Pro-tips for Soccer "managers"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Explain to parents this is travel soccer and there is no longer the need to pass out snacks after each game.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any tips for first time "managers" who aren't sure what they signed up for?

Here's a tip: Don't sign up for anything that you aren't sure what you are signing up for...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any tips for first time "managers" who aren't sure what they signed up for?

Here's a tip: Don't sign up for anything that you aren't sure what you are signing up for...?

Start early like U9 telling parents shut up and cheer. Just because you were rec coach means you know very little about coaching at this level. So sit your loud a$$ on the parents side of the field and don't yell instructions to anyone including your kid!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any tips for first time "managers" who aren't sure what they signed up for?

Here's a tip: Don't sign up for anything that you aren't sure what you are signing up for...?

Start early like U9 telling parents shut up and cheer. Just because you were rec coach means you know very little about coaching at this level. So sit your loud a$$ on the parents side of the field and don't yell instructions to anyone including your kid!!!!!!!!!!

Best and most important tip.

[Anonymous]

As a team manager you are serving the team not the coach. It is a thankless job but you are there for the players and parents NOT the club or the coach.

[Anonymous]

Start early like U9 telling parents shut up and cheer. Just because you were rec coach means you know very little about coaching at this level. So sit your loud a$$ on the parents side of the field and don't yell instructions to anyone including your kid!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, our team manager gave the parents a big talk about this, but once the games started, she was the worst offender!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a team manager you are serving the team not the coach. It is a thankless job but you are there for the players and parents NOT the club or the coach.

Why do you say this? Having been both a manager and a coach, I think the manager serves both the coach and the parents. But it's important first of all to make sure that anything you do as manager is in line with coach's wishes. The coach and manager need to work as a team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a team manager you are serving the team not the coach. It is a thankless job but you are there for the players and parents NOT the club or the coach.

Why do you say this? Having been both a manager and a coach, I think the manager serves both the coach and the parents. But it's important first of all to make sure that anything you do as manager is in line with coach's wishes. The coach and manager need to work as a team.

You are there to serve the TEAM not the coach. For example, if the coach wants you to book a hotel that works for the coach and not the team then serve the team needs.

If the coach wants you to be an executive assistant the coach can hire one. If the coach relays all communication through the team manager and parents may only communicate with the coach through the team manager then the coach is creating power for the team manager that they should not have. A team manager is not a gate keeper.

Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics

All of that serves the team needs. These are not "wishes" to be granted by the team manager. They are logistical requirements of the team and can be performed by the coach if the coach has such "wishes" as well. Anything beyond the small list above and you are serving the coach and not the team.
Register players.

[Anonymous]

**^^
Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics
Register players
Communicate practice and travel schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:**^^
Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics
Register players
Communicate practice and travel schedule

Well, you're talking about travel soccer. I (PP) was talking about rec soccer. You are right for your situation. In rec, I've seen situations in which the manager undermines the coach, and that's not healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:**^^
Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics
Register players
Communicate practice and travel schedule

Well, you're talking about travel soccer. I (PP) was talking about rec soccer. You are right for your situation. In rec, I've seen situations in which the manager undermines the coach, and that's not healthy.

There is almost no need for a team manager in rec soccer.

Fields are assigned. League schedule is handled by the club. No leagues to register players in. No tournaments to register team in. Your only job is to send out the snack schedule that everyone hates.

[Anonymous]

It all differs from club to club, and by age within a club.

In general --

For pre-high school age teams you need to be a communicator. In theory everyone will get team schedules and tournament information from the club, but in practice that can get missed up. Get stuff posted somewhere so everyone can see everything at any time. Include all times. Include all directions to fields. Be able to immediately give notice of changes.

It is also a good idea to be a source of arrival info. If a coach has several teams he/she may not really know who is coming to a particular tournament or game. Parents can notify you if player will be absent, and you can pass that info. along. Some will be same day -- kid got sick kind of thing. Some will be planned in advance. Get the advance stuff to the coach a day ahead so he/she can deal with lineup stuff.

Depending on the club, you may also be the person with the passcards, and ref payments. So, easy stuff to deal with but you do have to deal with them.

