Policy on Playing Time

Tolland Lacrosse POLICY ON PLAYING TIME

PURPOSE:

There is no expectation for equal playing time. Players that miss practices don't get equal playing time. This would send a wrong message to other players that make the commitment. Tolland Lacrosse Club will leave these decisions up to the coach. As a Board of Directors, we would intercede if there was some egregious act by the coach (such as not letting the player play at all... sitting him/her for a full game). 

There are always special circumstances that should be considered but all players are expected to be committed to being a team member. When a player is at practice or a game, that player demonstrates commitment by the effort he/she puts in.

Coaching Guidelines:

There are too many factors in a game that impact available playing time; clock “run time” vs. “stop time”, substituting on the fly, special teams such as Extra Man, Man Down, penalty times, specialty positions such as goalie, face off, and long stick middie. However, the coach’s goal should be to provide equitable playing time over the course of the season.

As the season progresses, some players will see less playing time because they have a difficult time understanding the concepts. That could be due to missed practices or level of difficulty of lacrosse concepts. Players that best understand concepts such as Extra Man Offense, and Man Down Defense may get more playing time.

In the last few minutes of a game, the coach may want to keep certain players on the field if:

• If the TLC team is down, but it’s close
• If the game is tied
• If the TLC team wants to stall
• If the TLC team wants to break the stall
• If the outcome of the game affects the team standings in the league and position in playoffs.

In the league playoffs where teams are eliminated for the season, the coach should communicate to the players his expectations for playing time and that some players may see limited or possibly no game time.