Dear coaches:
Sometime before your first official game each season, set a parents’ meeting to cover the season.
As part of our commitment to fostering a positive and supportive environment for our players, each coach is required to conduct a pre-season meeting with parents. During this meeting, coaches should cover the following key points, plus any others you think are necessary:
A. Introductions: Introduce yourself and share your coaching background. Briefly cover the club’s structure and values, and your goals for the season. In case of doubt, you can see these sites:
B. Season Expectations: Outline the expectations for players, including attendance, punctuality, effort, and conduct during practices and games.
C. Communication Channels: Explain the primary methods of communication and establish the best times to contact you. Our club teams use the SPOND app for competitive teams and the GotSport email tool (see here) for academy and rec teams.
D. Practice and Game Schedules: Provide a clear overview of the weekly schedule, including practice times, locations, and game days. Competitive team coaches, please cover tournament plans as well.
E. Roles and Responsibilities: Clarify the roles of parents in supporting their child and the team, such as transportation, snack rotation, and encouraging sportsmanship.
F. Parent’s Code of Conduct: Point parents to the US Youth Code of conduct accessible via our web site at: https://realsoccerclub.org/us-youth-soccer-code-of-conduct/
Emphasize respect for coaches, referees, and other players.
Competitive: Cover the Referee Abuse Policy. (See REFEREE ABUSE POLICY section in coaches manual).
Academy & Rec: Our coaches are the referees so again, total respect for all coaches.
Make sure your parents realize your team and/or our club can be penalized for their misconduct. If required, a parent and any of their guests must obey a request by an official or coach to leave the vicinity of the field.
G. Safety and Health Protocols: Inform parents about any safety protocols (see SAFETY section above), injury prevention, and procedures for dealing with injuries, including concussion protocol.
H. Winter Program: Cover our futsal program. See coaches’ manual. Academy and Rec coaches teams can also participate.
I. Any other topics you want to discuss with parents about the functioning of your team and our club.
J. Q&A Session: Allow time for parents to ask questions and address any concerns they might have.
By ensuring these topics are covered, we can create a collaborative and supportive atmosphere for our players and their families.