What Position Should My Child Play in Soccer? Overland Park

Your child comes home from game one and says the coach put them "in the back." Or "up top." Or, worse, "in goal." Now you are searching for soccer positions at nine at night.

What position should my child play in soccer? Here in Overland Park, the honest first answer for most kids is none yet. This guide shows what a position means at each age under Kansas formats, why US Youth Soccer says to rotate, and a finder that is allowed to say "try everything." Prestige Indoor Sports coaches kids at its Overland Park facility and wrote this guide for local parents.

What position should my child play in soccer?

For most kids the right position is a rotation. US Youth Soccer's Player Development Model says players must be given the chance to play every position in soccer to deepen their understanding of the game, and it adds, with an exclamation point, "Do not lock players in a position!" Its position statement, written by the technical directors of 55 state associations, says players in the U-10, U-12 and U-14 age groups should not begin to specialize in any position.

Coaches may still name a starting spot on game day, and that is their call. Your job is to ask what they see, not to pick a label. Rotation is not a delay tactic. A child who has played defense understands why a striker's run matters, and one who has played striker knows how a defender feels when the ball is lost.

What a position means in Overland Park youth soccer, by age

Position means something different at 7 than at 11, because the format changes. Kansas Youth Soccer's small-sided games page lists 6U to 8U as 4v4 with no goalkeeper, 9U to 10U as 7v7 with a goalkeeper, 11U to 12U as 9v9 and 13U and above as 11v11. The page describes the 2016 rollout, and U.S. Soccer's game formats page still lists the same maximum formats for U7 to U8, U9 to U10, U11 to U12 and U13 and up, so confirm your league's current format.

Heartland Soccer Association's fall league, which plays at the Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex and the Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex among its sites, lists players ages 9 to 19.

One change this year affects the format your child plays. Kansas Youth Soccer's age groups now run August 1 to July 31 starting with the 2026-27 season, so your child's age group, and the format that goes with it, may differ from last season.

Why US Youth Soccer says do not lock kids into a position

The reasons are developmental, not sentimental. The Player Development Model explains why keepers wait: most children younger than 10 are very reactionary in their movement, anticipating where the ball will be played does not really develop until age 9 or 10, and young keepers do not do well when told to stand in one place. For U-10 and older teams, it says goalkeepers should become a regular feature of play. But the same statement says young players in the U-10, U-12 and U-14 age groups should not begin to specialize in any position.

There is a performance case too. Soccer, the model says, is a long-term development and late specialization sport, and the decisive factor is the player's individual qualities, especially technical expertise, more than the system. A child who has learned to read the whole field is easier to place anywhere later.

Position finder: what should your child try?

Pick an age group first. Under 11 the finder will tell you not to pick a position. Older ages add ideas to try in rotation. The ideas are common coaching rules of thumb, not research, so treat them as a starting point.

What each position asks of a young player

Describing the jobs is safer than matching kids to them. Each row below says what the job asks, not who should do it.

What if the coach puts your child somewhere unexpected?

Ask what the coach sees, then ask what your child can work on there. Do not argue the label. A position change is often a coach trying to teach the whole field, and at these ages it is what US Youth Soccer recommends. If your child is stuck in one spot all season at 9U to 12U, it is fair to ask whether rotation is planned.

If the spot also comes with fewer minutes, our guide to what to do when your kid is not getting playing time covers the next step. If the question is whether to move up an age group, read whether your child should play up.

When position-specific training makes sense

Position-specific training is not needed under 11, and the finder says so. From 11U or 13U on, the useful work is usually a skill: finishing, one-on-one defending or speed of play. If you want soccer training near you, Prestige describes its soccer skills training in Overland Park as small groups that drill first touch, dribbling, passing, finishing and decision-making, grouped by age and ability. Its private sessions are built around one goal your player picks.

For goalkeepers, our youth goalkeeper drills start with age-appropriate footwork and handling. To see why smaller games give kids more touches before positions matter, read our guide to small-sided games.

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