Team Formation and the Division Coordinator
Balanced Teams is one of the six AYSO philosophies and a hallmark of the organization.
Many different methods are used to form and balance teams. Factors which determine the methods used include the maturity of the Region, geographical distribution of the players, and players’ ages and skill levels. With any given method, coaches, players and parents should not expect to be re-paired in succeeding seasons. More information can be found in the AYSO Reference Book.
The method used for 6U players may be different from the method used for 8U and older age groups.
In the youngest age groups, geography (nearness to school or park where practice is held) can be an important consideration. Team formation based on location and age may be used while still maintaining AYSO's philosophy of Balanced Teams.
A blind formation performed by a committee, based on numbers of children available and taking into account nearness to schools, works well for many Regions. The child whose parent is the coach can be assigned either in the beginning or at the end of the procedure.
For 8U and above, player ratings provide important information for forming balanced teams. By the end of the fall season, each coach rates all of their players and submits those ratings to the Division Coordinator. Ratings are then compared and harmonized during a coach meeting for each age/gender division. This process helps create a consistent rating of players and minimizes personal bias.
Another option for team formation is for a committee to use the harmonized player ratings to form teams without reference to player names. Coaches' children can then be appropriately placed while maintaining team balance.
The RMS may include team-balancing functionality that can assist Regions in forming teams using current player and coach information entered into the system.
As a Region grows and matures and coaches gain more experience, there can be more complaints about unfair selection procedures. Coaching ability can also affect team performance regardless of how carefully teams are initially balanced. Regions should use a consistent team formation process designed to distribute player ability as evenly as possible among teams.
Player ratings for 8U and above are completed by coaches by the end of the fall season and submitted to the respective Division Coordinator. The Division Coordinator then holds a coach meeting for each age/gender division where the ratings are compared and harmonized.
Player ratings remain confidential among the Division Coordinator and coaches.
Some Regions are dispersed so greatly by geography that all children are randomly mixed each year and everyone has to travel some distance for practice and games.
In any system where geography plays a part, coaches may receive some of the same players in succeeding seasons. Regions should continue to use available player ratings and other applicable balancing factors when forming teams.
If a geographical formation of teams results in only one team per division per location, conflicts may occur. To avoid this, work toward having a minimum of two teams per division from the location or go to a more standard team formation process where all available children in the age group are in one pool.
There are several stages involved in the formation and balancing of teams. They are:
- registration
- player evaluation and rating
- team formation
- player notification
- late sign-ups and waiting list
- transfer of players
REGISTRATION
Registration should be scheduled so that ample time is available to sort the players into age groups and into new or returning players. The more players registered before teams are formed, the easier it will make the job.
PLAYER EVALUATION AND RATING
By the end of the fall season, each coach in 8U and above rates all of their players and submits those ratings to the respective Division Coordinator.
At the end of the fall season, the Division Coordinator holds a coach meeting in each age/gender division. At that meeting, player ratings are compared and harmonized. This helps provide consistency among coaches' ratings and avoids instances of sandbagging or personal bias.
All player ratings remain confidential among the Division Coordinator and coaches.
The resulting ratings are used to balance teams for the following fall season and for the spring season if there is a competitive spring program.
Players without available player history information are given a 3 (average) rating.
Player ratings use a scale of 1 through 5, with 0.5 increments permitted for rating differentiation:
- 5 - High impact player: Can carry a team; excellent individual and team skills; leader.
- 4 - Strong player: Good individual and team skills; very good at multiple positions or excellent at one position (e.g. goalkeeper); would make any team better.
- 3 - Average player: Has basic skills and understanding of the game; generally does not impact the game positively or negatively.
- 2 - Below average player: Does not have basic skills or game sense.
- 1 - Beginning or disruptive player: Has never played before; has little skill or understanding of the game; or is disruptive to a team.
Players rated 4 and above are positive game changers. Players rated below 3 are negative game changers. Players rated in the 3's impact games less than those above 4 and below 3.
