Playing Time Policy

The Livonia Soccer Club is not a premier level soccer club focused on winning league championships.  While we strive to be as competitive as possible, we are, first and foremost, a developmental soccer club focused on player development regardless of age, athletic ability, or technical skill level.  With that in mind, our official playing time policy is as follows:

“All players will play as equally as possible in all LSC games, leagues, and club activities.”

What does this policy “really” mean?

Our Playing Time Policy means we understand that every player is unique.  From a purely physical standpoint, some players may be able to play an entire game without rest while others may only be able to play in 5-10 minute intervals for a wide variety of reasons such as recovering from an injury, a health condition such as asthma, or because they are “playing up” at an older age level and they simply need more frequent breaks.

The goal is for coaches to use their best judgement and to play all of their players as equally as possible in all games, practices, and activities while maintaining a safe and positive experience for everyone.

What does this policy “not” mean?

Our Playing Time Policy does not mean we expect our volunteer coaches to hold a stop watch during games and keep track of exact playing time for every player on their team.  Instead, this policy means that coaches should make every effort to play every player as equally as possible while also keeping the overall experience as positive as possible. As a firm rule, every player should play at least half of all games, practices, and activities.

As an example:  If your team is physically outmatched, it is understandable for a coach to play their strongest players longer and possibly shift them to the middle of the field while rotating other players on the outside in order to allow everyone to play and gain valuable experience while also keeping the game as competitive and positive as possible.

A Livonia Coach’s Experience

Since I began coaching with our soccer club, I always believed that all players should play as equally as possible in every game, practice, and activity regardless of their athletic ability and I have always done my best to follow that rule.  By playing everyone as equally as possible, the teams I have coached have may have lost a few games and maybe even a division or league championship, but the bond those players formed with one another and the team chemistry they developed from season to season was incredible and it was absolutely the right thing to do.

– Coach Dennis