I have coached an U8 coed team for a few years and I am also the VP of the rec soccer club. We had the same situation in as far as parents, coaches and players worring about winning and losing. Some coaches would even try to stack their team. What we as a club decided to do was for all U10 age groups: eliminate standings, no 1st, 2nd or 3rd place trophies, only participant awards and equally shared all new players with all teams and required a minimum amount of playing time for ALL players. The idea was to increase the importance of fun and skill development and tone down the importance competitiveness. Once everone got over the shock (mostly the older coaches) we found the kids loved it and the parents thanked us. It also generated a significant number of new coaches because they believed in this position as well. Let the kids play, have fun and meet new friends. They have the rest of their lives to worry about who wins and loses!
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