Playing time. This post is in response to a comment wondering how I manage playing time with a big roster. Well my response started to get a little long so here are my thoughts as a new entry.

I'm not sure what is the best way to deal with this issue. In my mind right now, yes the less experienced players will get more playing time in our games against weaker opponents or when our "starters" have shown that they are not bringing it. In general the less experienced players will have to except that playing time will be lopsided. However, with most of those players we are looking towards the future, and grooming them to be progressively bigger contributors with each year they spend with the team. Some rookies can come in and contribute right away, but their contributions are seldom at a level comparable to that of the three, four and five year veterans. Last year we had Tom James and Henry Adams getting substantial amounts of playing time in big games and contributing at a high level, but their lack of experience still showed at times. Playing time needs to be earned in my book, through on field talents and off the field participation such as practices and workouts. (These off the fields activities obviously contribute to on the field performance, but I'm not a big fan of guys who don't work hard for their teammates, but still expect to play based on pure talent. I'm pretty sure we don't have any of those at Stanford though.)

In the end of course our goal is to win nationals and playing time must reflect that throughout the season. All of our players must become comfortable playing with each other, and some of those groups must attain a high degree of familiarity. So they need to get a fair amount of play time together in the early season (everything before regionals). Everyone needs a fair chance to demonstrate their on field talents in a non-practice environment. And the coaching staff needs to be able to make a fair evaluation of how players will perform in game situations against unfamiliar players and strategies. Our less experienced players need to become experienced, and despite the learning done at practice there is a need for solid amounts of playing time in tourneys.

None of what I just mentioned even covers the issue of playing time from a player's perspective. Playing time or the lack thereof can affect a players mentality which can affect his on field performance, which can affect his playing time, etc. Happy players create good team chemistry which helps on the field. However, there is only so much PT to go around and it is inevitable that some players will be disappointed with their PT. (I have been one of these players on various occasions, especially during our run to nationals in '02. In fact I went from one extreme to the other, from one tournament to the next, during the last club season). How those players deal with that disappointment can have a big affect on the team. It is possible to reverse that disappointment and just be excited about every opportunity you get to play. I hope that open discussions and clear communication will help to keep everyone involved and excited about their participation in the team.

So how do all these considerations add up? I'm not sure yet. However, to start the season we will be subbing relatively generously, giving the rookies substantial PT in all games. We will sub to win. I expect the rookies to get things done and score, but if teams score a few more goals on us, or it takes us longer to score, it's not important. What I mean is, I could always put a line out there that should score easily against most teams, but I will put lines out that might have a harder time scoring or getting the D. We still expect them to get the job done, but we understand that they might have a more difficult time. Whether or not they can step up will tell us a lot, including things that we may have missed in teaching them the game or communicating the team strategies.

Needless to say there are a lot of things that go into determining who plays and how much. However, I'm pretty sure that most of the time that goes out the window when you were just scored on and you've got to look at a spreadsheet on a clip board and pick a line in the next 30 seconds. Thank goodness no one is keeping time at early season tourneys. At this point I'd like to wish myself good luck.