Pro-tips for Soccer "managers"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A more optimistic view of what parental participation in youth sports (and other civic activities) can resemble: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/08/01/what-the-mighty-dolphins-say-about-america

In my view, people should participate as much as they want. It helps for the TM to make that explicit for those who don't know so others are not discouraged from helping. On things like car pooling, while it is not their obligation to arrange, it can certainly be useful for them to serve as facilitator and information conduit.

Nobody said these things were not important or useful to do. The argument is are these things really the responsibility of one person? Anyone can offer to help with carpools if needed. Through tools like TeamSnap these things are easier for parents to just handle themselves more directly. A team manager is not needed to send out a email to all parents regarding car pooling. Provide the tools for parents and families to manage these things more independently and this frees up the team manager to do more administrative responsibilities that are a part of the actual job.

Team managers often simply like to hoard responsibilities as way of maintaining influence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A more optimistic view of what parental participation in youth sports (and other civic activities) can resemble: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/08/01/what-the-mighty-dolphins-say-about-america

In my view, people should participate as much as they want. It helps for the TM to make that explicit for those who don't know so others are not discouraged from helping. On things like car pooling, while it is not their obligation to arrange, it can certainly be useful for them to serve as facilitator and information conduit.

Nobody said these things were not important or useful to do. The argument is are these things really the responsibility of one person? Anyone can offer to help with carpools if needed. Through tools like TeamSnap these things are easier for parents to just handle themselves more directly. A team manager is not needed to send out a email to all parents regarding car pooling. Provide the tools for parents and families to manage these things more independently and this frees up the team manager to do more administrative responsibilities that are a part of the actual job.

Team managers often simply like to hoard responsibilities as way of maintaining influence.

Having been a TM before I loathed setting up carpools, let the parents be adults and handle things themselves. But some TMs are probably doing this to be helpful if others are not doing it. IME with other TMs they didn’t care about influence as they already have the coach’s ear due to all the other administrative communications.

Good coaches don’t care about the TMs kid any more than other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A more optimistic view of what parental participation in youth sports (and other civic activities) can resemble: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/08/01/what-the-mighty-dolphins-say-about-america

In my view, people should participate as much as they want. It helps for the TM to make that explicit for those who don't know so others are not discouraged from helping. On things like car pooling, while it is not their obligation to arrange, it can certainly be useful for them to serve as facilitator and information conduit.

Nobody said these things were not important or useful to do. The argument is are these things really the responsibility of one person? Anyone can offer to help with carpools if needed. Through tools like TeamSnap these things are easier for parents to just handle themselves more directly. A team manager is not needed to send out a email to all parents regarding car pooling. Provide the tools for parents and families to manage these things more independently and this frees up the team manager to do more administrative responsibilities that are a part of the actual job.

Team managers often simply like to hoard responsibilities as way of maintaining influence.

Having been a TM before I loathed setting up carpools, let the parents be adults and handle things themselves. But some TMs are probably doing this to be helpful if others are not doing it. IME with other TMs they didn’t care about influence as they already have the coach’s ear due to all the other administrative communications.

Good coaches don’t care about the TMs kid any more than other kids.

I'm still having are time wrapping my head around the team manger setting up carpools. Provide the emails and let the parents sort it out. The parents don't work for the manager and the team manger has no authority to set or require car pools. If you have no authority to actually carry out the task then it isn't a task that the manager should be charged with.

A manager can think all kinds of things are good things to do but you can't really make them happen. Most of these things are hateful relics of rec soccer managers who send out the awful team snack rotation list as well as the recommended snacks.

[Anonymous]

having a hard time

[Anonymous]

I'm still having are time wrapping my head around the team manger setting up carpools. Provide the emails and let the parents sort it out. The parents don't work for the manager and the team manger has no authority to set or require car pools. If you have no authority to actually carry out the task then it isn't a task that the manager should be charged with.

I have no idea why this is so upsetting to people here, or so difficult for people to understand. The parents who can use teamsnap and email to set their own stuff up just do so. The parents who have more limited communication abilities and can't use things like teamsnap and email do not, and the team manger helps to facilitate things for that small group. No one is compelled to drive any kid, it is just a request for help for one or two kids whose families need it. Anyone can say no to the request.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm still having are time wrapping my head around the team manger setting up carpools. Provide the emails and let the parents sort it out. The parents don't work for the manager and the team manger has no authority to set or require car pools. If you have no authority to actually carry out the task then it isn't a task that the manager should be charged with.

