With nearly 75% of all kids quitting organized sports by the age of 12, there are many things that need to be changed.  We have called for a revolution of change in youth sports, one such change would be eliminating the bench.  There is no logical reason why any child under the age of 12 should be part of an athletic league or program and be forced to sit and watch due to the fact that they have been judged as less productive or capable than his or her teammates. Most often time the person making this judgment, has neither the experience nor the expertise to be making such a decision. Nine times out of ten the person making this decision either has not attempted to improve a benchwarmer’s skills or they’re not very effective as teachers.  Therefore the athlete suffers and is often forgotten about or simply ignored.

For those of you that insist on playing a traditional game to satisfy a desire to witness kids playing adult games, there is still an option to eliminate the bench.  When structuring your season of games, be sure to arrange for space to be available adjacent or close to the field in order to allow those not playing or starting the opportunity to participate simultaneously in another skill oriented activity and game.  Assign an assistant coach or parent to conduct these small sided games.  Small sided games that emphasize skills non-starters are deficient in will help this group develop rather than sitting and becoming discouraged.
           
Let’s take for example flag football.  When a unit is out on the field playing take the remaining group of players from both teams on the sideline and conduct this game.  The game’s purpose is to develop every athletes throwing, catching, and defending skills.  It amazes me how many kids struggle with the basics of throwing and catching.  This game provides them with numerous repetitions executing both skills while keeping all involved moving and engaged the entire time.

FIELD SET-UP:

Mark off an area 20 yards long by 15 yards wide.  Using cones mark off three areas 5 yards long by 15 yards wide. 

GAME SET-UP:

Place as many as three quarterbacks at one end of the 20 yard field facing the three marked off areas.  Place three receivers and three defenders in the first 5 by 15 yard area, five yards from the three quarterbacks.   Place two receivers and two defenders in the second 5 by 15 yards area, and one receiver and one defender in the third 5 by 15 yard area. Provide a minimum of nine footballs to the quarterbacks (nerf footballs are preferred for younger athletes)

PURPOSE OF THE GAME:

For three minutes each quarterback attempts to complete passes to receivers in each zone.  One point is rewarded for a completion in the first zone, 3 pts for the second zone, and 6 pts for the third zone. Each receiver should continuously attempt to get open while waiting for a thrown ball from one of the three quarterbacks.  Receivers also receive the same amount of points for successfully catching a pass in their designated zone.  Receivers and defenders cannot leave their designated zones during play.

Arrange to have a group of parents help gather loose footballs and roll them back to the three quarterbacks in order to keep play moving for the full three minutes.

After three minutes arrange to have everyone switch from defense to offense, and switch quarterbacks, allowing everyone the opportunity to throw, catch, and defend.

DIAGRAM:

 

This is just one example for one sport.  There are mini-games and activities that emphasize skills that can be conducted at any youth game allowing everyone the opportunity to be engaged and learning rather than sitting.  Please look for more small sided game ideas on this site.  An entire menu of these types of games will be available soon.