Should My Child Have a Set Position?

Parent Question: Should my child be playing different positions every week?

This is designed to help any parent who is wondering why their player is always moving positions or asking why they are always stuck in one position.

Coach to parent – ‘Your child is a defender’.

No. They aren’t.

They are a 7-year-old footballer learning the game and you, me or any coach in the world has no idea what position that child will be in the future.

Instead, it can be massively beneficial for young player to gain experience of many different positions.
But why is this good for children?

And what needs to happen to make sure they actually benefit from it?

Read on…

⚽️ Game Understanding

Playing different positions every week helps children learn more about the game.
If they specialise too early they miss out on so much learning.

Different runs to make, where to be in certain situations, anticipating what could happen next.

If a player plays right-wing one week then central midfield the next, he/she knows how they liked to receive the ball when playing out wide so they now might be able to make better decisions when playing the ball to the player on the right-wing this week.

Also, if a player progresses to an academy trial they are often thrown into different positions.

A standard one used to be putting trialists in the full-back positions because it is one of the positions on the pitch where you don’t always get marked and therefore the coaches could see them with the ball at their feet a lot more.

Who do you think will look better – the kid who has only ever played one position or the player comfortable with playing anywhere?

⚽️ Possible Increase in Technical Ability

Different positions mean the player will receive the ball in different ways and from different angles.

Some positions require that a player receives the ball with their back to goal, some will mean that the player generally receives it in a ‘busier’ area of the pitch with more defenders around them (i.e. centre midfield).

If a child is exposed to these different situations they are forced to adapt and use different first touches.
Some positions mean they will have more chance of shooting.

Some will mean they have more opportunities to tackle.

Playing in different areas will therefore help them ‘practise’ different technical elements in the most realistic environment possible – a match.

⚽️ Empathy

Who would be a goal-keeper?!

They have such a limited opportunity to be the hero but SO many chances of being the villain if they let in a goal.

If a child experiences what it is like to be a goal keeper (even if they want to be an outfield player) they know what it feels like to maybe be that person who lets in a last-minute goal to lose a game.

If that happens to another goal-keeper on a different day, your child will treat that player the way they would hope to be treated in the same situation.

Empathy is a good trait to develop as a child and this is a perfect way to build it.

The same applies to all areas of the field.

Strikers have pressure to score.

Defenders have pressure to keep a clean sheet.

Playing these positions helps children understand how it feels.

⚽️ Team work

All for one and one for all!

This is an obvious one but teams who have players who are prepared to sacrifice their desire to play in certain positions in order for everyone to have a chance of playing everywhere generally have a more harmonious group with no egos or big-timers.

⚽️ Fun!

Being stuck in the same position every week can get boring; particularly if it is a position they don’t like.
Changing it up gives children new challenges and a chance to try different things in different areas of the pitch which should increase enjoyment.

➡️ What coaches need to do

The above are all great reasons for children playing multiple positions but it all falls apart if a coach doesn’t do their job properly.

The multi-position idea is not a new one but you will see coaches doing it now because they see it as forward-thinking.

But it only works if a child understands what they need to do in and out of possession in each position they play.

That comes from the coach.

Some can argue that the game can be the teacher and the players will learn by doing but it only takes one really negative experience from an under-prepared child and it could result in them never wanting to try that position again or, even worse, they quit football!

A coach should help the children to learn the basics of each position; particularly if they have never played there before.

After that it is a case of learning from the experiences and the coach progressing the details they are giving for each position as time goes on.

➡️ What parents need to do

Support the coach if they are trying to implement this in the RIGHT way.

It is hard enough as it is for a grassroots coach who has given up their time to run a team.

If they are trying to do the above in the right way and for the right reasons then your support will be a big help.

If it looks like certain players are always rotated but others are always left in their ‘favoured’ positions then you may be right to question things but make sure to do this in the right way and on a one to one basis with the coach.

Another question could be – why AREN’T the coaches rotating positions?

We believe at the younger end it is very important.

Opinions differ as to when players should specialise (we will do a separate post on this) but, certainly in the primary school years, we believe coaches should embrace the multi-position idea.

This will mean the team may lose games they should win.

It may mean they lose more games than they win.

But you need to think about the individual development of your child. If they are improving and enjoying their football then that is the main things – kids are very good at forgetting lost games!

Win, lose or draw; support the coach if they are doing it for the right reasons.
The biggest thing you can do is support your player.

This means constant encouragement, praise and maybe even rewards for things that aren’t always rewarded.

Goals is the obvious one but think about rewarding/praising:

Every tackle they make if they play defence
Every assist they provide from midfield
Every successful cross when playing out wide

The list can go on but if you praise the things that are more likely to occur based on their position that day then your child should have a more positive experience which will help them embrace this idea longer-term.

A simple well done and praising their overall effort for any of the above can also go a long way.

We hope that helps but please do feel free to message us for any help and please share with anyone you think might benefit from reading.