In Season Non-Coaching Distractions

This is a tough one especially if you are coaching a younger youth football team. My personal opinion is there is no need for a snack before the game or at half time. I am not even a fan of it after the game since the kids are more concerned about getting their food and not listening to the coaches.

We live in a democracy so plan on the kids getting something. The younger the team is the more likely there will snacks. This is where the Team Mom needs to assign a schedule for the families. I try to keep it to just a beverage, like Gatorade and only for AFTER the game. One year I allowed for oranges at half time since the parents thought it would energize the kids. What a nightmare! The kids used more energy pushing each other over to get to the bag of orange slice. No one listened and the player left orange peels all over the place. Half time was spent cleaning the mess made on the field. I have seen some teams have a “party” at half time with all kinds of cookies and other stuff. No way will I allow snacks at half time. If the individual parent gives you a hard time tell them to bring something for their kid and the parent can feed it to them while you speak to the team at half time.

When coaching youth football, an important early decision is picking your Team Mom. Many years you will get lucky and get the mom that volunteer every year. Sometimes you will get no one to step forward. Occasionally you get a few moms that want the job and you have to choose one. Make sure you are compatible with the mom you select. You need a take-charge mom who will keep you informed but not be a pain in the butt.

The many duties of the youth football Team Mom include

• Typing and Passing out a roster list with all the players names, numbers, parents names and contact info
• Emergency phone numbers lists
• Organizing the homecoming of Rally night, which may include assigning things for people to bring.
• Help passing out uniforms
• Collection of money and delivery of uniforms to local shirt shops to get the names printed on the back
• Email updates to the parents
• Make and distribute an assignment list for game day duties
• Make and distribute a snack list.  I am funny about this and have pretty much gotten away from it.  A lot of teams do a halftime and end of the game snack.  I have eliminated both since I believe they are a distraction.  An after game beverage like Gatorade is fine.
• Plan and book the year-end banquet.  This will include collecting the money from each parent.

Your youth football year will go a lot easier with a good Team Mom. Please make sure to take care of her at the end of the year as well. A nice gift certificate will show your appreciation.

It is never too early to plan for the year end party for your youth football team. The Team Mom should be able to help you make the arrangements. I have had parties that have been as simple as a pizza party and as formal as a banquet. It is best to get a read on the team (especially the parents) before you decide how fancy the party will be. The age of the team will also help in your decision.

The one main tip I can give you is to make sure the Team Mom collects the entire amount of money that the party will cost in advance of the event. Make sure all siblings, parents, grandparents and friends are accounted and paid for. Too many times I have seen the party end and someone (me) winds up settling the bill for quite a bit more than was collected.

I also try to see if there is a local place where some of the other youth football teams use annually. Another option is if any of the parents own or have a contact with a restaurant.

The main thing is you want to make sure there is enough room for all who attend.

As fare as the youth football banquet goes we usually start with the meal. When all have finished eating I start the festivities. If you have a parent who likes to video tape or take a lot of pictures and is good with a computer you might be able to have them put together a slide show. I have done this a few times and it is a blast. This is optional and very time consuming but if you decide to have it done make sure you get a lot of help and work on it all year.

The next thing I do is give a small recap on the team. I make sure all is positive. This is the end of the year so there’s no reason to anger anyone.

Next I hand out the individual youth football player awards. You will need to check with your league on what kind of medals or trophies they will be providing. I have made it a long standing rule not to give out any special individual awards for MVP, Offensive Player of the Year or any other type. I usually split the names on the roster up among the coaches and have all of us take turns speaking about the kids. Please keep everything positive. Try to talk about something personal that the player did making his night extra special.

I am not a big fan of the year end party but I do make sure it is a great time for the kids who really love it.

This tradition I have done for 20 years and it has been a big winner. Once you have been working with your youth football team for about three weeks it s time to reward the kids. After 4 weeks of five days a week practice the kids are tired and ready for their first game. I like to have this pizza party after a practice the week before our first game. I usually have this the same day I pass out uniforms.

A parent will usually be able to pick up the pizzas for you and bring them to the field. I serve juice boxes and use paper plates and napkins. I make sure the field is clean after we are done.