I have no idea why this is so upsetting to people here, or so difficult for people to understand. The parents who can use teamsnap and email to set their own stuff up just do so. The parents who have more limited communication abilities and can't use things like teamsnap and email do not, and the team manger helps to facilitate things for that small group. No one is compelled to drive any kid, it is just a request for help for one or two kids whose families need it. Anyone can say no to the request.

Oh stop, now you are being silly and patronizing. A parent setting up TeamSnap does not require a team manager.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea why this is so upsetting to people here, or so difficult for people to understand. The parents who can use teamsnap and email to set their own stuff up just do so. The parents who have more limited communication abilities and can't use things like teamsnap and email do not, and the team manger helps to facilitate things for that small group. No one is compelled to drive any kid, it is just a request for help for one or two kids whose families need it. Anyone can say no to the request.




Oh stop, now you are being silly and patronizing. A parent setting up TeamSnap does not require a team manager.

You have issues and I'm not going to respond to you further. You're free to think whatever you want, of course, as is everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm still having are time wrapping my head around the team manger setting up carpools. Provide the emails and let the parents sort it out. The parents don't work for the manager and the team manger has no authority to set or require car pools. If you have no authority to actually carry out the task then it isn't a task that the manager should be charged with.

I have no idea why this is so upsetting to people here, or so difficult for people to understand. The parents who can use teamsnap and email to set their own stuff up just do so. The parents who have more limited communication abilities and can't use things like teamsnap and email do not, and the team manger helps to facilitate things for that small group. No one is compelled to drive any kid, it is just a request for help for one or two kids whose families need it. Anyone can say no to the request.

Yes, until a team manager makes a parent feel like the following from a PP:

That's fine, but then spread around the assignments fairly. Our team manager continuously asks me to drive a really difficult kid from a really difficult family to games and tournaments(has been on our team for two years). I don't mind taking a share of driving him, but she always asks me, and I've never seen anyone else take him except the manager herself. Next time, I'm going to tell her she needs to try other families first.

This is when it is stepping out of line. This parent feels directed to drive a kid on the team. THIS is what I'm talking about. A team manager sets up the lines of communication for parents to use and that is where it ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm still having are time wrapping my head around the team manger setting up carpools. Provide the emails and let the parents sort it out. The parents don't work for the manager and the team manger has no authority to set or require car pools. If you have no authority to actually carry out the task then it isn't a task that the manager should be charged with.

I have no idea why this is so upsetting to people here, or so difficult for people to understand. The parents who can use teamsnap and email to set their own stuff up just do so. The parents who have more limited communication abilities and can't use things like teamsnap and email do not, and the team manger helps to facilitate things for that small group. No one is compelled to drive any kid, it is just a request for help for one or two kids whose families need it. Anyone can say no to the request.

Yes, until a team manager makes a parent feel like the following from a PP:

That's fine, but then spread around the assignments fairly. Our team manager continuously asks me to drive a really difficult kid from a really difficult family to games and tournaments(has been on our team for two years). I don't mind taking a share of driving him, but she always asks me, and I've never seen anyone else take him except the manager herself. Next time, I'm going to tell her she needs to try other families first.

This is when it is stepping out of line. This parent feels directed to drive a kid on the team. THIS is what I'm talking about. A team manager sets up the lines of communication for parents to use and that is where it ends.

+100 Team manager here...I have never set up a carpool. Everyone on the team communicates amongst themselves and works it out. The burden is not on me. If it were, I would not be the manager.

[Anonymous]

That's fine, but then spread around the assignments fairly. Our team manager continuously asks me to drive a really difficult kid from a really difficult family to games and tournaments(has been on our team for two years). I don't mind taking a share of driving him, but she always asks me, and I've never seen anyone else take him except the manager herself. Next time, I'm going to tell her she needs to try other families first.


This is when it is stepping out of line. This parent feels directed to drive a kid on the team. THIS is what I'm talking about. A team manager sets up the lines of communication for parents to use and that is where it ends.

It wouldn't pose an issue for me, because I'd say yes if I felt it would work for me, or no if I didn't. I'm not going to allow a team manger to "direct" me to do anything, but I'll respond to a request as I deem appropriate as an adult. If others can't do that, I'm not sure what to say.