Coaches Should Address Playing- Time Issues Ahead of Season

Program Definition and Frontloading Team Expectations
Prior to the start of the season, coaches can create understanding within players and community members by sharing the type of program they intend to run. Different programs serve different goals and needs within the larger school community.

Some programs embody a competitive atmosphere where starting lineups and fielded positions are utilized with the intention of securing winning outcomes. In these competitive programs, athletes and parents must understand that playing time is earned and based on assembling the strongest lineup to achieve the best chance of winning.

Programs that are new or in rebuilding years may balance performance with growth, creating opportunities for athletes to gain experience, while still prioritizing team outcomes. Meanwhile, freshman, intramural or even inclusive programs, such as Unified Sports, may emphasize equitable participation, basic athletic skill-building and peer interactions. This continuum in program definition may vary by school site, program level, school year, and endure dynamic changes in the larger context of school climate and even national circumstances.

Team purpose and vision should be responsive to changes and shared with players, parents, athletic directors and the school community. Sharing expectations during preseason meetings allows coaches to define program goals upfront; communicating whether the team is competitive, rebuilding, freshman-focused or inclusive sets an appropriate framework for playing-time decisions.

Furthermore, collaborating on the program definition and team policies with the athletic director ahead of season allows for alignment with the broader mission of the school’s athletic department and proactive administrative support should concerns arise.

Creating Playing Time Opportunities for Players
Additional efforts coaches can take for navigating playing-time decisions prior to the start of season can include thoughtfully analyzing the preseason, league and postseason schedules. In both individual and team sports, coaches can identify when to rest higher- skilled players and provide others with competitive exposure against lower-performing opponents.

Intentionally planning playing time for all athletes, including lower-level or developing players, makes the season more meaningful and can still support a successful win–loss record. This approach can also be used during the season. When facing a less challenging opponent, coaches can rotate lineups in both team and individual sports to support athlete development without compromising team standards. Similarly, when a contest’s outcome is largely decided, allowing lower-level players to enter the game reinforces inclusivity, rewards effort and strengthens overall program culture.

Building Understanding with Playing-Time Decisions
Developing players’ and parents’ understanding of the “why” behind coaching decisions is fundamental to preventing and addressing playing-time concerns. In team sports, such as soccer, basketball and football, skill evaluation can be more subjective and coaches balance multiple variables when making playing-time decisions including fitness, technical skills and tactical awareness.

One athlete may have superior endurance but inconsistent execution, while another may display strong technique yet need development in movement or positioning. Supporting the growth of both players and being transparent with gametime decisions regarding playing status can be challenging, but important to helping athletes develop self-awareness. In individual sports like golf, tennis, track and field, and swimming, concerns may arise regarding event selection, rankings or substitutions.

Coaches can communicate the “why” behind playing time and other contest decisions by engaging athletes in critical thinking and open dialogue by directly emphasizing performance data, strategy and even team policies when applicable. Transparent explanations while using objective tools, such as game stats, time trials, or skill rubrics, promotes athletes’ self-awareness and can provide documentation to justify decisions when misunderstandings escalate to formal complaints.

Communicating Changes and Navigating Conversations
When making changes to a lineup or game plan, doing so ahead of time mitigates player anxiety and ensures that players, other members of coaching staff, and even parents are not caught off-guard; however, emergencies that yield last-minute changes and quick decisions do occur. When a starting player calls with car trouble or endures an injury during the warmup, coaches should remain consistent with program values and policies. Playing an alternate who skipped practice over a less-skilled athlete who has consistently attended and worked hard sets precedent within the program. Coaches in this situation may find themselves choosing between making the next round of playoffs or upholding team policies and values.

There is not one right answer to these circumstantial decisions, but coaches should be prepared to justify their decisions to the team, a parent, an athletic director or school administrator, and even the local press. When playing-time concerns are brought up by athletes and members of the school community, coaches should create opportunities for discussion while simultaneously setting boundaries for when those conversations can occur.

Examples of parameters coaches can share in preseason meetings and uphold throughout the duration of a season include: avoid discussing playing time on game days, schedule dedicated meetings when concerns arise, and reinforce communication pathways of athlete-to-coach, coach-to-parent, then up the chain of command if needed.

Postseason Season Reflection and Postseason Goals
Playing-time discussions should always seek to foster reflection within athletes. Coaches can support athletes with setting goals for the off-season while also avoiding entitlement around positions and playing time for the following season. It’s important for athletes to understand that team standing and playing time are never guaranteed from year to year. For upperclassmen at risk of moving to junior varsity as competitive freshmen move into the program, postseason meetings can mitigate difficult conversations, set realistic expectations for playing time, or share the reality of potentially being cut at next year’s tryouts.

Coaches who engage in preventive work can deter misunderstandings or conflicts over playing time. Open communication that engages athletes in self-reflection, goal-setting and seeing the bigger picture is essential to preventing and navigating playing time concerns when they do arise.

Monique Paris Anderson, RAA, is a special education teacher, girls tennis coach and assistant boys tennis coach at Emerald High School in Dublin, California. She is a member of the High School Today Publications Committee.