My son plays for a very good youth football team in Oklahoma. Sometimes he gets to play quite a bit. However, sometimes he barely gets his 12 plays in that are required. (Can't figure this one out. He is not the best out there but not the worst either.) My question is which would be better. Playing for a really good team and not getting to play much or switching to a team that may not win one game all season, but he plays every down? Thoughts? BTW, he wants to stay on the current team with his buddies. He is a team player and supports his buddies that do play more.
I experienced this when I played legion baseball in Arkansas. I played up for a year and hardly ever got to play but playing with better players and more talent made me better in the long run. If next year he is a much better player and he still is not getting much PT then you might consider looking for another team but playing with you buddies is always a good thing.
Playing for a really good team and playing alot would be the best I would say if he is having fun leave him be but if he is upset about playing find a better situation When I first started playing baseball in 3rd grade I had a natural talent for it but had never played any kind of sport before so I had a lot to learn. I played one season on a crappy team, was the best player, and for the most part didnt enjoy it. I then moved to the best team in my district for the rest of little league and I was no longer one of the better players on the team but we won alot, I still started, and I learned alot while having fun. Within 2 years of playing on that team and going to the batting cages (keep in mind I love baseball) I was one of the better players on the team. Because of this I got alot better and ended up starting all 4 yrs in HS. Again, If he is happy leave him where he is and the rest will fall into place, he will either realize football isnt for him or he will become pretty good id imagine
I'm pretty sure the level of play for your son's team is high. Even if he's not the best player he's practicing with a higher level. I'd rather my son be in the middle (talent wise) on a good team than be the best on a bad one. FWIW I coached our town's 3rd & 4th grade team this year & we were bad.
As stated, playing with friends takes precedence. Aside from that, less playing time (but more practice time) with better talent will give better long-term development. In the short-term, playing more on a less talented team is better, but may lead to him getting frustrated.
