The parent meetings

Communicating your philosophy and expectations to your parents at the beginning of the season can head off some of the potential problems that may arise later in the season. I start my pre-season meeting by introducing my coaching assistants and myself. After their introductions, they get a chance to tell the parents what they coach and what other responsibilities they are responsible for and any other pertinent information they deem necessary to help the organization be successful. Most of the assistants are former players that I have coached over the years. They understand what is expected and how we do things. After all the assistants get their chance to speak, I come back to the microphone and address our goals and expectations of our coaches and players for the coming season. The parents are informed of all practice schedule dates and times for the season so that preparations can be made well in advance if their is a conflict. Also, I explain to the parents that their child is a student first and athlete second. We are here to develop the whole student and athlete. At the conclusion of our meeting, we pass out information that includes such things as a schedule for the season, criteria for earning a letter man jacket, our policy on missing practice, and lastly my office telephone number and email address. At this time, we will allow parents to ask any questions or concerns that were not previously covered.
Anthony Jenkins

Perhaps the most important meeting that any coach can have all year is the pre-season parent meeting. This is a time where the players will get to meet with parents and boosters to lay-out the expectations of their children as well as the expectations that are being placed upon them. It is expected that all parents will behave in a positive manner. Verbal abuse of officials and opposing parents and players will not be tolerated. Parents are expected to volunteer at least five hours to the program. These hours can come in the form of concession duty, field clean-up, or fundraising activities. This meeting will also address the expectations placed upon their sons. The minimum team GPA requirement will be introduced; the weight room commitment log will be introduced as well as study hall and player dedication/Commitment forms.

At the end of this meeting there will be an open forum for parents to address any and all concerns. By the end of this meeting, parents will know and understand the philosophy of the coaching staff; the goals of their sons and coaching staff and the time commitment that will be required. All parents and students will sign a commitment to the program form and all parents will receive coaches contact information.

Pre-Season Parent Meeting


The first parent meeting is going to set the tone for the program. For the meeting, I will set the tone and get the parents involved. Off the bat, I will get the parents involved by encouraging them to take part in a team building exercise. The meeting will take place in either the cafeteria or the gymnasium of the school. After the parents are done with the team building exercise, I will introduce my staff and myself. The introductions will consist of our occupation, our involvement with the community, our backgrounds as parents, & a brief history on our football experience. After the introductions, I will review the following:

-The vision for the program- "ONE FAMILY. ONE PURPOSE."

-The identity for the program- "BUILDING HARD WORKING & RESPECTFUL LEADERS."

-Coaching philosophy & team values - EXPLAIN AND HAND OUT CONTACT INFO

-The facts- "59% of varsity players believe they will get a scholarship to play in college. 98 out of 100 varsity athletes will never play in college ranking.

- Set expectations for the parents - INFORM THEM OF THE TIME & EFFORT IT WILL TAKE (from coach, player, parent)

-Talk- SHARE HOW EXCITED WE ARE FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON & THE PLAYERS INVOLVED.

-Talk- Ask parents to share a favorite memory they have from playing sports.

-Talk- We need parent support. (boosters, fundraisers, game time atmosphere)

-3 principles- ROOTS (respect rules, opponents, officials, teammates, & self), Filling the emotional tank, ELM tree of mastery( effort, learn, mistakes are ok)

-Goals and Hopes for the season- Set expectations high and hold players accountable

-Logistics- Hand out practice plan and game schedule. Review a typical prac day. Review game day. Share policy on playing time and missing practice. Pass around a phone and email list.

-Closing- ASK PARENTS IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. LET THEM KNOW TO CALL IF NECESSARY AND LEAVE CONTACT INFO.

I will try to keep the meeting short in duration but if needed, it will spill over to let the parents know time will not be an issue. My goals are to relate the messages clearly and to leave the parents with no doubt on what we are asking from them and their player. It is crucial that parents know I run the show, but at the same time they need to know it takes a village to raise a child and they need to help out as much as possible. If the program is in good shape, I will try to have coffee and cookies there to stimulate the central nervous system. I will do my best to keep the segments short and filled with much information. It is key not to be nervous and to prepare for questions with the most encouraging responses.

Example Parent meeting

The following information is handed out to all parents and players and discussed in a parent meeting in August. At that time, each player and parent must complete a signature page acknowledging that they understand the information discussed in the meeting. The following topics will all be explained:


Preseason Requirements. All Amador football players must have the following completed prior to the first practice session:

•Insurance
•Physical Exam on file in the athletic office.
•Participation fee paid
•Participation and eligibility form read and signed by player and parent.
Practice Sessions. The following guidelines will be followed by all players participating in our program:

•All practice sessions begin on time. Players are expected to be dressed and ready to begin practice at the designated times. Any player who is not prepared to begin when the practice session starts will be excused from that practice session and may be subject to the penalties invoked for a missed practice.

