Accident & Injury Reports
Howell Township has instructed Pinelanders that we are responsible to submit an “Accident Report” form to the town within 24 hours of an incident. Blank copies of the town’s Accident Report forms are available in the Office. This form is required in addition to the Pinelanders Injury Report form. 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.
Unless otherwise directed by the BMOD it will no longer be acceptable to simply leave the injury report in the wooden report box in the office or to submit the report at a later date.
If you are unsure whether you should fill out a report please check with the BMOD.
Protecting the Goalie
Unfortunately in past season we have instances where an offensive player and the goalie have collided. The risk of this type of collision causing serious injuries is very real.
Please be sure to remind all your players that this is recreational-level competition, and as such we take extra care to protect players by giving the goalie a broader range of possession. If a goalie has even the slightest possession of the ball (e.g., one hand on the ball) the offensive player should be pulling up from attacking the ball and trying to avoid the goalie.
Very often at the rec-level goalies will bobble and lose control of the ball. Offensive players may be able to play a ball that comes loose, but again should be cautioned that they are not to force the ball loose from the goalie by continuing to attack the ball as if it was already free.
Also on 50/50 balls offensive players should be thinking to avoid the goalie.
Coaching on the Field
During the normal flow of play other than U5 (age 4), whether there are penalties, free kicks, goal kicks or corner kicks, coaches should not be on the field of play. In U6, U7 & U7G we give a little more latitude to coaches because of the players’ ages, but by Week 4 we would expect that even those cases should be very few and far between.
In any case coaches should not enter the field of play without the referee’s permission, and should get off as quickly as possible.
On the Sideline
We encourage coaches to get help with the team from parents and other members of the club. However, please note that any person who takes on a coaching role, even if it is to help out with occasional practices or to coach the team for one game, must be registered to coach, have completed all safety requirements, and be identified on your roster as an “XA” (extra assistant).
On game day any reason to have more than three adults (generally only the assigned coaches) on the players’ sideline should be brought to the club’s attention prior to the game.
Please note that:
- Coaches must wear their coach’s shirts so that they are clearly identifiable.
- Coaches should generally stay between the 18-yard line and the mid-line on their half of the field, and be at least two feet off the side line, so as not to interfere with the referees’ ability to see or position themselves.
- No coach or spectator should be in the area of the goals or the end lines.