The following information are examples of pre-season parent meeting prior to the football season getting started. The information provided here comes from several different programs from around the country.
Pre-Season Parent Meeting Itinerary
We have a parent meeting in the middle of the spring semester and then we will have one on picture day during pre-season camp. In all the meetings the head coach needs to be well prepared and make sure you rehearse your talk. Come with your notes all written out in the order you want to present them. I also believe you should have a strong closing statement to leave the parents knowing you are completely in charge and excited for the upcoming season. You must remember it is all about providing information to the parents in all the aspects of the team, and focus only the information needed for the current year team.
As a head coach you will have so much to discuss, but I will focus on commitment in the summer, fundraising, and the weekly plan for the season. With so much to work on during a year it is so important that you have a system of getting information to the parents quickly.
The 1st thing I will talk about is the time commitment I need from the players. These parents have to buy into what it takes to develop their son, and build a winning program. If you are honest and up front with parents about what it takes to be a part of your program they will respect that from you. I will review the rest of the spring semester lifting and team workouts we have. I will then present them with the summer conditioning times for the team workouts we have set up. The 1st question that always comes up is about vacation time, so make sure you have all of that built into your plan. We are involved in quite a few passing tournaments, and getting parents to help with food, water, transportation is key to this program. Be detailed about the summer time, so these parents can plan months in advance.
Once the summer plan is talked about, we will get into the fundraising drive we have as a team. I will go over the main budget points of where all the money we raise goes to. Concentrate on main buzz items and bullet points the parents want to hear about. The lifeblood of a successful program comes from the fundraising the families provide for the team. I have 2 parents who help manage this part of the program, and I will have them talk on this subject during the meeting.
The next topic I will stress is the weekly plan once the 1st game week begins. Once again that key word commitment comes into play here for the parents. The team study hall plan will be reviewed with the parents. I will remind them to always review their sons grades via the on line system we have at school. I will let them know I am here to help provide on campus study center help, tutoring with teachers, and the key is having a practice plan that allows the kids to get home on time each day. Make sure you involve the parents in the academics of their child.
In this topic we will discuss the Thursday night team meal, Friday pre game meal, and getting parents involved in after game meals as well. Getting a small corps of parents to manage this is vital to the program, so the coaches are not being stretched all over the place.
If your program has a Saturday strength and conditioning program and plan for rehabilitating the injuries make sure you mention it well ahead of time. Be very strict when it comes to times on Saturday for the families. If you say you are done at noon, then make sure those parents are not waiting for the players. Being honest about all of the time commitments is vital for your program, but also sticking to the times you set is just as important.
In closing I will talk about the open lines of communication with me. I will let them know to check their email each week, as we send out a lot of information to the parents. I will close with what I see happening for this year’s team, and let them know I am here for them anytime they need my help
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Pre-Season Parent Meeting Itinerary
The parent meeting is a great benefit to every program. It needs to be planned and organized just as much, if not more than other details that coaches tend to plan down to the “T.” There should be an introduction into our program, and a brief description of what it means to be a part of our program, as well as some success and maybe a brief story from the past.
The athletic director, and administrators of the school should be present if possible. It sets the tone that the program is important to everyone and that it holds a high importance in the eyes of everyone. It also shows that athletes are students first and that grades are as important as being on the team.
Assistant coaches should be introduced, and the head coaches of every level should be introduced as well…These are generally good ways to start off the meeting.
The time commitments that are expected, grades, behavior, and the team first style of coaching winners in life and on the field are good topics to center the meeting around. I also like breaking into groups after the base introduction especially for a high school program or a middle school program where there may be 2 or more teams. That way all parents get the expectations from the head coach, AD, and administrator, and can also get acquainted with their child’s head coach and assistants. At the end of the meeting all coaches should be on hand to answer any and all questions. Communication is the key and providing parents with a clear line of communication and how you expect it is a good idea. Closing the meeting on a positive note, like expectations for the upcoming season, a date when you play your rival school, or when the teams first scrimmage is. Planning is key so make sure to plan out the meeting in detail and stick to the format that you laid out for yourself. Be cautious of getting off on a tangent, or over-killing one particular area…Generally keeping is fairly short, but informative and upbeat are good keys. ____________________________________________________________________________________
Initial Parent Meeting
The following information is handed out to all parents and players and discussed in a parent meeting in August. At that time, each player and parent must complete a signature page acknowledging that they understand the information discussed in the meeting. The following topics will all be explained:
Preseason Requirements. All Amador football players must have the following completed prior to the first practice session:
•Insurance
•Physical Exam on file in the athletic office.
•Participation fee paid
•Participation and eligibility form read and signed by player and parent.
Practice Sessions. The following guidelines will be followed by all players participating in our program:
•All practice sessions begin on time. Players are expected to be dressed and ready to begin practice at the designated times. Any player who is not prepared to begin when the practice session starts will be excused from that practice session and may be subject to the penalties invoked for a missed practice.
•All players will be dressed in appropriate equipment as designated by the head coach. Only equipment issued or approved by the head coach will be acceptable. Any equipment that is broken or in need of repair must be brought to the immediate attention of the coaches and practice must not continue for that player until the problem has been corrected.
