 Posted 05/06/2007 16:44:15
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| Hi Some of my parents don't stop at my U8,s training sessions a few do but most leave the kids and pick them up an hour later. I would always stay with my boy before I became the coach What happens elsewhere? Rocklands U8's (Norfolk)
I think the best player should get the reward whoever he is,if it is your son then give it to him and be proud, if any parents disagree with the decision then they need to give a reason why!
Normally it would be a parent who would not dream of helping at traning or at a match but likes to hav a good moan about anything
In a game it is to easy to take my son of just becase that is the easy decision, I made that mistake a few times when I started as an u8's manager, I now play the strongest team and give other players a try if i get a chance
Am I right or wrong?
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Posted 05/06/2007 17:25:28
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| In my experience it is rare for all parents to stay - When my son was playing at that age you normally get a hard core of 6/7 dads that come to every session/game and usually want o get involved in some way (which can be a help or a hinderence to the coach). It depends on the boy regarding the impact having mum or dad there can have - I have seen it go both ways. As a coach I would try and find out as unobtrusivley as possible why parents dont stick around - it helps you get a picture of the kind of attitude the parents have to their child playing football and that helps you get to know yor player better. Cheers
MartinHutch
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Posted 05/06/2007 23:48:35
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| At under 8s I feel all players no matter what ability should be playing at least half a game, Wheres the fun and development gone? as for absent parents where else will they get a child minder as cheap as a voluntary footie coach????
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Posted 06/06/2007 09:45:07
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| Parents almost never stay for our midweek training sessions, but tend to come out on Saturday mornings for the social side (and bacon butties). But make sure that you always have an assistant with you - is someone gets seriously injured you've got to have cover to look after the other kids should you need to rush off to hospital. By the way, getting a willing mum or dad to organise tea, coffee and bacon butties can be a good moneyspinner for new kit etc. My club usually has three simultaneous sessions on a sat morning - great captive audience and we made lots of money over the season.
Dwyer
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Posted 06/06/2007 15:28:06
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| Flatlander, I have been coaching for quite some time now and at various competitive levels, and the one thing that drove me crazy when I first started, was this exact topic. Last year, I inherited this competitive team because the original coach took on a director position in another country and essentially I was nominated to take over the team. At my very first meeting with the parents, I was quite animated about this topic and explained to the parents that under no circumstances will they be allowed to drop off their child and leave without assigning another parent the responsibility of the child. We are not babysitters and I don't know about other countries but we as coaches can be held legally liable for the well being of the children we coach in Canada. I essentially told them that this rule was not negotiable and that if they had a problem with this I would give them their childs player card back and help them out with the transfer. My 2 cents, more like a dollar.
Matteo
1997 Competitive Girls Aurora, Canada
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Posted 07/06/2007 12:39:39
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| A lot of parents do view football training as another form of cheap child care. There have been a couple of occasions where I've had to hang around after training because a parent is late returning to collect their child. During these summer months, I have up to 24 children in the training session but only about 8-10 parents watching. When my son played football, I always stayed for the training session even if it was a rainy day (in which case I would retreat to the car and watch from a warm and dry distance). I have another pet hate with parents and that is when they don't send their children appropriately dressed for the weather. Since when has wintry conditions meant that shorts and t-shirt are going to keep them warm all session, especially when the rain starts!!!!
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Posted 08/06/2007 15:42:48
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| None of my parents ever stay to watch the trainaing and very few even drop the kids and pick them up - the ones that do drop them off I dont think the wheels top turning on their cars. We are free baby sitting on a saturday morning - one of the moms said when i said i had to finish a bit earlier the one week " oh right i'll have to be quicker round sainsburys than normal then , if I dont get here on time you can just leave him on the car park , he'll be ok" - and she was late but I never leave the kids on their own - too risky nowadays.
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Posted 12/06/2007 13:59:25
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I encountered this problem last season. One of our players was constantly being left without either myself or any of the helpers being told he was on his own. This is clearly stated in our club rules that during training a player must be represented by either a parent or some one there nominated to look after them. One mother was shopping and "forgot" her son. Half an hour after training she still hadnt turned up and her mobile phone was switched off. When she did finally appear we told her she couldnt do this again because some of us had to wait behind which was most inconvenient. She said it would never happen again because she was taking her son out of the team if we couldnt look after him!!
Shame he was a good player.......
Dave Clarke Soccer Coach Weekly Editor
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