•All players will be dressed in appropriate equipment as designated by the head coach. Only equipment issued or approved by the head coach will be acceptable. Any equipment that is broken or in need of repair must be brought to the immediate attention of the coaches and practice must not continue for that player until the problem has been corrected.
•Absences: Players will occasionally have to miss a practice. In this case, all players must be cleared to miss a practice session prior to being gone. (Illness may be cleared by telephone call to the coach). Players who do not clear their absences may be considered unexcused and subject to the penalties that go with that infraction. Only those absences cleared by the head coach are considered excused (haircuts, jobs, hunting, etc. are not acceptable excuses). The following guidelines cover absences:

•Excused: A player who is excused from missing a practice or a game will maintain the status of a regular player. He may, however, lose his starting position as a result of missing the practice session.

•Unexcused: A player who misses a practice session that is deemed "unexcused" by the coach will be warned after the first infraction. If a second violation occurs, the head coach will begin the process for dropping the athlete from the football program.

Game Day Expectations. All players are expected to dress appropriately for school on game days. The players will wear their game jersey and clean cut shorts or pants and shoes (no holes or rips in pants or shorts or sagging below waist). All injured players on the sidelines of the game will wear what they wear to school. Players will be expected to dress in the uniform issued to them for the game and will only use accessories approved by the head coach. Any player who arrives late or who is not dressed in time may be subject to discipline by the head coach. Any player who forgets any equipment or uniform on road games will not be allowed to play in that game.

Academics. Football players come to Amador High School for the purpose of learning and progressing toward a high school diploma. All athletes will be students first. The standards for athletic participation in our district are minimum guidelines set to insure natural progression toward graduation. Any time the coaches are notified of classroom deficiencies or poor behavior by a player, steps will be taken to improve the situation. Our players will be expected to keep up with classroom requirements or they will be excluded from participation in the football program until those requirements are met.

Parent Participation. Parents may wish to attend practice sessions. We welcome this situation but we would appreciate cooperation in doing so. All parents and friends who come to observe our players in their practice sessions are asked to remain on the sidelines away from the drills. We appreciate having people watch and not distract the players or coaches from this preparation. Areas provided at all games allow spectators to get a good view of the action. It is unacceptable to have anyone who is not a part of the team inside roped off areas. Fans should not be on the track area behind the player's bench, inside of the ropes, or inside the locker room. We expect parents to be positive and to show their support in a positive and sportsman like manner. Anytime parents feel less than positive, a meeting with the head coach is encouraged. Remember your child cannot be positive about situations in which you do not show positive support.

Locker Room. All players are issued a locker with a locker combination. Players are expected to keep the locker room clean and organized. Any equipment should be stored away in their locker and locked whenever they leave the immediate area. Any money or valuables that are brought to school should be turned in to a coach so that it may be locked up in the office area.

Bus Trips and Travel. Players will be taken on away trips if they have earned the right to go as participants. Other players may be taken if they show a desire to cooperate and willingness to follow expected behavioral guidelines. Players are expected to keep the buses clean and to follow all rules regarding bus travel. All players who ride the bus to games will also return home on the bus unless signed out by parents, or team members parents that have been placed on file to do so.

Injuries. Football is a contact sport that can result in a variety of injuries to the player. The player must understand that he is risking injury by playing this sport and take the necessary precautions. Anytime an athlete is feeling pain or feels discomfort of any kind he must make the coaches and trainer aware of his situation so that necessary care can be provided. Any player who is under medical care by a physician will not be allowed to participate in any practice sessions or games without written clearance by the doctor. All injured players that cannot take part in practice or in games will still be required to be at practice or games.

Attitude. We expect all players to act in a manner that is in the best interest of the school district, the school, the team, their community, their family, and their self. Hustle and hard work are expectations we have of all of our players. We expect athletes to listen to their coaches and do what is asked of them at all times. A player who is not acting in this positive manner may be asked to leave the practice or game situation and not return until a conference with the head coach is convened. A positive attitude will help us become the best football team possible.

Open Door Policy. Anytime a player has a concern for any aspect of our program he should first make arrangements to meet with the head coach and anyone else deemed appropriate as soon as possible. Misunderstandings and problems can be cleared up quickly and efficiently this way. We hope that if a player's parents or guardians have any concerns they will communicate first with their son to see what the problem is and if their son has talked first to a coach. If the coach and player meeting has not solved the problem then a meeting with the player's head coach, player, and parent may then take place to resolve the situation. No problem is too small to discuss with the coaching staff.

Playing Time. Players in our program will be coached during practice sessions by our coaches if they are willing to put forth the effort and show a positive attitude. We guarantee practice time to the players. However, we do not guarantee any playing time to anyone. At the lower level we attempt to play as many players as possible in their games. At the varsity level, playing time is awarded to players according to their ability, their work ethic, attitude, and best interest of the team. Any concerns regarding playing time should be brought to the immediate attention of the head coach by the individual player involved.

Letter Policy. Earning a letter award at Amador High School can be an exciting accomplishment. This award goes to those players who have positively contributed to the success of the program. A player earns a letter award by being a qualifying player who completes the entire season, an injured player who would have undoubtedly qualified, or by the discretion of the head coach.

