Age groups participation in sport

The subject of age groups in schools sports came up again this week and it stimulated some really healthy debate on the subject of “fast tracking” school kids into 1st teams early.

There are no black and white answers here and coaches seem to be split right down the middle. On one hand you have coaches who would prefer to see the best young talent advanced into senior sides as soon as they are technically competent. Consider Theo Walcott at Arsenal. He was elevated to the 1st team and then the English national team at the age of 17. This is a pretty big jump when you consider that the rest of his mates are only just finishing up school.

The other side of the fence sees coaches who are adamant that their kids must move progressively through the age ranks. If the child is a great 16 year old then he should be allowed to dominate and learn his game at the 16 year old level. When he becomes 21 he will be able to learn and control the game at a 21 year old level and then once he has mastered the game at these levels he can go on to dominate at full senior level.

South African rugby has seen it many times with differing results. The late Francois Swart was picked from schoolboy stardom to join an international training side – his game suffered from there despite having plenty of talent. Did the sudden elevation negatively impact his game unnecessarily? On the other side of that you have Francois Steyn – perhaps the most exciting talent in the history of South African rugby. By the age of 21 he had played in (and been a key contributor) to winning the biggest prize on offer.

It will be a debate that will never have a definitive answer. If you captained a cricketer like Darryl Cullinan or Graeme Smith at school and at the age of 15 you knew he was simply heads and shoulders above kids 2 – 4 years older than him – would you have the guts not to elevate him? If you didn’t – would your coaching reputation be negatively impacted? Would you be able to resist the temptation not to pick them on the grounds that they must first excel at their own level?

It is an enormously tricky debate and one that will never have an answer. The best piece of advice that coaches have been able to give is to identify your selection policy and criteria and stick to it. Explain it to the parents and to the kids and hopefully they will see the logic in your thinking.