You may have heard the term “Guest Play” or “Guest Players” or even been asked to have your child guest for another team. If you are not familiar with this concept, this can be a little confusing.  Simply put, a guest player is a player that is not regularly rostered on the particular team, but will play with that team for a particular game or tournament.

Guest play is very common in the club soccer world and a good thing if used the right way.  Unfortunately it is often abused, creating a source of great controversy.  Recently some leagues have made moves to limit guest players from other leagues.  The controversy can be with players on the various teams, parents, between teams in the club and between clubs.  I often hear complaints from new club parents (and especially grandparents) that guest play is “not fair.” I don’t have an opinion on the fairness, but one thing is for sure, is that guest play is here to stay and if used correctly benefits the development of all players involved.

The Good 

Tryout – When a team is looking to add a player to the roster, having a guest player come out and play in a game to see if there is a “fit” for the team may be very valuable.  In this instance, bringing a player to guest with the team allows the coach to see how the player does in game situations and how a player may mesh with potential teammates.  It also allows the player and parents to determine if there is a “fit” on the particular team.  Often practice and games are very different.

Player Development – Playing with an older team or a team playing at a higher level is a great way for players to develop.  When players are pushed to play at a higher level, their ability to grow increases exponentially.  The ability to train and just be in the competitive environment is usually a very positive experience.  Additionally being exposed to a different style of play and a different coach is great for the individual player as it just makes them more well rounded.  When the guests are filling in for teams at higher levels, it is usually very beneficial to the guest player.

Injury Prevention – At times, rosters may be light due to injuries, sickness, schedule conflicts or just because the coach decided a light roster was best for the team.  Bringing guest players to fill in as subs is a great way to give players a little rest and have the depth to avoid injuries.  Typically the use of guests in this instance will be reserve players coming off the bench, or used only if needed.

Event Participation – sometimes a few of the regular players are not able to attend an event, and if that player is a goalie, striker, or center back then it may be difficult for the team as a whole to go without that key player.  So instead of holding a full team back, the guest players allow the team to participate in the event without missing a beat.

The Bad 

Bringing Players down to lower level teams to win – this is the exact wrong reason to have guests.  There are certain clubs known for this tactic, where a flight 1 team shows up with a bunch of ECNL players for the play-offs or for the final two league games to secure a first place finish.  Not the purpose of guest playing in my mind, but it happens.

Favoring players from another team – if a coach plays a guest player over the players rostered on the team, this can really hurt the confidence of the rostered players and also create discord on the sideline.  Certainly club soccer is competitive and the players that help the team be successful need to play, however there is a point of diminishing returns and this must be managed properly by the coach.

Too much guesting and not allowing the rostered players to play just because “perceived better players are available” – if every weekend the team is bringing in 2-3 guest players and the roster is full, then there is a problem.  There are players on the team that likely should not be there and if they are not getting the playing team that they need for their development, that is a bad situation for everyone.  

Conversely if the roster on the team is light (injury, players moving or quitting, scheduling difficulties, etc.) and the team needs depth every weekend this may be a necessity and it just comes down to how the players are managed.  At the younger ages you see this a lot as coaches want to provide the most playing time possible to the players, so they carry a light roster.  No one wants to see 4-5 kids under the age of ten sitting on the bench, but the downside of the light roster is that life happens and it is unreasonable to expect an 8 year old player’s family to set everything aside for youth soccer.  A coach / club with multiple teams at a certain age may decide that a few teams at the specific age with light rosters is the best way to develop the players.  It certainly takes more work for the coach as two teams of 8 vs one team of 12  or 13 is double the logistics and time a coach must spend.  For the players, this may be the best way to  get significant game time.

Considerations if you are thinking about guesting your Player

1. Your Club team has to come first.  No missing games or practices to guest; or because of the ramifications of guesting.
2. Always get permission from your coach first.
3. Don’t guest if it is going to put too much of a physical strain on the player (injuries are all too common).
4. Don’t expect any playtime.
5. Never trash talk the team you are from or the team you are guesting with, you are a guest.
6. Don’t try to recruit players from the team you are guesting with and don’t talk about joining the team you are guesting with.
7. Don’t come back to your team and talk about what a great experience you had guesting.

Generally custom and practice for guests is that they don’t pay, the hosting team provides them uniforms, and they come off the bench.  While these are general rules, they may not always be followed, so be sure to ask!

Good luck out there and make sure your player does not burn out!

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