Letter to the parents of the _____ Soccer Team – :
As the coach of your Middle School student this year, I wanted to provide some details regarding my goals and expectations for the up-coming soccer season. These expectations are for both the players and the parents as this will require commitments from both during the upcoming season.
Goals for this year’s Fall Soccer Season in order of priority:
Having fun by playing soccer and being part of a team
Developing leadership, responsibility, and character as an individual and member of the team.
Focusing on the player’s skill and development – making them a better player
Developing an understanding of the game as well as respect for the game, officials, and other teams.
Ensuring that the player wants to come back to the team next year.
Preparing them for High School Soccer.
Winning – Unlike recreational soccer, school soccer is competitive and we will attempt to put ourselves in position to win but not at the expense of the priorities above.
I will organize my practices and game strategies to support the goals listed above to the best of my ability.
Expectations of the Players:
Arrive on-time. 15mins before practice and 30min before a game
Arrive prepared for practice and games. This involves making sure you are wearing the proper attire including a uniform, shin guards and/or cleats.
Respect and support for other teammates – how players respond to tough situations among themselves often defines a team.
Thanking the referees after the game – regardless of the outcome
Congratulate the other team after the game.
Represent _______ Middle School positively – We will be representing the ______ Middle School and the _______ community while traveling going to other communities. We should try to set the example.
Keep all equipment shirts, equipment bags, water bottle, etc. together and organized. We will travel to other communities and we should leave the sideline looking as good or better than when we arrived by keeping the sidelines neat and organized and picking up all trash (whether it is ours or somebody else’s).
Travel with the team as a team to away games. Unless there are special circumstances (and there will be), I expect the player to ride the bus to and from the away games as part of the team. All this contributes to the team atmosphere that we are trying to build.
Alert the coach in advance if you are going to be late or miss a practice or a game. I expect the player to contact me and not the parent when possible. This is part of building responsibility.
Expectations of the Parents:
Support the goals and expectations of the player by making sure they are on-time and understand the expectations listed above.
Specific requests for this season (this will be hard for all including the coaches to abide by):
No abusive shouting from the sideline
No destructive criticism. Even collective moans and groans when a player does something wrong are very inappropriate. (These players are effectively on a stage. Unsupportive behavior from adults for any mistake will be noticed and affect them.)
NO COACHING FROM THE SIDELINES
No shouting of instructions such as: Kick-it, boot-it, etc. This will only panic the players, contradict much of the coaching, and deter the players development and decision making.
No shouting tactical instructions such as: stay in your area, pick up #6, etc. Again this creates panic and confuses the players.
If there are any concerns about playing time, playing positions, or activities on the team, please contact me immediately with your concerns. This is not the fall recreational league or even the select (travel) league so there may be some changes from what you have been used to in the past.
I look forward to a fun and exciting experience this season. One in which your player will be proud to have been part of this team and will be excited to come back next year. If you have any questions or issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely;
Coach, __________ Middle School Soccer