Playing Time Matters in Youth Sports

Getting stuck at the end of the bench does not foster participation. And we all know greater participation is sorely needed in youth sports.

Under which condition is it “fair” to use equal playing time and under which condition is it “fair” to use unequal playing time? That’s one of the questions asked in a study on allocation of playing time within team sports. In an article about the study, Torbjorn Lorentzen noted the difference is between performance-oriented coaching, where wins and losses are the focus, and a mastery-oriented organization, where the focus is on long-term player development.

Lorentzen is an educator at the University of Bergen in Norway and also a coach from the Top Sport Division of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports. This topic hit home after witnessing elementary age athletes who have transitioned from rec programs to more competitive programs, i.e. travel teams or “elite” teams.