Sunday Youth Season Starts..Too Early?

September...
Sunday Youth football season starts.

A difficult time to get the squad ready as boys are just coming back from holidays or want to have a small break before getting back into training and school. Coaches and managers have been thinking through out the summer as to what they would like to achieve this season, but the lack of players available sure puts a strain on a youth manager. The thought of available players, new additions, preparation time, fitness, pitches, this all goes through a coaches head and not to forget having to sign a minimum amount of players by a certain date when half the squad is still away.

Then there is the Cricket season, it has just finish and the goalposts are down, the park keeper has not had word from the bosses about putting them up, so any friendly games would usually require an away game or a neutral pitch with no nets, which also means having pre-season games without some of the players.
I always had the difficulty of getting a full squad for the start of a season. Majority of players would be away, getting their signatures would be a problem as cards are only issued in August so at the start would be a gamble of paying fines or magically a signature or two would appear.

Lately I have been getting calls and Facebook messages from players and managers of youth teams asking if I know players for their teams as they are short, goalkeepers are missing, if any grounds I know are available etc etc...

So far being out of managing for a 5 week period has given me a bit of time to see that a lot of coaches struggle to get the season started, by this time a few seasons ago the struggle to get it all off the ground just seemed almost pointless. Are we really ready, is this worth it?

Perhaps if the season started in the last week in September, Coaches/Managers would have time to work with  players, have more time to see new players as kids spread the word when they return to school or college.

I am sure most teams are in the same boat and if that is the case it should balance itself out.
It depends on how the manager manages his players to deal with the situation, in the last 15 years of managing I have learnt to deal with it and always got it right as it progressed.

But for someone just starting out is it a big challenge or a put off?