Playing Up An Age Level
Is My Child Ready?

The eight-and-under soccer game that afternoon was not unlike most other youth sporting events - a lot of running, the occasional good play mixed with plenty of confusion, and a substantial amount of fun. But as the game unfolded, the one player on the green team-let's call him Jake-seemed to be making more plays than anyone else on the field. He was faster, stronger, more athletic and just flat-out better than the rest of his peers. So much better, in fact, that he seemed to be downright bored at times.

Noticing his apparent boredom, his parents wondered afterward if he was no longer enjoying soccer. He assured them that was not the case… he was just so much better than his teammates that he sometimes seemed to be trying to play down to their level. Perhaps, Mom and Dad thought, eight-year old "Jake" might be better off playing in a league for children 10-and-under, rather than with kids his own age. At the same time, Jake's parents were very leery of having him with older and bigger kids.

Without a doubt, it can be a difficult decision in any sport regarding children playing in a higher age-level. It's a decision that ultimately rests with the parents, but coaches should probably be involved in the process as well.

"As adults we need to guide children in their activities," says PA West Director of Coaching and Player Development Paul Halford. "The parent is the higher authority. No matter how concerned coaches may be in regards to their child, their authority supercedes ours when it comes down to the welfare of their child."

It is common, of course, for many parents to see there child as the best player on the team. They are flesh and blood, after all, so opinions can be a little clouded. That's where Halford says a well-intentioned and well-informed coach can come in.

"Whether parents have the knowledge or the impartiality to make the correct judgment is another matter," he says. "As a state association we also must give guidance to the parents."

In a situation like the one described at the beginning of this article, parents quite often assume that the child needs to be challenged more. Sometimes the child's coaches reinforce the views of the parents. In these situations it is vital to make sure the needs of the child are put first and foremost.

Could a coach's reference be self-motivated? In cases where private coaching is involved, that's a legitimate question. A private coach, after all, is responsible for the development of the child as a player and getting paid handsomely at the same time. The parents are paying money and expecting results - but what sort of results are they looking for? Do they look at the win column or how well their child is playing and developing as an athlete to measure success?

"Youth sports must serve children's needs, not adults' fantasies," writes Douglas E. Abrams in a 2002 article in the Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal entitled The Challenge Facing Parents and Coaches in Youth Sports.

As sports psychologist Rick Wolff so often tells listeners of his New York radio program, "Competition in youth sports is healthy, provided the people competing are the children and not the adults."

It seems quite clear that adults who impose their values on the children's game can have an adverse effect on the children. So does playing up in age come into this category of winning at all costs?

Not necessarily. Quite often, a child that plays up an age will not experience as much success as they would have had they played with children of their own age. Young athletes who experience success primarily because of their size and early maturation often give up top-level sport participation later on when they encounter those who have trained hard but developed more slowly.

So how is a parent to decide if and when their child should move up an age-level?

It has been suggested that the better way to select children for athletic competition is through biological maturity instead of just an age requirement only.

"Many of the physiological components used to determine exercise performance change with growth," writes Baxter-Jones AD in their article, The Young Athlete from Coaching Science Abstracts. "Biological maturity should be considered when evaluating performance capacities and levels. Skeletal age has been found to be a better predictor of athletic performance than chronological age. Advanced maturation positively influences aerobic power, muscular strength and muscular endurance as well as motor proficiency and intelligence. Children differ not only in physical maturity but also psychological maturity."

Anyone who has coached, or even watched, youth sports for any length of time has seen large differences in physical and mental abilities even between children who share the same birth year. Often, older players have an advantage when it comes to sports activities that favor the bigger, faster children.

In the end, the decision to allow a player to play up is a difficult one. Before the decision is made, a number of questions need to be asked.

Is the player physically capable of playing at the older age?

While it may be tempting to move a child up to an older age group for the purpose of providing that child with more of a challenge, putting kids in a situation where they are physically overwhelmed can be counterproductive - as well as dangerous. A child who is physically dominant in his or her age group, though, could stand to benefit by increasing the level of competition in a reasonable manner.

Does the player have the mental maturity to play up?

Remember, children stepping up in an age group will most likely not be anywhere near as dominant as they were when playing with kids their own age. Accepting that fact can prove to be challenging for the child. Another mental challenge is the understanding that it will probably require greater effort to achieve the same (or even slightly lesser) results. Grasping that concept, of course, provides a great life-lesson.

What will the player miss socially by playing with older players?

This can be the most easily-missed aspect of playing up. The number one goal of youth sports, especially if we want children to continue playing, has got to be having fun. Much of the fun in playing sports-at any level-is the camaraderie between teammates. The social interaction is another valuable lesson that transcends sports and can be used throughout one's life.

These questions need to be asked and answered by child, parents and coaches so they can make an educated decision that benefits the child, and only the child, in these situations.