Girls and Boys? or Girls v Boys?

There is playing in mixed teams at age and there is playing - up an age(s) in a mixed team. Not always, but often, the same thing.

I watched my young son play in a mixed team last season. He's played in a mixed team most seasons. He just sees the girls as "players". The girls on his team last season were in his opinion, the two best in the team. I had to agree. They were at the right level at the time - but then, they had parents that really though it through carefully and were informed of the game at these age groups (both fathers coached in junior football). They made informed decisions and always on the basis of what is best for their daughter at age. Its a tricky business. So you should procede with caution.
One of my son's friends played up an age in another Club for reasons not known to me and the boy had misreable season - the extra year made too much difference - someone forgot that he was late year birthday! The gap was closer to two years against many that he played against.

Our children often start in mixed teams at club level and mixed teams continue (in the Boys Competition or Open as it is called) with less frequency through the teens. The girls in the boy's teams tend to be those that take their football seriosuly and seek to play at a higher standard for age than is available at the same age in the girls competition. The idea is simple enough - the girls improve as a result of the increased level of resistance experienced in the boy's competition at age (sometimes higher). At Club level its pretty much decided by parents of the children involved and Club officials who are usually parents (well, who else would do the job?) - and too often there's no great analysis involved. And that's where the problems begin and parental expectations begin to run riot.


On the weekend, I listend to a story by a parent who has a daughter who plays very good football and at age in the boys competition in a local Club. It seems that three young girls (including this fellow's daughter), were all assessed to be highly competitive in Club trials for a Div 1 team (Open - take that to really mean predominantly boys). These three girls made the cut for the Div 1 team. All good so far. However, the reaction of the Club official was to declare that the girls had to play in the girls competition, because they would take the places of boys and theat didn't help the Club's desire to develop a suffucient number of boys at the next age group the following year.  As I said before - there's no great analysis involved.

There is the ever present spectre of parents seeking to play their boy(s) up an age for the same reasons. But we sem to have a higher threshold of tolernace for boys who play up an age - that's OK, no gaps in players there thankyou very much! Again and again - there's no great analysis involved.

It seems such a simple thing to do, has the cache of making the young player seem more competent than they may be and perhaps gives the impression to occassional simple minded selector that particpation in ligher age groups is all that is needed to justify selection.

Playing up against higher levels of resistance does mena the young player will become more technically competent. And there is nothing wrong with just simply being good at age. But try telling that to parents who are depserate to have their child achieve earlier succes and recognition!

As a tool for the development of selected players it has its place - but its a bit like the over use of antibiotics - it's likely to have adverse consequences down the track, particuly if presribed by anyone not qualified to do so. Too little thought is given to the physical development of young players, their natural growth patterns, the variability across individuals and gender and what might be risked by pushing too hard in what is too often for little more than short term, percieved glory.

The whole business of pushing young players forward too quickly, all the way through to the Premier League, is more akin to "loose detonators and weeping gelignite"! You must procede with caution!

The following article is sourced from the UEFA 2009 TECHNICAL REPORT, European Women’s Under-17 & Under-19 Championships

UEFA 2009 TECHNICAL REPORT, European Women’s Under-17 & Under-19 Championships

One of the observers at the event in Nyon remarked: “is it coincidence that the most fluent movers and the players who look most comfortable on the ball are the ones who have played for the longest time in mixed teams?” Another voice murmured: “you can’t fault the girls for their fair play. But when you see their behaviour and you realise that a German girl was the only one to receive a yellow card for dissent, you can’t help but ask yourself questions about the competitive edge in the girls’ youth development competitions.”

This line of thinking provoked debate about the possible benefits of allowing the girls to play in mixed teams and up to what age it could be considered a positive development factor. In some European countries, child protection measures take priority and mixed teams disappear at the end of primary school education. Other associations permit girls in boys’ teams up to 13, 15 or even right through the youth development levels, in some cases allowing them to be one year older than their male teammates.

Elsewhere, there is simply no regulation. In some sectors of European societies there are social constraints on the idea of mixed teams, and there are very few formalised competitions for mixed teams.

Looking at the other side of the same coin, how beneficial is it for girls to play against boys’ teams rather than in them? When clubs run male and female teams, such matches are easier to organise and, in some cases, the boys are restricted to two-touch football in order to avoid them exploiting physical power in solo runs. If we accept the thesis that contact with the masculine game can give added value to the girls’ development, how should such contact be structured?