Coach texting players

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a safe sport violation. Coaches are not allowed to text or their directly email minor athletes. The club should not allow it.

Frankly you guys, the OP's original question said that the coach wanted the players to text if they were missing practice or games. It was not about the coach texting the players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s a safe sport violation. Coaches are not allowed to text or their directly email minor athletes. The club should not allow it.

Frankly you guys, the OP's original question said that the coach wanted the players to text if they were missing practice or games. It was not about the coach texting the players.

Doesn’t matter, it applies to communication in both directions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s a safe sport violation. Coaches are not allowed to text or their directly email minor athletes. The club should not allow it.

Frankly you guys, the OP's original question said that the coach wanted the players to text if they were missing practice or games. It was not about the coach texting the players.

In the op she said that the coach asked for the kids’ cell numbers. The kids can contact the coach and copy a parent. It doesn’t sound like the coach gave the parents information about safe communication practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US Soccer and the state organizations must comply with SafeSport, but I believe specific guidelines are left up to organizations. One-to-one communication between an athlete and person of power (coach) should not happen for the safety of all involved.

From the MSYSA (MD) -

Limiting One-on-One Interactions – Required Policies
Covered Organizations are required to establish reasonable procedures to limit one-to-one interactions between individual Youth Participants and any Adult Participant who is not their legal guardian (“Prevention Policies”). These procedures must include athlete prevention policies covering the topics below:
− One-to-One Interactions, including meetings and individual training sessions
− Massages and rubdowns
− Locker rooms, rest rooms, and changing areas
[/b]− Social media and electronic communications[b]
− Local travel
− Team travel

https://www.msysa.org/assets/69/36/athlete_and_participant_safety_policy.pdf

Coaches should not be individually texting players.

Is this actually in effect? My kids have played soccer for more than a decade and have never been offered training regarding the prevention of child abuse. And this applies to many different clubs. And if the communication is on a group chat, it isn't a one on one communication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US Soccer and the state organizations must comply with SafeSport, but I believe specific guidelines are left up to organizations. One-to-one communication between an athlete and person of power (coach) should not happen for the safety of all involved.

From the MSYSA (MD) -

Limiting One-on-One Interactions – Required Policies
Covered Organizations are required to establish reasonable procedures to limit one-to-one interactions between individual Youth Participants and any Adult Participant who is not their legal guardian (“Prevention Policies”). These procedures must include athlete prevention policies covering the topics below:
− One-to-One Interactions, including meetings and individual training sessions
− Massages and rubdowns
− Locker rooms, rest rooms, and changing areas
[/b]− Social media and electronic communications[b]
− Local travel
− Team travel

https://www.msysa.org/assets/69/36/athlete_and_participant_safety_policy.pdf

Coaches should not be individually texting players.

Is this actually in effect? My kids have played soccer for more than a decade and have never been offered training regarding the prevention of child abuse. And this applies to many different clubs. And if the communication is on a group chat, it isn't a one on one communication.

Group chats would be fine. I know in Scouts the training is required for anyone in a leadership position who work with the kids, like a den leader. It’s not required of parents.

[Anonymous]

Prohibited by SafeSport. At least one adult must be included.

[Anonymous]

Check the sports’ regulations. For swimming, it is not allowed:

https://swimswam.com/usa-swimming-maapp-guardian-must-be-included-on-electronic-communication/

[Anonymous]

I know coaches that give kids a ride to and from practice sometimes....one on one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s a safe sport violation. Coaches are not allowed to text or their directly email minor athletes. The club should not allow it.

Frankly you guys, the OP's original question said that the coach wanted the players to text if they were missing practice or games. It was not about the coach texting the players.

that's how it starts,

Player: Hey Coach, sorry I am missing practice today I am not feeling well
Coach: Thanks Kate, is it something serious or mild?
Player: something mild, my parents prefer I stay home
Coach: ok thanks for letting me know and i will check up on you later is that ok?
Player: sure-(buy in)

Coach: hi katie, wanted to check in and see how you are feeling today
Player: Hi coach, yes feeling much better thanks
Coach-great, i hope you will be at practice tomorrow, we have a big game coming up and you are a key player in our success, (singling her out to make her feel important)
Player: I should be and i did some drills when i was feeling better
Coach: great, what drills did you do? (open ended questions to keep the conversation going and building trust)

it goes on and on eventually getting more personal and learning her insecurities and being there for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a safe sport violation. Coaches are not allowed to text or their directly email minor athletes. The club should not allow it.

Correct, this is definitely a Safe Sport violation. OP, is your swim club Safe Sport Recognized? If so, this was covered in the training we all had to take.

Scary that this type of thing is still going on today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:team snap has to ability to do group messages. This is how our coach communicates with the team and it seems the safest

Our club soccer team does the same thing. Works really well for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:team snap has to ability to do group messages. This is how our coach communicates with the team and it seems the safest

Our club soccer team does the same thing. Works really well for everyone.

Same- my kids are 13 and under and all of the coaches/teams use team snap or similar apps to communicate (through parents)

I don’t see why the kids/teens could not just be added to TeamSnap themselves (or a different app). There could be a “player group” AND a “parent group” or all could be combined. This way the teen could rsvp for practices him/herself and would accomplish the same thing (taking responsibility) but through a transparent app where everyone can see. use the apps instead of texting../

[Anonymous]

Not appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Completely inappropriate, even if some people think it's the norm. It may be "normal" but wrong.

This.

[Anonymous]

Non-sexual examples...
Let’s say you’re in college recruiting phase, do you want club coach weighing in for/against certain offers (coercively perhaps) and you never see that communication?

Your kid is thinking of switching clubs, do you want coach saying inappropriate things about the other club or making athlete feel guilty enough to stay?

Kid really wants to play for HS team. Coach doesn’t want them to even if there’s no club policy against it. Coach emails kid and says he can’t play. Kid tells parents, he’s not interested or whatever.

I’m suggesting that there may be undue influence. Many things should be family discussions and often we ask for input from the coach, but coaches shouldn’t be able to pressure behind the parents’ back.

Normalizing one on one electronic communication can lead you down this road as well.