Post by Coach Campbell on Jun 11, 2013 17:05:37 GMT
Kyle Haskell
Parents these days have crazy hectic schedules that pack each night with different events. It is important to keep this in mind when setting up parents meetings. Because of this having all levels come together on one night is important. This way if parents have multiple children they do not have to come to 2 or 3 different meetings. The meeting will start with all levels together and then can break up into specific levels from there. I would plan the meeting for the early spring this way the parents have all the summer information well in advance and it allows for plenty of time for volunteers to get things organized throughout the summer. The meeting would go as follows...
Intro Coaches: I would begin the meeting introducing the coaching staff to all the parents. Knowing the people your child will play for is very important. I would highlight their key attributes and successes to develop an immediate respect with the parents.
Communicate Mission, Vision- I would share our programs mission and vision with the parents. I want them to know the foundation of the program and where we are striving to be. This will be the basis of who I am as a coach and the parents should know that from day one.
Communicate Expectations- I will then communicate the expectations I have in order for this mission and vision to be realized. I would share my expectation of myself, my coaches, players, and of the parents themselves. These expectations would be laid out clearly and concisely so the parents got a great picture of what their child needs to do and what they need to do to support their child.
Playing time- I will then lead right into expectation to playing time. I will discuss how we determine playing time and how it is linked to the expectations of the players. I want parents to know the basis for how we make these decisions and that it is ultimately our decision.
Injuries- With several new laws about concussions and injuries I want to communicate the laws to the parents. I also will communicate the things we as coaches are doing to keep their athletes safe.
Fundraising/Expenses- I will communicate the various expenses for the year from equipment costs to camp costs. I will then transition to the different fundraisers we will do and explain the importance they play on lowering the expenses for everyone. The better we do on our fundraisers the more luxuries our athletes will get as players.
***At this point we will break up by level and communicate more specifics there***
Summer Schedule- In order to compete effectively we have a busy summer schedule. We have camps weight room, and 7 on 7's throughout the summer to make us better. I will explain the importance of these and give them the dates on a calendar. I will highlight the time they have off and encourage parents to schedule vacations during these dead times.
Social Media- With the huge influx of the social media I think it is important to inform parents about the pros and cons athletes face. Young athletes can make poor choices on social media sites and it can affect them greatly. I will simply remind parents of the ramifications players could face and the different impacts social media can have on the program.
Excitement about the season- I would get parents excited about the season. I would explain how great of an experience we will create and all the great things our players will get out of football. It is a large time commitment for both the players and their families and I want them to get excited about the results of that commitment.
Volunteers- To make any program run smoothly you need great volunteers. To end the meeting I will ask parents to volunteer for several positions. The most important volunteer is my communication parent. This parent meets with me on a regular basis and does all the communication with the rest of the parents. This is a large job but helps buffer for the head coach. Some other positions I will ask for are: Team dinner, post-game snacks, painting the field, team signs, etc.
I will end the meeting by taking any questions parents have. I want this to be the time for parents to ask questions and alleviate and worries or concerns they may have.