Module 6 - Player Rotations

In this module, we will cover:

1. Rotation Rule Explanation

2. Example: How to rotate 6 Players in a Group

3. Example: How to rotate a Team of 8 Players

• Next Module: Module 7 - Pre-Game Operations

• Previous Module: Module 5 - Referee Fundamentals

• See All Referee Training Modules

If you have any questions, please email training@nextlevelsports.com.

0:00 Next Level officials, Coach Bradley here, and today we're going to talk about arguably one of the most important, fundamental aspects of Next Level—our player rotation and substitution policies.

0:13 Please be locked in for this module; it's very important content. This is what makes us different from other sports leagues—ensuring everyone receives equal and equitable playing time.

0:23 If you have any questions about this content, please email training@nextlevelsports.com. We're happy to answer your questions. Again, this is very important stuff.

0:34 A lot of content on this slide, so for the most part, just hear my voice. I'll make this as simple as possible.

0:41 At different Next Level sites, our max team capacity is either 10 or 12 players. Some teams have 12, some have 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, and some even have 6.

0:56 We can't guarantee that every team will be full, so I’m going to paint with broad strokes to explain the rotation system for different numbers of players.

1:09 Let’s start with a full team of 12 players. Before the game, it's the job of the student coach and the parent coach to divide those 12 players into two groups.

1:25 Group A will have 6 players, and Group B will have 6 players. Group A will play offense in the first half, and Group B will play defense. In the second half, they switch—Group A plays defense, and Group B plays offense. That way, everyone plays both offense and defense equally.

1:49 This is part of our ethos at Next Level: equal and fair playing time, not only in terms of snaps but also offense and defense.

1:59 So, with a team of 12 players (Group A with 6), here's how the rotation works in a 5-on-5 game:

2:10 5 players from Group A will be in on the first offensive drive. After their drive—whether they score, turn the ball over, or get an interception—the player who was in on the last drive sits out, and a sub comes in for the new drive. The same goes for defense. When it's the next offensive drive, Player #2 sits out, and the sub rotates in. This continues for every drive.

2:41 We’ll show a visual example of this in the next slide. The key takeaway is that subs rotate every drive, not every play.

2:49 If there are only 11 players, Group A will operate with 6 players, and Group B will have 5. Group B doesn’t need to sub anyone. Group A follows the same rotation pattern as above.

2:56 In an ideal world, each team would have 10 players—5 on offense and 5 on defense. This is the perfect setup, but it doesn't always happen.

3:06 Main point: Bench players (subs) will rotate every drive, not every play. We don’t want to slow the game down, so the rotation happens at the conclusion of each drive.

3:18 Now, let’s talk about teams with fewer than 10 players. If a team has 9 players, Group A has 5, and Group B has 4. Group B doesn’t play down a player; they borrow one from Group A for every drive.

3:42 So, for example, Player #1 from Group A comes in to play defense on the first defensive possession, then Player #2 plays defense on the next drive. These borrowed players rotate in every drive, and after halftime, the groups switch roles.

3:52 If there are only 8 players, we split the team 4 and 4, and the borrowing system remains the same.

4:07 For 7 players or less, we ask coaches to keep it equal and simple.

4:24 If a team shows up with just 6 players, we’ll rotate those 6 players in and out based on the same rotation principles.

4:31 If a team only has 5 players, they will play the entire game. The game will still count, and I’ve seen teams of 5 win plenty of games.

4:41 If a team shows up with 4 players, they will still play the game. They’ll compete for the win and lose, but they will play with 4 players—no borrowing or substitutions.

4:52 If a team shows up with 3 players, the game will be forfeited, but they can play a scrimmage with players borrowed from the other teams.

5:00 Okay, let’s look at some examples of what I just described.

5:10 Here’s a lineup card for the Bears team. Their Group A—playing offense in the first half—will have Smith, Harris, Jones, Watkins, Matthews, and Jenkins (who is their sub).

5:23 On the first offensive drive, Smith, Harris, Jones, Watkins, and Matthews will be in. They’ll either score a touchdown or get a turnover/interception. After that, Jenkins will rotate in to sub for Matthews.

5:39 On the next drive, Matthews will rotate back in, and Watkins will sit out. This continues every drive with one new player subbing in and out.

6:00 Remember, even if Matthews is not the best player on the team, he still gets equal playing time, just like everyone else.

6:19 Now, let’s look at the scenario where we have a team of 8 players. In this case, Group A will have 4 players (Smith, Harris, Jones, and Watkins) and Group B will have 4 players (West, Fields, Jackson, and Purdy).

6:28 Group A will play offense in the first half, and for each drive, they’ll borrow one new player from Group B.

6:38 On the first drive, West will be their 5th player. On the second drive, West rotates out and Fields rotates in. This continues every drive, with one new player from Group B joining the offense each time.

6:46 On defense, Group B will borrow players from Group A in the same way.

7:01 The process is flipped on defense—Group A borrows players from Group B every drive.

7:11 That’s it for our rotation policies. Again, this is really important, and it’s up to you to help oversee this process. But remember, the parent volunteers are primarily responsible for managing it.

7:20 If you have any questions, email training@nextlevelsports.com.