Parental Behavior

 
Suggestions from the coach:

·         Pants shall be worn high enough not to show your underwear at all games.

·         Jewelry is allowed, but only if tasteful and does not present a danger to the person sitting next to you.

·         Your eating area shall be cleaned after any post-game meal in a restaurant; food fights with the other team's parents are prohibited.

·         Only those persons who get 90% or above on the yearly referee test may yell at the referee; only  those with an IQ of less than 50 may yell at a coach.

·         There shall be no foul language, birdcalls, goosing or ruffling of feathers during games.

·         At no time shall you make derogatory comments towards the opposition, as they may be a distant relative.

·         Long balls to the opposition are not to be complimented with "oohs" and "aahs" on the length and height of the pass; however, short, precision passes that may lead to a long ball to an open teammate can be applauded.

·         And last, but not least, you are mandated to have some fun this season. Everyone else will.      (thanks to Decatur Soccer for this list)

 

 

 

Seriously, please try to keep all sideline comments positive (i.e.:  “nice shot”, “good pass”, “unlucky play”, “way to work”, etc.) and avoid calling out your daughter’s name and giving specific instructions (i.e.: “boot it out of there”, “shoot”, “mark up”, etc.).  Most shouted comments are not heard in time when the player is 40 yards away and distract from concentration on their game.  When my 14 year-old girls team often complained to me that, “the parents are yelling at us and telling us what to do”.   My response to them was always, “ignore them, you know more about soccer than they do” and “listen to what the coaches tell you” and “try to do things we learned in practice”. 

 

In the Buffalo & Western NY Junior Soccer League there is a $50 fine if the referee is excessively harassed or berated for calls made or missed.  This is assessed for coach OR parent behavior. Please model good sportsmanship for your children at all times and try to refrain from analyzing or criticizing individual or team play immediately after the game. 

 

I have a friend who says parents should memorize these 6 things and use:

            before the game

1.      I love you

2.      good luck

3.      have fun

after the game

1.      I love you

2.      it was great to see you play

3.      what would you like to eat?

 

I can’t say I always followed these suggestions as a parent or coach but, it is good to think about once in awhile.

 

Thanks for your support.

 

Marty