Gambling over rec league football?
- Thread starter momomule
- Start date
One option is to not let parents watch their kids play...I had to break up a fight this year between a coach and parents and all together I've seen 3 fights this year between parents...One situation I know of the parents told everyone their organization was using illegal players and had to forfeit 5 games..
I've coached youth league since 1970. Our Salem team plays in a Roanoke County league. This past year ranks number one in unsportsmanlike conduct by both coaches and fans. I have witnessed fans running up and down the bleachers screaming at opposing players, cheering when a player gets hurt and chiding their own coaches for either taking the dogs out in a run away game or not scoring enough points. I discovered a long time ago that you can give a group of kids a football and they'll find a way to have a game and at the same time have fun. It is when adults, living some sort of fantasy about their own prowress on a football field, become coaches that the problems start. We have a group of coaches who do not have a dog in the fight. Most of our kids are grown. We don't play " daddy ball" another contributing factor in the demise of youth sports. We are bound and determined to teach Salem Football. Same offense albeit simpler and same Defense, again, simpler. Our kids will move on to Andrew Lewis Middle School next year with a basic understanding, a step up if you will. We believe that it is our responsibility to perpetuate a love for the Greatest Game ever conceived. Winning will take care of itself in later years at SHS. Any fan who bets on a youth league game has got to be some sort of inbred lowlife IMHO
GO SALEM
GO MULES
So true OMHDC..3 years ago we started reaching out to former Lancers to start coaching at the youth level,we really trying to stop parents from coaching....All our head coaches doesn't have kids that play football and we have 2 high school coaches that help out,1 is a head coach and 1 is a DC..The next step I believe is to play the games with no parents allowed..
You can't exclude parents from watching their kids play. What you can do is make it undeniably clear that their conduct will be closely monitored. One warning then they're gone. Enforce it strictly. It won't take long for it to correct itself. I love to see parents cheering their kids on. I do not however, love to see parents deriding opposing players and their own coaches. This BS has been brewing for years. There is no more honor among combatants. A youth league football game isn't life or death. Damn! It's supposed to be fun!
GO SALEM
GO MULES
Sad but true, with the generation coming up within the next few years, some (not all parents) think there child is a meal ticket, hard work is gone today in youth sports (rec league football the most), because you either work Johnny to hard or he has a belly ache when its time for up downs, and his parents do not understand why he isn't getting the playing time and they approach a coach in the wrong manor, instead of talking to them like human beings, parents will yell and scream and act like idiots in front of a child, a coach was told to his face that it is not the coaches responsibility if his son were to break his neck during a game, he said (the parent) that it was on his shoulders if something were to happen the young man. Parents are idiots (again, some of them) and watch just as much Sports center as the kids and have no clue what hard work is in sports.
So true, what you say. Sadly, it's tougher to throw out parents than we wish it could be. The blantent, offensive, cussing ones, no problem. But that next level down is tough to police. You are begining to enforce ethics values at that point. If the offending shared most of our ethics, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.
The Rev. is spot on. Everybodies kid is the next "Great One". You start messing with those unrealistic parental dreams, look out. And that's a lot of what leads to errant "adult?" behavior.
First, "we ain't never going to fix it". It's been this way since parents got involved when someone first rolled a round rock.
But we can affect it. It needs to start with the application little Johnny fills out. A clear statement of behavior that is not permitted, at practice, in the parking lots, and not during competitions. There must be clear examples of non-acceptable behavior on the application. As accurately defined as humanly possible. It has to be signed by the parents, parent, or legal guardian? The results of non compliance must be equally clear. The punishment must be that at a minimum, Johnny will not be permitted to participate in practice or competition for three full weeks for the first violation. Second offense, barred for the remainder of the season. Nothing less is incentive enough.
These rules must be posted at the appropriate locations at the fields used for practice and competition. If a PA announcer is used at events, an appropriate synopsis must be read at the beginning of EVERY game.
But all this is for naught without this part. If a fan, who has walked past these signs outlining what is unacceptable, and heard the announcement detailing what is unacceptable, and is not a signee of the child's application, and they demonstrate unacceptable behavior, they have forfeited their right to be at the event and are escorted away by the security officers. The rules, if clearly defined, are no different than, "No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed". How long would a fan last in the bleachers with a beer in his/her hand?
If you want it to stop, an approach like this is just about the only way. Easy, of course not. Controversial, sure, for awhile. Tough to enforce, absolutely. But what's the alternative. Deminished participation by parents that choose not to have their children exposed to this environment? A serious injury or death from an altercation. A near riot? A kid gets hurt?
Have to agree. In my experience, there are two things can contribute to making Parks and Rec football unfulfilling for the players. Parents and untrained Coachs. Parents for the multitude of reasons cited in this thread and because Coachs who have played the game and know the game have never learned or been taught how to "teach" the game. A well qualified And experienced Coach knows how to organize practices, set parental expectations, teach proper technique and provide his players with an experience enjoyed so much that they can't wait to sign up for next year. A Coach whose attitude does not involve winning and losing. To this end:
1. No Coach without experience as a Youth Coach should be allowed to be the HC of a team. In other words, you must apprentice and learn from a knowledgable and experienced individual before being considered for a HC position.
2. Coaches must be pre-trained by the Parks and Rec system about the goals of said program. Access to As much information as possible concerning training, organization, technique and leadership should be provided. A quality program will NEVER have an emphasis on winning and losing. It is about player development, safety and FUN.
3. Handling parents is a must take course. Setting the ground rules and penalties for violation on day one is probably the best deterrent to parental misbehavior. You will normally not need to enforce penalties more than once after that. Saves a lot of trouble later. Being able to show your organizational skills and true caring about ALL the kids gains respect from the parents. This is especially true from the Mom's. Win the Mom's and the rest falls into place easily.
4. A goal for Coaches. Be a Coach that never, ever has to raise his voice to be heard. If you can do that, you never have to worry about a thing from either a parent, a ref or a player.
Well , beyond football , this behavior does not teach their children anything except inability to behave properly ! I believe this behavior has changed over the last few decades ! We are not parenting right ! If the school teacher asks something of our kid and the teacher enforces her authority , we take up for the kid ! This fosters no respect for authority ! We enable them to think they have been treated unfairly ! Well, I was taught that life is not fair and that is how it is ! I have put my trust in the Salem coaches to do the best that they can with no special treatment for my kid or anybody else ! If you send your children out in the world like this , they cannot handle failure ! Life is full of failure !
I agree with you guys as well. As long as i coached I never really had any founded complaints from parents because things were told to them in the beginning and all the kids and parents had code of conducts they had to sign. The only real issues we ever had was "little johnny didn't play enough, or didn't get the ball enough." I completely agree about the parent coach thing as well. Me and the staff that I worked with (main guys, same every year) didn't have kids on the team and when we had guys that did have kids on the team, they weren't making decisions on if their kid was playing at a position. I have seen on so many areas, and different age groups in our league with parents coaching and it was always 1 of 2 things; either Johnny was built to be star of the team or coach was a lot harder on their kid. I guess the one thing I can be glad of when I was playing and coaching that I never heard 1 thing from stands