YOU ARE NOT THE PERSON WHO SHOULD BE DOING ANY SORT OF COLLECTION WORK FOR THE CLUB. Not your issue if a kid is behind in payments.

It is pretty common for tournaments/clubs to have deals with hotel chains for tournaments. It is NOT YOUR JOB to enforce these rules. Give out the info. given to you to give out. What people do with it is up to them. Lots of people have deals with particular chains through business. Good for them. Don't worry about it.

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TEAM MEALS -- everyone is on their own. If a tournament sends out coupons or info on local restaurants you can pass that along. Trying to coordinate team meals and events is not worth the time or trouble. Kids have homework, different bedtimes, have different friends, like different food. Let folks sort it out for themselves.

OLDER AGES -- easy to deal with BUT much bigger coordinator role at the beginning. Once a team is set you need information immediately on major school conflicts -- in particular ACT/SAT testing dates, final exam weeks, and homecoming dance and proms are big ones to work around. You do not want to find half the team is not coming to a Saturday morning game, because it is a testing day.














Mostly that would be keeping track of the team schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:**^^
Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics
Register players
Communicate practice and travel schedule

Well, you're talking about travel soccer. I (PP) was talking about rec soccer. You are right for your situation. In rec, I've seen situations in which the manager undermines the coach, and that's not healthy.

There is almost no need for a team manager in rec soccer.

Fields are assigned. League schedule is handled by the club. No leagues to register players in. No tournaments to register team in. Your only job is to send out the snack schedule that everyone hates.

game reminders, practice reminders, organize team meeting, organize end-of-season celebration, collect coach gift. Survey families for interest in a second weekly practice... there's more I'm not thinking of at the moment. Manager could coordinate volunteers for team duties like field clean up and set up, and the Manna food donations.

A nice manager would also help with picking up uniforms, etc, though that's usually the coach. And I wish more people hated the snack schedule! I thought kids outgrew snacks by 3rd grade, but with my son's 11th grade team, the practice just won't die!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:**^^
Your responsibilities are:
Convey team payment information.
Register team in leagues and events.
Assist with travel logistics
Register players
Communicate practice and travel schedule

Well, you're talking about travel soccer. I (PP) was talking about rec soccer. You are right for your situation. In rec, I've seen situations in which the manager undermines the coach, and that's not healthy.

There is almost no need for a team manager in rec soccer.

Fields are assigned. League schedule is handled by the club. No leagues to register players in. No tournaments to register team in. Your only job is to send out the snack schedule that everyone hates.

game reminders, practice reminders, organize team meeting, organize end-of-season celebration, collect coach gift. Survey families for interest in a second weekly practice... there's more I'm not thinking of at the moment. Manager could coordinate volunteers for team duties like field clean up and set up, and the Manna food donations.

A nice manager would also help with picking up uniforms, etc, though that's usually the coach. And I wish more people hated the snack schedule! I thought kids outgrew snacks by 3rd grade, but with my son's 11th grade team, the practice just won't die!

game reminders -- Can be done by the coach
organize team meeting -- If needed, can be done by the coach.
organize end-of-season celebration -- While fun it is not necessary and anyone can do this.
collect coach gift -- Not necessary. Nice to do but again, anyone can do it.
Survey families for interest in a second weekly practice. -- Can be done by the coach.
Manager could coordinate volunteers for team duties like field clean up and set up, and the Manna food donations.-- Whaaaaa?!?! You mean corner flags? Club does that and is only necessary for the first game of the day and the last game of the day.

You are really reaching on these things. In nearly all of the above list a team manager is simply acting like a middle man and can actually create more work to accomplish the most basic of tasks. Email game reminders? Really? How long would that take a coach to do? Seriously, if you practice once a week and play one game on a Saturday morning I think the coach can handle the complex logistics of emailing the team. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

So here's something that I learned the hard way. In our league, there is a rule that if the coach doesn't show up for a game or is late to a game, the team manager is supposed to fill in until the coach gets there. I was acting for our regular team manger, and this happened to me. I don't know a ton about soccer, so thankfully another parent helped me.