One aspect of soccer coaching is the ability to manage people and most of the time, it’s not just the players.

Parents play a significant role in soccer and earning their support may help your season run smoother.

NSCAA partner, Positive Coaching Alliance, has resources that help coaches (and parents) work together in a productive and constructive way. One of their resources soccer coaches can use is a sample Parent/Guardian Meeting Agenda.

This set of meeting guidelines can be used during a preseason meeting to help establish expectations for the season.  The suggested format is:

• A welcome message and introductions
• Description of your coaching philosophy
• Goals and hopes for the season
• Logistics, as in the schedule, contact lists and equipment
• Volunteer signup

You can download the detailed agenda for this preseason meeting here or visit PositiveCoach.org for this and additional resources.

Also available for coaches is the Coach/Parent Guide in the Online Resource Library, uploaded by Tony Waiters. This guide identifies an additional detailed checklist, such as assigning parents to specific roles and setting protocols.

This preseason meeting is also an opportunity to educate parents about how to care for their players away from the field. You can share information about nutrition, like Dr. Jay William’s “Peak Performance: How Important is the Player’s Diet?,” or overtraining, such as Justin Cressor’s “Avoiding Overtraining in Youth Soccer Players” article.

The welfare of players is the responsibility of parents and coaches, thus the reason for everyone to be on one accord. Taking the time to build a rapport with your players’ parents can and will pay dividends in the future.

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