Playing to Win or Do We? (cont)

I was looking for studies / surveys of why kids play soccer to support / disprove my argument that we over-emphasize winning while coaching our kids. I found a good BBC blog article that supports that we are overemphasizing winning at a young age and it's killing England's ability to compete at the international level. (Fun is the Key to England's Football Future)

I have to believe we parents and coaches are overemphasizing winning. I'm including me. For example, we played a game this last season against a team that had the worst record in the bracket. I pulled the girls that usually score; I hate "punishing" them for being good players, but it gives the other girls a chance to step up; its good for the team. Still the game was one-sided. I put some girls up front that rarely score and moved the forwards to the back. Still the game was one-sided.

At this point I'm concerned about what I did (or didn't do). I think I should have pulled one of my girls and gone a player down. I rationalized not doing that by telling myself I was giving our less-inclined-to-score-players a great chance to learn a different aspect of the game. While this was true, the players at the back and the keeper were not challenged at all. Here is the point, where if I'd kept in mind that players enjoy the challenge (in the end) more than the victory, I would have done things differently.

The game is about entertainment. The game is about memories. If we'd gone a player or two down and the other team had scored some goals, would I have regretted it? Or would the great plays we would have made while playing short-sided been far better memories? (I'm not even considering the impact on the other team, but I have to assume they would have liked getting the ball out of their end even if they had a number advantage.)

I'm going to go with the opportunity to make great memories in the future.