The Rules
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The 24-hour Rule. If you have a critique of a game, we ask that you wait 24 hours before sharing this with our staff.
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Keep in Between Us. We understand you may have a disagreement with an action or behavior of our staff. Things can happen. Please do your best to keep these conversations between you and our team, starting with our Technical Director, Jed Tucker. Involving the children in this can have unintended consequences.
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Start with our Technical Director. If you have an issue, please bring it directly to our TD, Jed Tucker. We ask our coaches to be 100% focused on the players. Conversations involving parents or guardians can become a distraction from this. Furthermore, Jed is in the best position to address your concern.
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Parents/Guardians Must Remain on the Spectating Side of the Pitch. During matches, including the warm-up period and post-game report to players, spectators are never permitted to cross the field. The player side is reserved for players and coaches only.
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No comments to other Players. It is never permitted to critique someone else's child. Not during games, not during practices, never.
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If any of these rules are violated 3 times in a single season you will not be permitted to attend matches. If the behavior continues at practices your player will be removed from the club program.
Positive Game Spectating
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Hello La Finca Parents and Guardians,
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And welcome to the club! This message is directed squarely at you. Know it or not, you have an absolutely vital role in helping us to build the healthy club culture that is required for true player development. What you say to your player and to our coaches, and how you behave in particular during competitions carries a tremendous weight for your young player(s).
Games can be stressful experiences for young players. In addition to being fun and exciting, they are likely the only time a child has an entire crowd of adults eyeing their every move. Add to that the competitive nature of a good soccer game and the atmosphere can heat up quickly. Here are some tips for playing a positive role, and our club rules for spectating:
Best Practices
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No sideline coaching during the games. Hearing instructions from someone important to a player other than their coach is confusing. And remember, it’s our practice to provide feedback when we sub the players out, rather than yelling from the sidelines. We welcome your ideas about the games after the games.
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No negative comments, period. We know the games are exciting. They are for us too. But always keep it positive. Trust that the players know when they made a mistake.
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Complement good plays, not just goals. A tough trap, quick feet, fast dribble, strong pass, a great run without the ball. The many incredible, small plays are what build a strong player. Noticing these is supporting real player development.
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It’s a good practice to avoid heavy talks during the ride home. If you have to talk about the game right away, you might start with, How do you think you did today? You’ll be surprised how self-critical young players can be. You might also consider saving this conversation for another day and focusing on another fun or relaxing activity instead.
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No speaking to the referees. Not a forgiving person by nature? Well no better place to practice your inner Zen than with the refs. None of the referees in this youth league have been paid off. They might miss an obvious call, but it was an accident. Furthermore, we are training our team captains how to speak with referees. If you fill this void, they lose that opportunity to learn. If you violate this rule the league is unforgiving; you could cost the team the game.