What’s the ideal size for a softball team?  Honestly, it really depends on your players.  How committed are they?  What level do you play at?  Will you be playing tons of games in a short period of time in tournaments?

There are so many factors that contribute to the “ideal” size of your team.

Many coaches don’t like to carry too many players and with good reason.  There are a number of benefits to having a smaller team:

• Players get more playing time
• Players get more personal attention during practice than with a big team
• Players get more reps in practice than with a team with 3-4 more players to try to run through drills
• Trying to get everyone into a game is simpler for the coach
• Possibly less team drama or personality clashes because there are less players trying to “gel” together as a unit

Of course, there are also some disadvantages to having a small team:

• Less depth at each position
• In the case of injury or illness, you don’t have a lot of back-up/options
• There may be times when even if players miss practice or are having an “less-than-ideal-attitude” day – you may have to play them anyway or risk forfeit for the whole team
• Tougher to “enforce” promptness because, again, players will probably play even if they’re late (to practice or games)
• Conditioning becomes a more important aspect of the game especially on days when more than one game is played or on long tournament weekends

What are your thoughts?

What’s your preference?  Do you like having more than enough players on a team?  Or would you rather have as small a roster as you can get away with?

What about your perspective as a parent?  What type of team would you rather have your daughter play on?