Rules are available on the documents page and understanding the rules will help both you and your child enjoy their soccer experience. Practice at the recreational level is usually fairly short and geared to the age of your child. Attending all practices that you possible can is beneficial in more ways than one. Your child will improve their basic skills faster, their understanding of the game will grow, and they will know what to do on game day. One of those life lessons that every child takes away from a team sport is that their actions have consequences for the whole team. They are a part of a team that needs to be whole on practice day in order for the coach to be effective at teaching the skills the players will need to develop individual skills but also team skills. The time a team puts into practice provides them with the opportunity to learn the positions they will play, lets the coach figure out the best position for each player to play for their natural abilities, and for them to learn how to work together to carry out a well organized offense and defense. Practice times are the only time a coach can walk around the players adjusting body position and technique, take the errors from the previous game and help the players learn to overcome them, and teach them the tactical knowledge they need to play a game that doesn’t have timeouts for the coach to adjust their play. An ill child should always stay home and rest and get well. Family obligations will sometimes get in the way but part of being on a team requires commitment. They committed to this team and should fulfill their obligations as a team member which includes going to regularly scheduled practices. Many coaches are taking advantage of apps like ‘Team Snap’ to manage their team.
Remember that your coach is a volunteer, maybe a brand new coach, so be patient with them as they learn along with your child. However, your coach should never be abusive, berate the players, or discipline with excessive exercise. If you have a concern, the coach coordinator wants to hear from you. Depending on the problem, the situation can be handled a number of ways. Most often, the coach coordinator will quietly watch a practice and/or a game to observe the situation first hand and go from there to solve the problem. The solutions can include everything from a quiet word, more training, or in a few very rare instances replacement. More often than not it is just a matter of retraining the coach to a more appropriate method of doing things. Never be afraid to contact the coach coordinator with questions or concerns. Unless there is a disciplinary issue, all registered players will have approximately 50% playing time. Be realistic in your expectation for the amount of time your child spends on the field. The number of subs available sometimes means that one or more players will spend more time on the field than others. Some things that you may not be aware of impacts playing time that is related to field positions. Not every child can play every position and be effective and have fun. So…this means your coach will make playing time decisions based on who is sitting on the bench. The next game will probably be different. My advice: sit back, enjoy the game, and cheer loudly.