The shape changing is a real coaching challenge, but I would not use it as the reason two players consistently receive only a third of the game.
Current 9v9 guidance treats equal game time as the priority and gives at least 50% as best practice. That does not mean every match has to be mathematically identical, but a repeated 20-minute pattern would make me look at the squad plan.
At U12, coming on as a substitute is already part of learning. Players also need enough time after they enter to settle, make mistakes and influence the game.
I’d ask the coach how they are tracking minutes across several weeks and how they decide who gets the shorter spells.
The conversation is less about demanding an exact number and more about whether each child is genuinely getting comparable opportunities to develop.