TEAM FORMATION
Once player ratings have been established and harmonized, teams should be formed with the primary goal of creating balanced teams.
Balancing includes:
- Evenly dispersing 5+, 4+ and 2- players among the teams.
- In 10U and 12U, balancing ages so that two-year divisions have an even distribution of older and younger players.
- Dispersing badged referees evenly among the teams.
Regions may use a blind team formation process in which teams are created based on player ratings without reference to the player's name. This can help reduce bias and ensure that player ability is distributed as evenly as possible.
When forming teams, appropriate provisions should be made for coaches' children while maintaining the balance created through player ratings. A coach's child should be placed on the coach's team and the remaining players distributed in a manner that preserves overall team balance.
It is recognized that coaching ability varies considerably, so even with careful balancing some teams may develop differently in skill and overall performance during the season. Initial team formation should nevertheless strive to make teams as balanced as reasonably possible.
RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR BALANCING TEAMS – “BLIND DRAW”
These guidelines provide a model for balancing teams. Geographic dispersion or other Region-specific circumstances may require adjustments to the team formation process. In all instances, the primary goal is to strive to balance teams within each Region.
1. Under the direction of the Regional Coach Administrator or appropriate Division Coordinator, a meeting of all coaches in each age division and gender should be scheduled at the end of the fall season.
2. Prior to the meeting, each coach in 8U and above rates all players from their team using the AYSO 1 through 5 rating scale. Ratings may be given in 0.5 increments for differentiation. Coaches submit their ratings to the Division Coordinator.
3. During the meeting, player ratings are compared and harmonized by the coaches and Division Coordinator. The purpose of harmonization is to establish consistent ratings across the division and reduce sandbagging or personal bias. Player ratings remain confidential among the Division Coordinator and coaches.
4. Players without available player history information are assigned a rating of 3 (average).
5. Using the harmonized ratings, players should be distributed among the available teams with the goal of creating teams of comparable overall ability. 5+, 4+ and 2- players should be evenly dispersed among the teams.
6. In 10U and 12U, players should also be balanced by age so that the older and younger players in the two-year division are distributed as evenly as possible among teams.
7. Badged referees should be dispersed evenly among the teams.
8. Appropriate adjustments may be made to place coaches' children on their respective teams. Any adjustment should maintain the overall balance of player ratings among teams.
9. Once teams are formed, the Division Coordinator or appropriate Region administrator should review the teams to ensure that the applicable balancing factors have been addressed before teams are finalized.
BALANCING TEAMS IN AGE GROUPS WITH LIMITED ENROLLMENT
Often Regions find themselves with a problem of how to balance teams when they only have enough players in an age group to make up two or three teams. To compound the problem, these Regions may not have a neighboring Region to inter-play with or the nearby Region may not participate in inter-play.
Regions with limited enrollment should still strive to balance teams using available player ratings and applicable balancing factors. When traditional team formation is not practical, Regions may consider alternative formats that maintain balanced participation and provide an appropriate playing experience for all players.
One option is to organize players into groups for each game rather than maintaining fixed teams throughout the season. Players can be divided into balanced teams for each match based on available player ratings. Coaches and assistant coaches can conduct practices and be present at games to support the players regardless of the particular team assignment for that match.
Any alternative method should remain consistent throughout the program and maintain AYSO's Balanced Teams philosophy.
Late Sign-ups and Waiting Lists
It is recommended that if players sign up after teams have been formed, they be placed on a waiting list.
When a late-signing player has available player history information, that information should be used to determine the appropriate rating for team balancing purposes. Players without available player history information are assigned a rating of 3 (average).
As openings become available, players should be assigned in a manner that maintains the existing balance among teams. When replacing a player who has dropped, the incoming player's rating should be considered in relation to the rating of the player being replaced and the overall balance of the division.
The primary consideration should be maintaining balanced teams while applying the Region's team formation procedures consistently.
