Week 3...kid wants to play...what would you do?

We had that exact situation a few years ago. We let him on (we did run it by the captains and got them on board). Our rule is he had to complete 9 practices before playing (state rule some places). We also required make up conditioning for days missed (which at the time was 12 days worth). Once he made it up, he could play if he earned a spot. As it turned out, our guy was a good scout team player that season, but went on to be a starting CB as a junior, and started both ways as a senior where he was an all-district player. In his jr and sr. years he had near perfect conditioning attendance.

Good call senator and wolverine....This is one of those times when the team and captains need to decide something. As coaches, we tend to take the high road on everything, and sometimes we hamstring ourselves with our "policies," leaving no room for "adjustments." There are situations where compromise is appropriate. As long as it doesn't compromise your control. That is why you use captains. I also started and coached two small school programs, and the first thing I learned was, don't make a policy out of something, if you aren't willing to lose a game over it.(kids missing stuff, can't play, etc.)

I am not suggesting anarchy and no discipline, but we are developing men here, and men need to learn how to govern themselves.

When I struggled with a decision, I would repeatedly go back to the undeniable fact, that his team is not mine, it is theirs - I merely have the privilege to serve them. So on those weird calls, I would get the captains involved as was suggested. I have the final decision, everyone knows that, but they enjoyed being involved in the process. It matured them.

That service requires authoritative discipline as necessary from the school's mandate and the parent's expectation as the people who have final responsibility for that child. I am also required to assume full responsibility to field the best team possible to win games, and compete, and therefore, the playing time and system we will run is entirely on my shoulders.

However, when it comes to students playing on my team, that are friends in the school hallway all day, and they have been working a guy to play for weeks, I am not going to deny them their excitement of seeing that friend contribute, as long as reasonable expectations of the staff are met: That he show his commitment by practicing for a few weeks without playing, that he learn the offense and defense schemes required to play, that he show proper conditioning and willingness to make up that conditioning he missed, that he in no way, disrupt the team with disciplinary failure, and that he earn his spot. Beyond that, get him a jersey! Chances are, if he enjoys it, he will attract a few more "friends" from his circle, and that can be exciting, because athletes usually hang together.

Just my opinion. Good thread.

Ive run into this situation this year. Had a kid move in over summer great at B-ball and looks to be decent athlete. Well we are now 0-2 and he thinks he can help so hel calls me over the weekend wanting to play. I told him to ask me on Mon (I generallly do this to make them find me at school to see just how interested they are). Needless to say he didnt find me. I did talk it over with the capt's and they were against it they said he ahd a month to decide so why now???

But as a side note this is the closest our team has been in the 6 yrs I have been HC

I agree with the "let the team/captains vote" idea. I will give our downside story to that situation though.

We let the entire team vote in a similar situation. They unanimously voted to have him on the team (we required the unanimous decision for acceptance). We informed the kid that he would not dress out for that week's game, he would be in a jersey only and help with the water/equipment/whatever. Fine with him, he just wants to play football.

Game day rolls around and he decides that he's p***ed about not playing that game and essentially told one of our guys that if he wasn't playing, he wasn't helping. He proceeds to walk out of the stadium while he's supposed to be helping get the field ready. Needless to say he was excused from any future football activities when he showed up at practice the next day.

All of that said, I still feel that the vote is still the way to go with many of these situations. It just has to be unanimous for me to feel it's the right thing to do.

Make him practice for 2 weeks and then allow him to become eligible to play.

every year after first couple weeks of school, especially if we have done well in scrimmages or our first game. a bunch of kids come up to the HC, he looks at them and if he thinks they can help he keeps them, if they are a senior or look like they cant help us he just tells them the team is already set

back to the "how committed are you to the policies you make" thing. Truth is, this is a situation where the program is better for the kid, than the kid is for the program. If the kid produces, does his time, and serves the team, and then pushes the other players for their spots, I don't struggle. Just because a kid was there on day 1, doesn't mean I am getting a worthy effort out of a kid. A lot of my starters in the small school were only starting for lack of someone to test them. A new kid tends to stir the pot a little and that isn't bad for anyone. It has to be reasonable, obviously, but competition never hurt anyone. Just what I found.

No matter how you slice it, the passivity of teenage athletes today just sucks.

Like most decisions a coach makes there are a number of factors to consider- what type of kid is this? Not just what type of an athlete but what type of student? How is his citizenship? I don't think you can have a simple one size fits all rule for this situation or for that matter many other situations a coach must deal with.

a) Id treat him like any other player who missed practice...500 yards of bellies for each miss that was excused, 1000 per miss for unexcused. Hed also get NO PLAYING TIME at all. none.

b) Id consider where he was and what he was doing when the season started (ie new transfer or is he a band wagon jumper?)

c) Id do whatever my AD and principal wanted me to do.

I don't think people can look at it on a case-by-case basis. You need the same rules for everyone. Illinois rules make it to where the kid will be punished by 3 weeks or more of games for showing up that late in the year, so some of the burden is lifted off of the coach.

I think we have to let them play at our school, but we don't have to put them in the game. I like to get kids involved, no matter how late. But, like some have said, if they really wanted to play that bad, they should have come out in the first place.