Communicating to parents especially the first time as the head coach at a school is important. I believe explaining the core values that I want our athletes to gain is important. Expectations for them is also important. Coaching athletes that are not able to drive yet has the ability to turn into a problem especially if practicing off site. Telling parents that we would like to create an environment of character and responsibility has these parents on their toes. Since their child is responsible for getting places on time it is important for them and their parents to communicate effectively. Having parents understand and know that they are just as important to the success of our program is also important and telling them that without them nothing is possible is a big part of a parent meeting.

Example Parent Meeting

I have been a part of one parent meeting as an assistant coach. From that meeting I learned some things I would use if I were to run a parent meeting at the beginning of the season. One thing I learned is that parents don't want to sit there and be lectured to, they want the facts and details. Parents also always have a ton of questions, so keep it short and sweet and leave alot of time for questions.

1- Welcome & Introduction of all the coaches - so parents can put a face to the name that they hear thier child talking about.

2- Season expectations - to help thier child grow as a person, learn about leadership and team work, gain relationships and memories they will have forever, learn how to be responsible for thier self, keep thier grades up, have fun, and with all this in mind hopefully win some games too.

3- Overview of player hand book - brief description of what the hand book entales and a description of the contracts that need to be signed.

4- Expectations of parents - what the coaches and players expect from the parents, what to do if a parent has an issue.

5- Questions, Questions, Questions??

Any positive, constructive and/or well run organization starts with and ends with great communication. This is also true when it comes to preparing for each high school football season. The annual parent and F.A.M.I.L.Y meeting allows all members of the footall family to meet, greet, listen and learn all aspects of the program. This very important meeting will take place on the team picture and media day. After pictures and a team meal with family and friends, we will all gather in the school auditorium.

1. First we will start with a welcome from our school principle and our county wide athletic director.

2. The head football coach will introduce the coaching staff, academic team and support staff.

3. Next the head football coach will discuss the progam motto F.A.M.I.L.Y which stands for FORGET ABOUT ME I LOVE YOU.

4. Then there will be a discussion on the team goals for the year.

5. The most important portion of the meeting will be our discussion of academics.

6. The head coach will then bring the offensive coordinator up to talk all things offense.

7. The head coach will also bring the defensive coordinator up to talk all things defense.

8. The head coach will end the football portion of the meeting with the special team discussuion.

9. The head coach will then discuss the team rules and regulations

10. The booster club president will address the parents and ask for volunteers.

11. The head coach will then answer any and all questions from parents and supporters.

12 Finally the head coach will lead in singing the school alam mater.

Preseason Parent Meeting:

Welcome everyone to the meeting and say thank you for taking time out of their day to come support thier kids athletics. After I welcome everyone I introduce myself and the coaching staff. Starting with my coaching staff giving the parents the coaches roles for the upcoming season and give a couple stats about each coach. This way it gives the parents a foundation to get to know their kids coaches. Finally, I would introduce myself by giving them a good understanding of my background. Followed up by my background I will inform the parents of my coaching philosophy and expectations of the parents at games and sporting events (games, practices, and fundraisers). My coaching philosophy would be to develop players through using positive discipline and encouragement. I want kids to learn and understand what we are trying to do each week. Also I will make coaches hold office hours and positional meetings. I will also create a website for the program, a facebook, mass texting, etc. The website would have the main information for games, meetings, and practice schedule. The facebooks would be broken into multiple number of pages. One for the coaching staff, each position gets their own with their positional coach, Varsity and junior varsity players have one. Then the freshman will have one. These facebooks will be used to communicate with coaches and players. In addition, it creates some team chemistry amongst the athletes. Communication will be a key for me. Mass texting and individual texting helps the coaches get word out to the players and parents quickly. After I go over communication I will transition into my academic and discipline policy. I will outline my three strike policy for both academics and discipline. First offense- Players/ coaches meeting, 2nd offense-missed half or game, and 3rd offense-is suspended for season or kicked depending on the issue. Each time the coaching staff will develop them into fine young men of good moral character. That is the most important part of being a coach at any level.

Secondly, I would explains acronym (ROOTS which means honoring Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teams, and Self) and (Elm which means Effort, Learning, and Mistakes are ok) to the parents. Then I would ask the parents to support a team culture. I expect the parents will honor and follow the acronym ROOTS because they will be held accountable by AD office. The Athletic Director's/ Principal's Office will be handling the punishment of parents with the Coach present.

Thirdly, the coaches and players will outline the goals and hopes for the season. The coaches will give their goals of the season. For example, 100% eligibility program rate, 100% graduation rate, and 80-90% college acceptance rate, develop quality human beings, chase a district, sectional, and state championship with honor and integrity, etc. The teams goals and hopes might be focused around winning a state championship and then have many individual goals. However, as coaches we will try to direct players to goals that are measurable and attainable for them as individuals and as a team. After that we will ask for volunteers for the booster club and explain the logistics for each game, practice, and fundraiser. Then tell them where to find the logistic information on the programs website and when i hand out my contact information, I will make sure to give step by step instructions for them as well.

Finally, I will have every parent and player fill out a card for me to get their contact information. Then I will add them to a database and my phone to create a mass text to pass out updates to both players and coaches. This keeps communication flowing when things change and need adjustment. Then open the floor for discussion and questions. Then say thank you again and tell them you look forward to working with them this season and beyond depending on their Childs academic standing.