Team Parent Responsibilities
So you volunteered to be Team Parent. Now What? The following information will get you on the right track so do not worry. You will find the time you put in for volunteering as Team Parent rewarding and fun. Generally speaking, the Team Parent’s duties and responsibilities are to do the administrative tasks for the team which will allow the coach to concentrate on coaching, the players and team development.
Team Parent meeting – Attend the Team Mom meeting and receive the information to pass on to the coach and parents. At this meeting, you may have to pick up the fundraiser (if any) for those players electing to participate in the fundraiser. Some organizations offer a buyout. In other words, parents can pay additional money and skip selling candy, popcorn or other fundraising activity. You may also receive the team’s uniforms. Be sure to bring them to the practice and pass them out to the team after you have written down which jersey number will go to what teammate.
List of players – Make a list of all players and include their name, parents’ name and telephone number. It is a good idea to put a parent as a contact in your cell phone as well. In case of an unexplained absence, you’ll quickly be able to call the parent. Always carry your cell phone with you. A player might miss a game because they have the wrong game time – Yikes!
Team roster – You’ll be responsible for making a team roster and snack schedule. Begin by listing the scheduled game date, location and time. Next, add the team player that will be responsible for bringing snacks that day (numerical jersey order is a good place to start). It’s easier to combine the roster, game and snack schedule on the same form. Snacks kids of all ages enjoy are: crackers, cookies, grapes, oranges, fruit snacks, jerky, applesauce or fruit cup (don’t forget the spoon), juice box, water or Gatorade. Older kids love sunflower seeds, nuts (check for food allergies first) and potato chips. You can get a feel for what the parents like their kids to have after just a few games.
Email parents – Obtain each parent’s email address and send out a “Hey I’m Team Mom” email as soon as you can. You will want to always keep parents informed of what’s going on. If the coach hasn’t done so already, be sure to let them know when practices are expected, how early they need to show up before the game, etc. Always include a signature at the bottom of your emails and always put your cell phone number. This way, parents won’t have to search for a previous email with your number – they can it expect it to accompany your email signature every time.
Create your team’s communication from one of the following sites: BAND, Bluesombrero, Shutterfly,
With today’s technology, staying connected with team information is easier than ever with the built-in blue sombrero site called 'Team Directory'. There is also Shutterfly for teams, you can create a free web-page for your soccer team where you can input the team’s practice schedule, game schedule AND you can post pictures of the game so all and relive the moments. Once this information has been entered into your Shutterfly Team Page or blue sombrero you as a Best TEAM PARENT are pretty much hands-off with notifying parents of upcoming games and practices because Shutterfly does it for you. The blue sombrero app directly transfers information from your Team Central right into the app on your handheld device making team management much easier. AYSO also has another app sponsor called BAND. Band works almost identical to Facebook allowing you to have a private team group.
Please still have at least one paper copy of the above mentioned roster & snack schedule. Why? Because even in this day and age, there may still be parents or grandparents that just don’t log in to a computer or have a phone where they can receive e-mail in order to get the game notifications Also, your coach may ask you information about a player and rather than taking ten minutes to look it up on your technology device of choice, it would be much easier to be able to pull it out of your coordinator book
Order the team banner –. For soccer, part of the fun of playing on a team is making up the team name. Don’t let the team and coach wait too long to determine a name. Ideally, you want to have the banner ordered and received before the first game. Your name may go on the banner if required or desired by the sports organization, however, determine that aspect with the coach. After you’ve ordered the banner, let each parent know what the cost per player is and collect for the banner. Most likely you will also be responsible for bringing the banner to each game. Only first names on team banner as per AYSO rules. A few banner companies are listed on this page and they regularly run discounts.
Attend practices and games – Please make every effort to be at all practices and games. Usually, the coach will provide team information such as any scheduling changes, time to meet prior to the game, etc. It’s easier for the Team Mom to hear this first hand and send an email reminder out to those parents who may have missed the practice. If you can’t make a practice or game, please let the coach know ahead of time and be sure to call him or her for any information that was given to parents so that you can send out an informational e-mail.
Keep registration information –For AYSO it is required that the Team Parent keep a copy of the player's information which contains their authorization for medical releases in case of an emergency and contact phone numbers. Be sure to bring this to every game and practice.
BOTH HUNTINGTON BEACH AND FOUNTAIN VALLEY PARAMEDICS WILL NOT TREAT A MINOR WITHOUT THE SIGNED AUTHORIZATION FORM IN HAND
Picture day – You will need to coordinate picture day / soccerfest with the team. This includes receiving the picture packets to pass out to parents. Ideally, you will want to pass these out ahead of time but be sure to have extra on the day of pictures – parents will inevitably leave their form at home. It will be your responsibility to inform parents:
Which package is included when they registered (if any), What sections they need to fill out. What they need to wear for pictures (full uniform including cleats, shin guards) Advise parents to arrive 30 minutes prior to pictures and indicate where everyone should meet. If you are new to Picture Day, enlist the help of the coach to determine the best meeting place and time. Once everyone has arrived, you will need to collect their order forms. Be sure to bring the banner with you for the team picture.
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Plan team party – There are tons of places you can have a team party. Some suggestions are:
- Coach’s home or a team member’s home.
- Fountain Bowl, Lamppost Pizza or First Class Pizza
- Any of our lovely parks with a BBQ
Purchase coach gift(s) – Purchase the coach’s gift(s) at least two weeks prior to end-of-season. After you’ve purchased the gift, let each parent know what the cost per player is (minus the coach’s child of course).
Don’t feel you have to go it alone. You can absolutely delegate some duties to other parents who are willing to help.