Pre-Season Meetings for Youth Sports Teams Open Lines of Communication, Establish Expectations

The most successful youth sports seasons are the ones that begin with a pre-season meeting for parents, players, coaches and team administrators. A preseason meeting sets a positive tone for the season by opening the lines of communication early so that everyone - parents, athletes, coaches and team parents - understands and agrees on what they expect from one another.

If your child's coach calls for a preseason meeting, be sure to attend. It is never a waste of time.

If one isn't planned, ask for one.

What to Expect

A good preseason meeting:

  • Gives parents the opportunity to find out the coach's style, philosophy (especially with respect to playing time, expectations and goals for the upcoming season.

  • Gives the coach a chance to set expectations for parents in terms of sideline behavior, getting players to practices and games on time and in uniform, etc.

  • Provides an opportunity for coaches and parents to develop a team charter

  • Provides an opportunity to set behavioral boundaries to prevent abuse and harassment.

  • Gives coaches a chance to educate parents on the rules (parents sometimes forget that the rules aren't always the same as the pros or older kids use; knowing the rules can prevent misunderstandings during the season) and, particularly in contact sports, on the important subject of concussions.

  • Allows for an exchange of important information between coaches and parents (e-mail addresses, phone numbers, season schedule, maps to away games etc.)

  • Provides a forum for parents to have their questions or concerns answered

  • Offers parents a chance to become involved in the team as more than just a spectator, such as by becoming a team administrator (a/k/a "team parent"), organizing a "water and orange" schedule, getting and distributing directions to away games, organizing car pools or helping out at practices.


 

Adapted from the book, Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (HarperCollins 2006) by Brooke de Lench, Founder of MomsTeam.com.

 

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