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Ball Boys Memo

Metamora Township High School Soccer Ball Holders

All members of the 2010-2011 team not actively dressing for varsity will regularly serve as a ball holder throughout the current soccer season. This includes any regional or sectional matches Metamora will host. These persons will wear MTHS colors, appropriate attire, and a colored ball holder penny. Examples of inappropriate attire include sandals/flip flops, ripped or saggy jeans, graphic tees, ball caps, etc. Basically, ball holders need to remember that they are not only representing their coaches, but also the school, the community, and the Mid-Illini conference.

Ball holders must arrive at least forty-five minutes prior to the varsity contest. Until it is time to remove the sticks from each goal box and to take down both trainer goals, ball holders will shag balls during varsity warm-up. Once the ball holders have taken care of these things, they will then resume shagging for varsity.

Each ball holder will have a match ball for which he or she is responsible from start to finish. The ball should not leave that holder’s hands.

All ball holders need to be in position at least one minute before the start of the introduction. During the introductions of each team, ball holders are to remain impartial. They will then respectfully stand for the National Anthem.

During match play, ball holders should never be more than one third of a field away from one another. Ball holders should be sliding with the flow of the match, not standing in one place, running to the restart, and throwing a ball at an official or player.

At half time, the ball holders will head to the snack stand to pick up drinks for the officials. During this time, each ball holder is entitled to one sports drink. Ball holders need to be back on the field and in position at least one minute before the start of the second half.

After the match, each ball holder will bring both a penny and a match ball to the press box. When Coach Morrow signs off on the complete number of pennies and match balls, the ball holders are free to leave. If a match ball is missing, the ball holders must find that ball. These persons may not leave until it is located.

The moment a ball holder thinks he or she has lost a ball, that person must see Mr. Morrow ASAP.

Ball holders have specific in-match responsibilities.

  1. Pay attention to the game at all times and always run to get an out-of-bounds ball.
  2. During the match, do not sit on balls, play or work on soccer skills, or chat.
  3. When officials or players need a match ball, run that ball to them.
  4. Ball holders do not cheer for the teams on the field. They must remain neutral while on the field.
  5. Ball holders are to monitor their assigned positions, as designated by Coach Morrow.
  6. At no point during the match should ball holders stand or sit in front of the team benches. If a ball goes into a team’s dugout, the ball holder will quickly retrieve that ball.
  7. Ball holders realize that at all times they are representing much more than themselves.

Coach Morrow appreciates all fresh-soph players who help with the varsity matches. If player has any questions, he or she should see Coach ASAP. In the case of illness of emergency, a ball holder needs to find a replacement. If there is time between finding out about an absence and the actual match, that player needs to swap his or her ball holder duty with that of another player. Both ball holders then need to see Coach Morrow ASAP so that he can make the permanent change on the soccer web site.

Finally, ball holders who do not show up to an assigned match and who have not spoken to Coach Morrow about the absence are considered to have skipped that match. Recall that to be considered for the following year’s soccer team, all athletes must be in good standing at the current season’s end.

Contact information for Coach Morrow is located in the bottom right corner of each page.

My Ball Holder Dates for the 2010/2011 Season

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Personal Notes:

Revised 28 May 2010

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