Then, if they stay with the sport, players can drift toward one position or another. “That will let the players develop an understanding of the game and all the positions.” “Start from the notion that all players can - and do - attack, and all players can - and do - defend, in an environment that is safe and fun,” says Condone. That means during practice, coaches should strive to keep players in motion and use games and activities that include everyone. (Plus, it’s just not as fun to do the same thing all the time.) At all levels of the sport, every player needs to know a little bit of everything - and the time to learn is when they’re young. They won’t learn as much about soccer if they only see the game from one or two positions on the field. Putting players into predetermined positions before age 10 short-changes players on the two goals of youth soccer: fun and development.
![positions in soccer by number positions in soccer by number](https://yoursoccerhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Youth-soccer-positions-diagram-11v11-768x432.png)
And the best way for young players to develop that skill - and learn the game - is to do a little bit of everything. “Positioning is smart movement across the field during the match,” says Condone. For younger players, and in the rec leagues, players should learn positioning before positions, says Tom Condone, the director of sport and member development at US Youth Soccer. In fact, they don’t typically factor into a game until the players are about 10 years old - and even then, just on the more competitive teams. With the exception of goalkeeper, perhaps, positions play less of a role in youth soccer than you might expect.