This page provides some key information about coaching with Pinelanders. Please be sure to read it carefully, along with the other pages in the Coaches Info Center section.
Your Team Roster
Coaches are provided team information via their personal My Coaching pages.
- Special Information: Your roster includes Special Information, which may include medical information. Please be sure to discuss any medical conditions your players may have with their parents, and if you have any concerns please contact your Division Representative.
- Adding Players: Do not add players to your team. Refer anyone who approaches you about registering to the club’s Registrar. If we have a waiting list we may ask you to take an extra player. Do not promise anyone that they will be assigned to your team.
- Drops: Some players may drop when you first call them, or during the season. Please report all drops immediately on your Feedback page, regardless of when they occur. We may not have an immediate replacement, but if you don’t tell us we can’t manage the list, we’ll waste money on unnecessary trophies, and they’ll still have a volunteer commitment which may cause problems when they register in the future.
Extra Assistants
There are no restrictions on the number of people you can have helping you with the team – we encourage you to involve as many of your team’s parents as you can. But it is mandatory for anybody working directly with our players to register as a coach and comply with all safety requirements! This is for the protection of our kids, and it’s important that everyone complies. You must inform Jeff Cooper if you have assigned an “extra assistant” (XA).
Although team participation is encouraged, volunteers on the coach’s sideline for games will be limited to two adults.
Team Parents
Most coaches ask a parent to act as “team parent.” Often the team parent will organize snacks and other activities, leaving the coach to focus on game-related tasks.
If you assign a team parent please enter his/her name on your Team Feedback page, so that he/she is recognized as having completed a volunteer obligation.
Game & Injury Reports
Each team is required to complete an on-line game report for every game played, regardless of the game result. This applies to all divisions and games, including non-standings divisions and scrimmage games.
You can access the game reports page through the “Game Report” link at the top of your My Pinelanders “Coach Info” page.
Please use your game report to communicate the final score, noted players from the opposing team, injuries and to highlight any incidents that need to be brought to the club’s attention. The game report can also be used to ask questions regarding rules or policy or to ask for help with your team. A report form can be printed for each team you coach, showing your entire season schedule from your My Pinelanders pages. This report should then be brought to each game so that it can be filled out during and directly after the game. Coaches are responsible for ensuring that the game report information is then entered online via your My Pinelanders pages within two days after the game was played.
If your game is a makeup, please make sure that you indicate the actual date/time/field the game was played.
If any of your players sustains an injury related to the game, you must also complete additional forms. Howell Township has instructed Pinelanders that we are required to submit an “Accident Report” to the town within 24 hours of an incident. Blank copies of the town’s “Accident Report” forms are available at the fields in the office trailer and online. The town’s form is currently required in addition to the existing “Injury Report”. In the future we will likely eliminate our original injury report after we ensure that we are capturing all the necessary information, but for now both reports must be handed to the Board Member On Duty (BMOD) before you leave the fields. The BMOD will also be available to help you with the forms.
Communicating with Parents
Please make sure you talk to each of your team’s parents regularly, and let them know how their child is doing. Coaches should be sure to invite feedback from parents regarding their kids. Always make sure that parents know the times and locations of practices and games, especially if a game is rescheduled. One of the complaints we hear most often is that the coach doesn’t communicate! First contact with your team should be a phone call to set the season off on the right foot, during which you can discuss how you will approach team communications, listening and keeping in mind the concerns/needs of the parents on your team. (See the Communication Tools and Tips Section for some options provided via your My Pinelanders pages)
Short-Handed Games
Check the club Rules for our policy about playing games when you do not have a full team.
After the Game
Please have your players & parents look around and pick up litter after the game.
Volunteering
Field setup & cleanup, snack bar duty and other volunteer activities are assigned on an individual family basis. Please encourage your parents to help out when asked, and to respond if emergency requests are made at the field.
Volunteer status is tracked every season, and our policy is not to assign players whose parents didn’t volunteer in a prior season. As a coach, your status is automatically green. You can see the status of each of the members of your team on your roster, so if it’s close to the end of the season and you still have parents on your team with a red status please encourage them to sign up for something.
Uniforms
The Club uniform is:
- Team shirt (we supply)
- Black shorts
- Long black socks
- Soccer cleats with round rubber or plastic cleats.
Referees will not allow players to play without the correct uniform.
Baseball cleats are not allowed. Sneakers may be worn instead of cleats, but cleats are strongly encouraged. Shin guards must be worn, and must be completely covered by socks. Please also encourage use of cleats and shin guards at practice.
For safety reasons, players may not wear earrings or hard hair barrettes, either at practice or during games.
Coaches in all divisions must return goalie shirts at the end of the season.
Soccer Balls
You will receive a good-quality practice ball for the team, and game balls will be supplied at the field. You do not need to return practice balls at the end of the season.
You should ask each player to bring a ball to practice, clearly marked in permanent ink with name and phone number, for use in drills. Here are the ball sizes used in each division:
- U14, U15G, U19: Size 5
- U9/U9G, U11/U11G: Size 4
- U4–U7/U7G: Size 3
Players on the Field
Please see the Divisions page.
Team Equipment
You will need a few basic items for the team. We suggest that you collect contributions from your team to defray the cost of these items. You are likely to need:
- Plastic cones.
- Goalkeeper gloves.
- First Aid kit, including ice packs and sting swabs.
Practice and Practice Locations
With the exception of the teams in the U5 division (age 4) all other teams are expected plan 1 regular weekly practice. The practice day and time is set at the coach’s discretion considering the needs of the members on the team. Please see the practice information posted on your Coaching Information page. You may only practice at locations for which we have permits. We cannot allow exceptions.
Rules
Please make sure that you are familiar with the Club’s Policies & Procedures, and especially with the Rules of Play & Conduct. All Club documents are available from our web page.
Playing the Game
This is an educational program! Please follow these simple rules, so that everyone can benefit from our program and your efforts.
Player Rotation. You must rotate players – every player should experience playing in all positions. You don’t need to play all players in all positions during each game, but over a season you must rotate each player through each of the three areas of the field, and most of your players should spend at least half a game in goal.
Occasionally players who are used to playing up front refuse to play at the back, or their parents object to them playing in the “wrong” position. When this occurs, please explain club policy, and direct them to your Division Commissioner if they still have questions.
Playing Time. All players must play at least half of each game, regardless of whether they make practice! We regularly receive complaints from parents about coaches who do not give all players their fair share of playing time, and we cannot tolerate this. You must put teaching, experience, and fairness ahead of competition - it’s what we all give up our time for, and it’s what parents pay their fees for.
Running up the Score: The club prohibits any team from winning a game by an excessive number of goals. See the Rules for more information.
Goalkeepers. No player may play in goal for more than half of any game. In addition, you should not use the same two or three players in goal all season – you should try to give as many players as possible the experience over the course of the season.
Referees. Please remember that our club is a place for everyone – players, referees, coaches and parents – to learn the game of soccer. In particular, remember that our youth referees are learning the game, and DO NOT under any circumstances abuse any referee in any way. If you have a question about a call, you may ask for an explanation after the game, but do not get into an argument. Please also ensure that your parents understand this.