13-U14s. Lastly, I'd ask, who decided this rule was appropriate, when was the last time they coached a U13 team, or a 2nd team for that matter? It's kind of like the SCCL free sub on ANY stoppage, who wrote that rule, have they seen that in practice? Did they not think coaches would abuse the rule and sub EVERY stoppage to make sure the other team can't get anything started, or to delay, delay, delay?

Lastly, I have a problem with this rule because if I were coaching ECRL (and traditionally I have coached 2nd teams), the rule would keep me from being the coach that I am and I take pride in being. Example, I have an OB on the parent's sideline that continues to get beat on the inside. I call out to her and say, "You can't let her beat you on the inside." Two minutes later, it happens again. I move the OB over to my sideline and switch the OBs. I quickly explain my coaching point the best I can from the sideline during the other team's goal kick. She gets beat again. We are only 10 minutes in. So, do I allow that player to continue to get beat, move her to another position or do I pull her off only to sit the rest of the half? In a free sub world, I pull her off like I do in academy and at high school. I ask her how she is feeling? I let her talk. I ask her if she understands what I was saying to her on the field. I get to have a conversation with my player. I may use a white board, I may use cones or other teammates on the side to demonstrate my point. Then I get to put her back in. When she succeeds, I eagerly watch with anticipation, I get to do my favorite thing as a coach, reward her with positive reinforcement and she has now LEARNED from her mistake. Something often overlooked here, but needs to be stated. These types of interactions happen ALL the time when players are young, but as the players get older, they happen less and less. It's in those moments players build trust and respect with their coaches. If these interactions start to be limited by 12 years old, I wonder what the coach-player relationship will look like in the future. Another important point, the mistake didn't cost her team a goal, so we were able to make the changes without coach or players getting emotional because it hadn't cost us anything.

What if the player understood, but was hurt? Sub restriction, do I take her out, or leave her in? Who am I as a coach to judge if the player is too hurt or not too hurt to continue? What if it's more mental, her parents are yelling at her on the sideline and they are in her head. Free subs, I can have a conversation with her and then put her back in keeping her on my sideline until we can talk with her parents after the match. This rule doesn't make better coaches, it makes MANAGERS. I don't just manage the match, I have players that I love and care about that I want to make sure are getting everything they can out of their experience in that match.

From my perspective, this rule was not made to make the player experience better, if you have an example of where a player benefits from the rule, please share.

Couldn't agree more, and as I said, I personally wouldn't even limit it to the youngest 11v11 age groups, but get where you're coming from in that the issues are most noticeable & potentially harmful with those younger kids.

I don't think of going 100% as the same as an all out sprint the whole time. That would exhaust everyone within a few minutes. I do think that the defenders stepping up quickly when you are in transition and pressing also are good tactical things to do at all ages. You need to press and to drop and block passing lanes and need to know when to do both.

I agree in theory for the gradual increase in size of the field, it is not practical. Clubs cannot have several different sizes of 11v11 fields and appropriately schedule the right ages on them. Too much chaos in the schedules. They instead have shorter game times.

Unlimited subs is not appropriate but I do think that allowing subbing in and out on a limited basis (either saying only certain number of substitution moments or saying one re-entry per half) could be beneficial for the players.

The MOST beneficial thing would be to keep standings and championships out of the game until high school age.

rifle said “ Dangit. I was 100% committed to “I agree” with soccerfirst then I read your reply.

…And now I agree with both.”

…suck-up!🤣😉

Soccer is about opinions…

Exactly right.  That is why is important for coaches to teach kids the different ways to play soccer and how to recognize (as a team) the type of soccer that needs to be played because there are times when every type of soccer needs to be played. On defense that includes, high press, mid block and parking the bus.  On offense, it includes when to play possession, how to break lines, and when to play direct.  There is no one right way to attack or defend.  

True... As my dad used to say "It's the goals that count". (Which was usually in response to commentators going on about how one team deserved to win, passed more, etc.)