•Absences: Players will occasionally have to miss a practice. In this case, all players must be cleared to miss a practice session prior to being gone. (Illness may be cleared by telephone call to the coach). Players who do not clear their absences may be considered unexcused and subject to the penalties that go with that infraction. Only those absences cleared by the head coach are considered excused (haircuts, jobs, hunting, etc. are not acceptable excuses).
The following guidelines cover absences:
•Excused: A player who is excused from missing a practice or a game will maintain the status of a regular player. He may, however, lose his starting position as a result of missing the practice session.
•Unexcused: A player who misses a practice session that is deemed “unexcused” by the coach will be warned after the first infraction. If a second violation occurs, the head coach will begin the process for dropping the athlete from the football program.
Game Day Expectations. All players are expected to dress appropriately for school on game days. The players will wear their game jersey and clean cut shorts or pants and shoes (no holes or rips in pants or shorts or sagging below waist). All injured players on the sidelines of the game will wear what they wear to school. Players will be expected to dress in the uniform issued to them for the game and will only use accessories approved by the head coach. Any player who arrives late or who is not dressed in time may be subject to discipline by the head coach. Any player who forgets any equipment or uniform on road games will not be allowed to play in that game.
Academics. Football players come to Amador High School for the purpose of learning and progressing toward a high school diploma. All athletes will be students first. The standards for athletic participation in our district are minimum guidelines set to insure natural progression toward graduation. Any time the coaches are notified of classroom deficiencies or poor behavior by a player, steps will be taken to
improve the situation. Our players will be expected to keep up with classroom requirements or they will be excluded from participation in the football program until those requirements are met.
Parent Participation. Parents may wish to attend practice sessions. We welcome this situation but we would appreciate cooperation in doing so. All parents and friends who come to observe our players in their practice sessions are asked to remain on the sidelines away from the drills. We appreciate having people watch and not distract the players or coaches from this preparation. Areas provided at all games allow spectators to get a good view of the action. It is unacceptable to have anyone who is not a part of the team inside roped off areas. Fans should not be on the track area behind the player’s bench, inside of the ropes, or inside the locker room. We expect parents to be positive and to show their support in a positive and sportsman like manner. Anytime parents feel less than positive, a meeting with the head coach is encouraged. Remember your child cannot be positive about situations in which you do not show positive support.
Locker Room. All players are issued a locker with a locker combination. Players are expected to keep the locker room clean and organized. Any equipment should be stored away in their locker and locked whenever they leave the immediate area. Any money or valuables that are brought to school should be turned in to a coach so that it may be locked up in the office area.
Bus Trips and Travel. Players will be taken on away trips if they have earned the right to go as participants. Other players may be taken if they show a desire to cooperate and willingness to follow expected behavioral guidelines. Players are expected to keep the buses clean and to follow all rules regarding bus travel. All players who ride the bus to games will also return home on the bus unless signed out by parents, or team members parents that have been placed on file to do so.
Injuries. Football is a contact sport that can result in a variety of injuries to the player. The player must understand that he is risking injury by playing this sport and take the necessary precautions. Anytime an athlete is feeling pain or feels discomfort of any kind he must make the coaches and trainer aware of his situation so that necessary care can be provided. Any player who is under medical care by a physician will not be allowed to participate in any practice sessions or games without written clearance by the doctor. All injured players that cannot take part in practice or in games will still be required to be at practice or games.
Attitude. We expect all players to act in a manner that is in the best interest of the school district, the school, the team, their community, their family, and their self. Hustle and hard work are expectations we have of all of our players. We expect athletes to listen to their coaches and do what is asked of them at all times. A player who is not acting in this positive manner may be asked to leave the practice or game situation and not return until a conference with the head coach is convened. A positive attitude will help us become the best football team possible.
Open Door Policy. Anytime a player has a concern for any aspect of our program he should first make arrangements to meet with the head coach and anyone else deemed appropriate as soon as possible. Misunderstandings and problems can be cleared up quickly and efficiently this way. We hope that if a player’s parents or guardians have any concerns they will communicate first with their son to see what the problem is and if their son has talked first to a coach. If the coach and player meeting has not solved the problem then a meeting with the player’s head coach, player, and parent may then take place to resolve the situation. No problem is too small to discuss with the coaching staff.
Playing Time. Players in our program will be coached during practice sessions by our coaches if they are willing to put forth the effort and show a positive attitude. We guarantee practice time to the players. However, we do not guarantee any playing time to anyone. At the lower level we attempt to play as many players as possible in their games. At the varsity level, playing time is awarded to players according to their ability, their work ethic, attitude, and best interest of the team. Any concerns regarding playing time should be brought to the immediate attention of the head coach by the individual player involved.
Letter Policy. Earning a letter award at Amador High School can be an exciting accomplishment. This award goes to those players who have positively contributed to the success of the program. A player earns a letter award by being a qualifying player who completes the entire season, an injured player who would have undoubtedly qualified, or by the discretion of the head coach.
About the Author of this post:
Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.