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Q. How, when, and where do I practice? A. Because this is a recreation program, we should not fill up the boys weeks with soccer. Two soccer events in a week is a good number. A "soccer event" is a game, a scrimmage, or a practice. Before the games begin, two practices a week is a good number. Once games begin, have a practice and a game each week. On a week with 2 games (rare), don't practice. Practice length should be 1.5 hours or less. The town of Greece insists that we not begin practicing before May 1. Where and when you practice is up to the coach and the availability of practice space. There is a LOT of soccer played in Greece, and you may not be able to get a field on which you can practice when you want it. If you cannot find a soccer field on which to play, use any available grassy area. You do NOT need a field to practice most soccer skills. If you can find a field on which to practice, only use half of it so that another team can use the other half. If teams show up for a scheduled game, you must immediately give up the field for the game. You do NOT have to give up a field for a recreation league scrimmage!
A. During registration, each boy (or a parent) indicated what size jersey and shorts to order. The roster that each coach gets from the age-group commissioner should include the sizes that were ordered for the players. Coaches will get their uniforms in boxes; a bunch of shirts, a bunch of shorts, and a bunch of socks. You must give each player the size jersey and shorts that were ordered for him, along with a pair of socks. You are free to give a player whatever uniform number you want that is in his size. If you want names put on the shirts, you must take them (before they are used) to a business that will put the names on for you. One such local business is Locker Room Sports. It is a good idea to work out the details with your parents (including payment in advance!) ASAP, so you can take your jerseys in as soon as you get them. This year you will get your uniforms at the Coaches Meeting on May 2, and the season begins during the week of May 15. Don't get the names put on the shirts if the job cannot be done before your first game!
A. Greece Boys Soccer does not assign assistant coaches to teams. The coach gets assistants from the parents of his players. In rare cases, you might get a buddy to help you out even if he/she has no child on the team. If you know one of the parents, that person may be a good choice for an assistant. If you don't know any of the parents, there are several strategies for getting one or more assistants. When you have your parents meeting before the season begins, ask who would like to help you coach. If no one volunteers right away, just stand there looking at the group until someone volunteers. You will be amazed at how nervous people become during a silence if you just stand there. Someone is sure to volunteer just to break the tension. Another way to get an assistant coach is to see which parents hang around practice. Especially in the younger age group, there is invariably a parent who brings his son to practice and then hangs around until the end. Ask that person to do things like help set up the net, or help set up cones. Move onto more involved tasks with time. Before you know it, you have an assistant. In my experience, with the younger age groups it is helpful to have 2 assistants. With the older groups, you may not need an assistant at all, although you should get to know the parents anyway in case you cannot be at a game. Someone needs to fill in for you, if only as a warm body, when you cannot attend a game.
Q. I've heard that the "home" coach pays the ref. How Much? Before or after the game? A. At the annual Coaches Meeting, each coach is given a check and is told how much the referee must be paid. There should be enough money in the check for the coach to pay for each home game. Check that out immediately when you get your check. A good practice is to cash the check before your first game, and put the cash into envelopes. Use one envelope per home game, and put the date of the game on the envelope. Keep the envelopes with the rest of your soccer gear. You pay the referee as soon as he shows up. If he shows up, you pay him, even if the weather is bad and you think the game might not be played. The referee is instructed NOT to start the game until he is paid. Can he be sure that the coach will be willing to pay him at the end of the game? If you forget your money because you didn't follow the advice above about envelopes, take up a collection among your parents. Pay them back at the next game or practice. Don't expect the referee to look kindly on your request to send him the money later!
Q. How many players are on the field for each team in the different age groups? A. There are 5 players on the field per team in the 5-6 age group. The 7-8 age group has 8 players on the field per team. The older age groups all field 11 players per team. These numbers include goalies (the 5-6 age group does not use goalies). This information can be found in the New Coaches Survival Guide on page 13 in the section on tactics. It is an oversight that the number of players on the field is not included on the game card. It will be there in the game card next year.
Q. Who is responsible for reporting game scores? A. It is the responsibility of the home team coach to report the game score to the Age Group Commissioner. You can call your Commissioner with your game report. Check first with your Commissioner if you want to send your report via e-mail. Make your report on the night of the game. Report the following information:
Q. What if there is bad weather on game day? A. You must go to the field where the game is scheduled, regardless of the weather. The coaches may NOT decide among themselves in advance that a game should not be played. Don’t call your opponent coach on the afternoon of a game and decide not to play it. Only the referee can cancel or stop the game. If the referee shows up, he/she must be paid, whether or not the game is played. Rain is not a reason to stop or cancel a game unless the field is unplayable. Remember that this is a recreation league, and unplayable really means "dangerous". The kids love to play in the rain and the wet. As long as it is not dangerous to play, every effort should be made to play the game. Lightning that is close is an example of a dangerous condition. How close is too close? When I referee, I tell the coaches this: "If I become uncomfortable, or either of you becomes uncomfortable, we will stop." If the game is stopped because of the weather, everyone should go to cars and wait to see if the weather clears up. The GBS rules state that the wait should be a half-hour. If the game cannot be restarted in a half-hour, it should be cancelled. Waiting half an hour for the weather to clear may not be practical for the first game of a double header at a field. Use your best judgment. If you have the second game of a double header, you also need to go to the field on a bad night. Your game may be played even if the first game is cancelled. An electrical storm in the first game may be gone by the time the second game is scheduled to play.
Q. What happens if my game isn’t played, or isn’t completed? A. If the game is started, it is considered a complete game if half of the game is completed. If the game is not started, or one half is not completed, the game does not count. Let your Age Group Commissioner know what happened. The league will not reschedule these games. If the coaches can agree on a date and time to replay the game, they may do so. However, the coaches are on their own in regards to obtaining a field, finding (and paying for) a referee, etc. If a game was started and then cancelled before the half was completed, and the game is replayed, it must be replayed from the beginning. Contact your Age Group Commissioner with the score of your game if you replay it.
Q. My team beat its opponent 10-0. Some people seemed upset by this. A. Despite what you may see on television sports, lopsided games are NOT fun for either side, and may be humiliating for the losers (and their parents). As the coach of the winning team in a lopsided game, in the interest of good sportsmanship you should try to hold down the score once it becomes apparent that your opponent has no chance of ever catching up. As a good sport, it is also important that you and your team do not "rub it in their faces" that you are pulling back. You, as the coach, must try to do this in a way that does not add insult to injury. It can be hard to pull back some times. Here are some ideas on how to accomplish it:
It can be hard, especially in the younger age groups where there are fewer players on the field, and where there is no free substitution, to pull back in a lopsided game. However, you should try to do it. After the game, you should explain to your players what you tried to do, and why. Also explain to them that they should not talk to their opponents later about what you did. Explain that good sportsmanship means that you do not rub your opponents nose in it when you pull back to avoid a slaughter.
Last modified: November 18, 2004 |
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