Medfield Parks
and Recreation
Pre-K and Kinder Soccer
Fall 2017
When: September 16, 2016 –October 28, 2016
Where: McCarthy Park on Hospital Hill
Pre-K: 9:00 – 10:00 Kinder: 10:30-11:30am
{No Games 10/7/17 (Columbus Day weekend)}
Coaches Handbook
I. COACH RESPONSIBILITIES
1. PLEASE ARRIVE TO THE FIELD APPROXIMATELY 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE THE START OF YOUR GAME. GOALS SHOULD BE AT YOUR DESIGNATED FIELD ALREADY (FIELDS WILL BE LABELED A, B, C, D, E and F).
A. FOR PRE-K SOCCER: Please go to the shed at the top of the hill before going to your designated field. Here, you will be able to pickup a ball bag which will have at least two soccer balls and some orange discs/cones in it. This is your bag for the day. At the end of your game, please put these items back in the bag and leave them in the goal for the next group of coaches.
B. FOR KINDER SOCCER: Your ball bag will be in one of the goals at your designated field. At the end of your game (11:30am) please bring the ball bag and one of the goals up to the shed on the top of the hill. Please do not leave the field with the ball bag.
2. Schedules for both leagues will be posted on the bulletin board at the shed, and will be updated with any changes because of rain or other cancellations. Please consult this if you are unsure of which field your team is supposed to be on that day.
3. Please do not accept any registrations at the field. If someone shows up for your game and is not on your roster, and you were not contacted by someone from Parks and Recreation office that a player was going to be added to your roster, please have them either see Eric at the field or contact the office on Monday morning.
4. Please do not purchase additional awards (i.e. medals, trophies, ribbons) for your team. Parks and Rec will provide medals or trophies for your team at the end of the season. If one team sees another with different awards, they will also want one, and that will not be fair to everyone.
5. Emphasize that parents should be on the sidelines or on the end line during the game. Encourage parents to cheer on all of the kids without giving too much direction as this really confuses the kids.
6. This one is very important to the overall experience of each and every kid in the soccer program. Please discourage excessive physical play and rough play during the games. Please pull aside a child that is demonstrating rough and/or physical play during game action and tell them how that is not acceptable. It is very important for the coaches to police this and take immediate action whenever rough and/or physical play occurs. This type of play will not be tolerated by the Parks and Recreation Department, and failure to keep the physical lay in check could result in being asked not to be a coach with the soccer program.
II. COACHING TIPS
1. ENCOURAGE EACH PARENT TO PROVIDE A SIZE 3 BALL FOR THEIR CHILD.
2. SHINGUARDS ARE REQUIRED, BUT USE OF CLEATS OR TURF SHOES IS NOT REQUIRED. REGULAR SNEAKERS ARE THE PROPER SHOE ATTIRE FOR PARKS AND RECFREATION LEAGUES.
3. HAVE EACH SESSION CONSISTS OF 30 MINUTES OF PRACTICE AND 30 MINUTES OF PLAY, WITH ANY REMAINING TIME AT THE END OF THE SESSION BEING DEDICATED TO BOOSTING PLAYER AND TEAM MORALE. THIS CAN ALSO INCLUDE DISTRIBUTION OF POPSICLES BY THE DESIGNATED PLAYER PARENT EACH WEEK, HIGH-FIVES WITH THE KIDS AND A QUICK TEAM CHEER.
4. MAKE PRACTICE FUN BY USING GAMES. HAVE PLAYERS TOUCH THE BALL WITH THEIR FEET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE DURING PRACTICE.
5. MAKE SURE ALL PLAYERS GET EQUAL PLAYING TIME.
6. DRIBBLE, PASS OR SHOOT – DO NOT PLAY KICKBALL.
7. ELIMINATE (minimize) ANY LINES. PLAY GROUP GAMES OR DO INDIVIDUAL SKILLS.
8. NO ONE SHOULD BE A “GOALIE” DURING GAME PLAY. DISCOURAGE KIDS FROM STAYING IN THE NET DURING GAME PLAY TO TRY TO STOP SHOTS ON NET. NO PLAYER SHOULD BE IN GOAL OR BLOCKING THE NET AT ANY TIME.
9. DON’T LET THE SCORE RUN-UP. REMEMBER THIS IS FOR FUN – KEEP IT SIMPLE – KEEP IT SAFE.
10. SUBSTITUTE IN BLOCKS OF KIDS – BOTH LEAGUES WILL PLAY 4v4 or 5v5 FORMAT DURING GAME PLAY.
11. WHILE ONE COACH IS ON THE FIELD, THE OTHER COACH SHOULD BE ON THE SIDELINE TO KEEP THE KIDS INTERESTED IN THE GAME, TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON. ASK THEM WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING. KEEP KIDS SAFE AND IN CHECK.
12. EMPHASIZE THE POSITIVE –FIND THINGS PLAYERS ARE DOING RIGHT AND FOCUS ON THOSE THINGS. AVOID ANY CRITICISM. MAKE THIS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE.
III. RAIN DAY CANCELLATION INFORMATION/PROCEDURES
The Parks and Recreation Department will make the decision on whether or not to cancel a game because of rain or poor field conditions. If a game is cancelled, Parks & Rec will send an email out to everyone notifying them of the cancellation.
Parks and Rec also will update the department’s web page at www.medfieldrec.com with any postponements. The department will use its best judgment when making the decision to cancel a game, and this decision will be based on projected weather reports and possible poor playing conditions at the field. The decision of the Parks and Recreation Department is final.
Any games cancelled because of inclement weather or poor playing conditions will be made up at the end of the season. (For the Fall of 2017, this will happen on Saturday, November 4th)
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, do not hesitate to contact program coordinator Eric Kevorkian at the Parks and Rec office at 359-2715 or via email at .
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