Our League is far more competitive
The FA wants every game to be competitive. That's why it doesn't allow selective 'A' teams. They ruin matches by winning far too easily without ever having to compete. 9-0 means no competition.
No child left behind
Even if you create a division just for 'A' teams, for every 'A' team, there's a 'B' team, permanently stuck in the slow lane, who will never, ever develop to their full potential. What a waste! If competition is so good for kids, why don't we make sure that every child gets maximum competition?
Driving up standards
We all know that you get better by playing with better players. And we all know that in a mixed team, instead of coasting along, the better players have to develop leadership skills. All players become good players, good players become great players.
'A' and 'B' doesn't work
The old-fashioned system of 'A' and 'B' teams in 'A' and 'B' leagues sounds like it should work. We were told that players and teams would 'find their own level'. But if our goal is long-term player development rather than short-term trophies, then every single player needs maximum challenge to accelerate their development not to 'coast' in a 'win easy' team or get stuck in lower level where there's less to learn.
Maximum competition
For maximum competition, you need all the teams in a League to be mixed so they're far more closely matched. Maximum competition means every player is challenged and this accelerates the development of all players. That's why the Respect League insists on mixed teams for full-on competition.
No child left behind
Even if you create a division just for 'A' teams, for every 'A' team, there's a 'B' team, permanently stuck in the slow lane, who will never, ever develop to their full potential. What a waste! If competition is so good for kids, why don't we make sure that every child gets maximum competition?
Driving up standards
We all know that you get better by playing with better players. And we all know that in a mixed team, instead of coasting along, the better players have to develop leadership skills. All players become good players, good players become great players.
'A' and 'B' doesn't work
The old-fashioned system of 'A' and 'B' teams in 'A' and 'B' leagues sounds like it should work. We were told that players and teams would 'find their own level'. But if our goal is long-term player development rather than short-term trophies, then every single player needs maximum challenge to accelerate their development not to 'coast' in a 'win easy' team or get stuck in lower level where there's less to learn.
Maximum competition
For maximum competition, you need all the teams in a League to be mixed so they're far more closely matched. Maximum competition means every player is challenged and this accelerates the development of all players. That's why the Respect League insists on mixed teams for full-on competition.
If kids were in charge...
If kids were in charge, they'd pick mixed, even teams for maximum competition. That's what they do in the park. And if it got to 5-0, they'd say 'it's not fair' and re-balance the sides to make it more of a challenge and more fun. It's only when adults are in charge that they pick uneven teams to try to get an unfair advantage.
Gold & Silver devalue the game
It's such a shame that old-fashioned Leagues still allow anti-competitive 'A' teams. They might call them by other names or disguise them as 'Gold' and 'Silver' but the result is the same: far less competition.
Much less shouting but much more competition
The Respect League doesn't allow parents to scream on the sidelines, we don't let coaches shout constant instructions and we strictly enforce all of The FA's Youth Review changes. Some people mistake this for not being competitive. They couldn't be more wrong: you won't find a more competitive League anywhere.
Adults: let the kids compete
But in our League, it's the kids that are competitive, not the adults. 'A' teams are picked by Sad Dads and Big Ego Coaches who try to avoid competition by picking teams to ’win easy’ rather than teams that have to work hard for their results. They win lots of games, and trophies for the Dads, but at the expense of the children's long term development.
If kids were in charge, they'd pick mixed, even teams for maximum competition. That's what they do in the park. And if it got to 5-0, they'd say 'it's not fair' and re-balance the sides to make it more of a challenge and more fun. It's only when adults are in charge that they pick uneven teams to try to get an unfair advantage.
Gold & Silver devalue the game
It's such a shame that old-fashioned Leagues still allow anti-competitive 'A' teams. They might call them by other names or disguise them as 'Gold' and 'Silver' but the result is the same: far less competition.
Much less shouting but much more competition
The Respect League doesn't allow parents to scream on the sidelines, we don't let coaches shout constant instructions and we strictly enforce all of The FA's Youth Review changes. Some people mistake this for not being competitive. They couldn't be more wrong: you won't find a more competitive League anywhere.
Adults: let the kids compete
But in our League, it's the kids that are competitive, not the adults. 'A' teams are picked by Sad Dads and Big Ego Coaches who try to avoid competition by picking teams to ’win easy’ rather than teams that have to work hard for their results. They win lots of games, and trophies for the Dads, but at the expense of the children's long term development.