Rockridge Youth Soccer Club Parents’ Guide
Parent Responsibilities
Each parent or guardian is expected to help with his or her child’s team. Parents can contribute to the team through coaching, or helping with administrative duties. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility of the parent is to be a parent. Parent responsibilities include:
Supplying your child with the required soccer equipment (see section below).
Having your child dressed and ready for practice.
Getting your child to practice on time.
Making sure your child attends all practices and games.
Telling the coach in advance if your child is unable to attend a practice or a game.
Supervising your child at all times. No child should be left unsupervised, even to go to the restroom.
Practicing good sportsmanship. Good sportsmanship includes cheering for all players (even members of the other team), and being respectful to the referee, others coaches and other players. Disrespectful behavior from the sideline will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the field.
Cheering instead of criticizing. To keep the atmosphere fun and engaging, parents should only shout positive encouragement, instead of criticism, from the sideline.
Letting the coach do the coaching. Parents should not be coaching from the sidelines unless they have already signed up to be a coach.
Giving the team and the referee space on the sideline. Please stay about three feet back from the sideline to allow players room and to give space to refereeto indicate if the ball has rolled out of play.
Parents should also abide by regular field rules:
-No dogs allowed. Bringing a dog to practice or games may result in the revocation of our field permits.
-Pick up litter.
-Please leave the field better than how you found it.
-Alcohol and smoking are NOT permitted on the field
Volunteer Requirement
Fulfill your volunteer requirement of 8 hours per season. See volunteer section for options and details.
Positive Coaching Alliance Program
In 2002, the Jack London Youth Soccer League formed a partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the sports experience for children by helping youth sports organizations like ours build a culture of positive coaching. In an effort to implement Positive Coaching within the Rockridge Youth Soccer Club, PCA workshops are available to both parents and coaches.
PCA workshops have been made available and are REQUIRED for all new parents and coaches. Each family must attend a PCA seminar. For more information about Positive Coaching, see www.positivecoach.org and the Positive Coaching section of www.jlysl.org.
Required Equipment
Each player needs a uniform jersey (top), shorts, socks, shin guards, cleats, a soccer ball, and a water bottle (recommended). Most of this equipment can be purchased at any sporting goods store. Soccer specific stores should carry everything, for example the Soccer Post in Alameda or Jade Soccer in Oakland.
Problems
Most seasons are problem-free; however, if a problem occurs during the season, it is best to address it directly. If the problem is minor, it is likely that it could be tackled easily through a simple conversation. If the problem cannot be fixed through conversation, the next step would be to contact the RSC coaching coordinator or president@rockridgesoccer.org.
If you encounter a serious problem, you can file a Serious Problem Report with the league. Go to http://www.jlysl.org/SeriousProblem/SeriousProblem.asp to file a report.
