Varsity Team Roles

Team Roles 

We have you on the varsity roster because you have a very important role on this team. Your role may be different than a teammate's role; however, your role is imperative to our team's success. One of the constant and biggest roles for ALL PLAYERS is to always be physically & mentally ready to step onto the field and play with heart and grit, regardless of whether or not you are an 80-minute player or you haven't seen time in a game. Please note that, after the Entrance Interviews at the beginning the season (where coaches communicate your initial role), your role could change at any point, depending on a variety of circumstances. Coaches will aim to be transparent about your role; if you seek more communication about your role, reach out to coach.

Significant Impact Players - As of right now, we see you as being one of the core 10-13 players on the field for the specific position we have assigned to you—this means that you may see yourself starting many games. We feel as though you can make a strong impact on the field. You can help lead the team; however, in order to keep this role and to ensure that you will earn many minutes on the field, you need to stay academically eligible, you need to maintain a strong work ethic and a determined attitude, you need to challenge yourself at practice, and you need to stay healthy! Even if you begin the season as a ‘starter,’ you may not start EVERY game for reasons that may or may not have to do with your previous play (i.e. one reason why you may not start if you previously started may be because of a formation change, the opponent we are facing, or something that the coaches are aiming to accomplish by having you come in off the bench). Moreover, during a match, we may need you to play a position that you did not start the match at. (Be advised: Many other players are eager to gain more minutes on the field, so they will be working hard to constructively challenge you for those minutes!)

‘Hard Minutes Off The Bench’ - As of right now, we see you as being a strong asset to the team both on and off of the field. You are a role player who has earned minutes on the field. We see you taking advantage of the minutes you earn and playing hard/giving it all you’ve got while you are on the field. We need you to stay academically eligible, to maintain a strong work ethic, to keep up your determined attitude, to stay healthy, and to support your teammate.

Team Player - You made the varsity team because you have the attitude and the work ethic that makes you a valued teammate. What you can bring to the program on and off of the field is extremely important to fostering our team’s success. That being said, your playing time during matches may be limited (there may be several matches where you do not see any playing time...there may be a match where you play 3 minutes…there may be a match where you play 8 minutes). This role is one of the hardest roles to do well, but some of the most incredible teammates have excelled at this role. You will be required to be at every team event. You will be required to high-five your teammates when they come off the bench during a match. If you are called upon to take a place on the field in a match, we expect you to hustle and make good decisions for the minutes you are out there. We kept you on the varsity squad because you bring something valuable to the team, even if it is not playing minutes on the field; nevertheless, the minutes we see you playing (minutes that allow starters and other players to get a rest) will not be ineffective. You have the opportunity to make positive things happen on the field! Prove yourself in the minutes you get on the field, and consistently challenge others at practice.

Swing Player - As of right now, we are identifying you as a “swing player.” This means you will often practice with the varsity team, you will be on the varsity roster, and you will have a varsity uniform; however, you will play mostly JV matches unless you are called up to varsity because of a need (you may even see yourself playing some of one match with JV and also attending part of the varsity match). You are a developing player and, because we notice that we cannot offer you a substantial amount of time in the varsity match, we want you to have the opportunity to get more playing experience. At the JV level, you will earn a substantial amount of playing time during matches. Even though we cannot guarantee you minutes on the varsity field, you are on the varsity roster because we see your potential as a strong varsity player; therefore—if the need arises or if we feel as though you will make greater contributions on the varsity field than on the sub-varsity field—you may find yourself having several opportunities to play in a varsity match.

*Back-Up Keeper – As of right now, we are asking you to attend several varsity matches as the back-up keeper. You will not be guaranteed time in varsity matches; however, if the starting keeper becomes ill or injured, you MAY be stepping on the field for her. At the varsity matches, you are required to sit with the team, cheer on the team, and be prepared to go in the game at a second’s notice. Even though you will not see many—if any—minutes in certain varsity matches, we can guarantee you a substantial amount of playing time at the JV level. You will be told if you are traveling/suiting-up with varsity on a week-to-week basis.

*This role is varies from year to year, depending on the number of goalkeepers in the program per season.