Your son or daughter needs to be on a team that is the right level for their ability. This is very important but is often neglected by parents who want their kid to play on an 'elite' team. The word 'elite' is so overused in youth soccer; there was a team on a message board the other day with the words 'elite' and 'gold' in their name...yet they play at silver level! Go figure.

If you put your kid on a team that is too strong for them and it is therefore too much of a reach for them to compete with teammates, it is the wrong decision, regardless of whether your eyes light up at the words 'elite' or 'platinum' or anything else. Equally, if you put your kid on a team that is not good enough to test or challenge them (in terms of the level of the other players), it is the wrong decision. You need to find a balance.

If the team and the level of play isn't good enough to test your kid then they will lose interest very quickly. You see this often if you watch teams play and there is a player who is clearly way above everyone else. This happened last night in Culver City; one of the players looks like a man and plays like a man (he is B03) and the kids he was against made it seem like he was playing against 10 year olds. His attitude, demeanor and body language said everything; he wasn't really interested because he wasn't being challenged.

If the team is too good for your son or daughter and the level is out of reach for them, this is a huge problem. Ignore whether or not a coach tells you that your kid is good enough for the team (there are often other financial reasons for saying this); watch some practices and be objective. Is your son or daughter competing with the other players? Are they able to keep up with them from a physical perspective and also from a decision making perspective? If the answer is no, they shouldn't be on that team.

Why is it so bad to be on a team that is too good for your son or daughters' level of play? Well, they will likely experience something that will put them off the game. This is bad, obviously. Young players are not diplomatic and forgiving; if a player makes consistent mistakes, kids will stop passing to them. Simple as that. If they realize that moves break down when a particular player touches the ball, they will just not include them. That is not good for the self esteem and development of your kid and it could have long-term effects.

At FC England, we have an approach to new players that means we do not add a player to any of our eight teams' rosters unless we see clearly that they are capable of being a starter on the team immediately. If it looks like they cannot compete with the players in practice and/or a game, we won't even consider adding them. Why? Because it would be unfair to do so and we never, ever add players for financial or 'filling spots' reasons. We would rather carry less players on the roster than add someone for the sake of filling a spot.

The reality for us is that 90% of players who tryout don't end up being offered a spot on one of our teams. The main reason? They have not practiced or played in the way that we do and so the transition to a possession-focused style of play that encourages risks is something they struggle with.

Many players come from 'kick and rush' teams focused on winning and so despite the fact they may be fast and strong (and from a flight 1 or elite team), going into a practice where everything is about quick-passing and decision making exposes limitations that surprise them. This doesn't mean that they are not good players; it just means they may not fit into our approach because of the way they have been taught the game and this is unfortunate as every kid should be capable of making good decisions and fitting into a possession based philosophy, if they are coached in the right way, for the right reasons (i.e. not all about winning!)

As a parent, be as objective as you can when assessing whether a team is the right fit for your son or daughter. The correct decision will be great for their development. The wrong one could be disastrous. You owe it to them to get it right.