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ive just taken on a under 9s team which have 2 teams. the coach before me had really good players with normal players. should i have the better players on one team and the normal players on the other?
this is a question that affects many sports. so although im not a football coach, we have this problem within the sports i have coached.
these are my thoughts. what type of comp will they be competing in. will both teams be playing in the same comp? if so, then it is probably best to equal out the player so you have 2 strong teams rather than a weak one that may not be competitive and a strong team that is. it can get quite boring annilating teams or being annilated every week. this i know is not what is best for stronger players, but it would make for a much better competition all round, and will help the weaker players improve when they are being pushed by the stronger player to improve.
if there is an opportunity for the stronger team to play in a higher division then personally that would be my choice. that way they are being challenged, and coached at the appropriate level. the not as strong team will also be able to be developed at a much more even pace and not spending time improving skills at a level that is challenging and appropriate to their level.
hope that helps.
thank you, we havnt been told if they will be in the same comp yet so at the moment we have the teams mixed.
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