This page will be used throughout the season
to give our parents information that will help you better understand
our Team Boca philosophy and create a more enjoyable experience for
parents and players.
Top Ten Parent
Questions and Answers
..
1. Q. What
can you do as parents to support your childs efforts?
A.
Support, Support, and more Support. Create a positive supportive
environment and do not be critical of your childs play, especially
directly after a practice or game. Leave the critiquing to their
trainer and coach. Do not make the worst 15 minutes of your
childs game day be their ride home from the game!
2. Q.
What can you do as parents to support your coach?
A.
It is extremely important that you support all your coachs methods
and decisions whether you agree with them or not. A player develops
best when they trust and respect their coach. The coachs job is to
motivate, teach, and constructively critique each players
performance. It is crucial for the players to trust and relate to
their coach as soon as possible regarding soccer issues. This
relationship between coach and player produces the best results.
When parents express opinions different from the coach it causes
considerable confusion. It is impossible as a parent to understand
what motivation a coach may have for using a certain method,
motivating a certain way, or even implementing disciplinary action,
without having coaching experience and without being at each and
every practice and game and seeing exactly what the coach has seen.
This will be more fully discussed in our group meeting.
3. Q. Are
parents required to attend team practices?
A.
No. You do not need to attend practice. You are welcome to leave
your child at practice providing you are back to pick them up no
later than fifteen minutes before the end of practice. It is
required that your coach has a phone number where you can be reached
in case of emergency. If you stay and watch practice you are
encouraged to do so at a distance. Parents are not allowed to
disturb or interrupt practice, nor are they allowed to give
directions to players. Please understand that training sessions are
learning situations and players need to concentrate and listen to
their coach to improve. We will more fully discuss this at your
parent team meeting.
4. Q. Will a
player participate in a game or tournament if they miss practice?
A.
Missing practice with or without permission will have
some consequence (not starting, sitting out half or one full game,
etc.) depending on the reason. Missing practice without
permission will definitely result in sitting out at least one
game. Excessively missing practice will result in that player being
dropped from the team permanently. Players (U12 and older
although even younger ages are encouraged), not parents must
contact their coach in advance if they will not be attending
practice. This will be more fully discussed at your
initial parent team meeting.
5. Q. Will
players be penalized if they do not attend all of the tournaments?
A.
Yes. One of the
most important and exciting aspects of being a member of a travel
team is the ability to travel as a team to other cities. This
allows your child to experience camaraderie at a higher level. It
also allows them to compete against unknown players giving them
exposure to varied coaching strategies and different skill levels.
It will certainly be the players loss not to attend. If parents
cannot travel due to financial reasons or other commitments, please
speak to me or your coach individually to see if alternative
arrangements could be made to allow your child to attend by
traveling with another players family.
6. Q. Can you
coach your children from the sideline during games?
A.
Unequivocally NO. This will not be tolerated! This is part of our
Zero Tolerance Policy and will be more fully explained at your
team meeting. We do not want two forms of instruction being fed to
the players. Players need to concentrate 100% at the task at hand.
Those of you who have played a competitive sport already realize
that someone yelling instruction to you at a specific moment when
youre involved in a play is extremely distracting and in most cases
causes you to lose your concentration and make an error or mistake.
Yelling at the referees will also not be tolerated! For
either offense parents will receive one warning. Second offense they
will be asked to leave the field. Third offense will result in that
parent being suspended from all fields for thirty days. Any further
offense will result in the player being suspended or released from
the team. Team managers, coaches and club administrators will be
responsible for enforcement of this policy. Sit back, relax, and
just let the kids play. It is their game!
7. Q. Can you
yell anything to players during a game or do you have to sit
quietly?
A.
It is perfectly normal and appropriate to be a good fan on the
sideline, and it is fine to yell encouragement to your children.
However all the players should be encouraged and not just your own
child. Yelling out criticism at your child or any player will not
be tolerated! Please realize that encouragement should not be
mistaken for telling players where to be, who may be open, or to
shoot! That is coaching (see question 15). Parents are not allowed
to yell anything whatsoever at the other teams players, coaches, or
at the referees. Any verbal abuse will result in that parent being
asked to leave the field. It is expected that Team Boca parents will
project a positive image and set an example of good sportsmanship
before, during, and after the game.
8. Q. Who
decides how much playing time and what position your child plays?
A.
The coach and only the coach. These decisions are made based on
several factors, including but not limited to your childs
performance during practice sessions, during games, and what is best
for the overall chemistry and strength of the team. It is highly
probable your child will play several positions throughout the
season. This will be more fully discussed at your team meeting.
9. Q. Is
there a minimum or maximum amount of minutes your child will play
each game?
A.
No. Your coach will determine playing time depending on several
factors, including but not limited to their technical and
tactical ability, their physical condition, game performance,
practice performance, attitude, game tactics, and strategy. A
players development takes place over the course of many months of
training and games NOT in any one particular game. Coaches are
instructed to manage the playing time of each player over the course
of an entire season of games. Every effort will be made to balance
the good of an individual player verses the good of the entire team.
In the younger developmental age groups the goal of every coach is
to have each player play an average of one half of each game. Your
coach should not be confronted over player personnel matters
relating to playing time or other team issues. Such communication
should be between the coach and player. This area will be more
fully discussed in your initial group parent meeting.
10. Q. Is it
appropriate to speak to your coach about your childs progress?
A.
Yes, in fact, if requested your coach will also give you a critique
of your childs development at the end of the season. Such review
will include the players strengths, weaknesses, areas that have
improved, areas that still need improvement, and suggestions for
off-season training. However, communication throughout the year is
both welcome and encouraged in regard to your childs development.
However, discussion in regard to playing time, positions, etc.
should not be discussed and should be between the player and coach
only.
These questions and
several others will be reviewed and discussed more fully during your
initial team parent meeting.