As a first sport for young kids of both genders, soccer is very popular. All the kids love it--from the pre-k to the 7/9th. As a Jr. Real Salt Lake league, they get vouchers for tickets to see a game as a team and if they wear their jerseys, they get to go onto the field before the game or during halftime for a little parade. We have a couple really great parents that are returning coaches every year, and their teams are full of kids who requested them.
The trouble is the rest of the parents.
Our biggest age groups are the pre-k, kindergarten, and (especially) 1st/2nd grade. Almost all of the parents are really young, and a heavy majority know absolutely nothing about soccer. That doesn't really bother me, because they're usually young parents and this is their first sports experience with their kids. I think that being involved in sports and community programs is incredibly beneficial for them--at this crucial stage of young development, they are learning new motor skills that will help them throughout their life, they're meeting new kids from other elementary schools that they will remember when they join up in junior high and high school, and most importantly they're learning skills like teamwork and dedication. Being on the field teaches you in a way that is unique in its own right--you can always tell whether or not a person has been involved in sports or other community programs (for example, drama).
Something that I find frustrating is the large group doesn't sign up until after the deadline. The registration period runs for about a month, but we have disgruntled and/or chagrined parents signing their kid up until the first game starts. It feels almost like the late-registrations are in the majority. And then comes the biggest problem: coaches. All the coaches are volunteers from the participant's family (mom or dad, almost always). But when we start putting teams together, we have as few as four parents that have checked yes to helping on their kid's form. And that's in one age group!
My job was to call every parent on the teams without a coach until we found someone to coach. It's August, lots of families are on vacation, and a lot of parents are at work. I left more messages than I can count. I have called more people for this soccer program than I have ever called in my entire life. If they did answer, the excuses would pour out and I would sit patiently until they decided it was time to stop rambling. Remember where I said our biggest age groups were the youngest ones? They are also the age groups with the fewest parents volunteering initially. The excuse used most often was "I don't know anything about soccer." I wanted to slap myself in the forehead every time I heard it. At this age, all you have to do is tell them not to use their hands and stay in bounds. The young kids are the easiest kids in the world to coach. On top of that, practices can't last more than 45 minutes because they just don't have the attention span. Come on, parents. Really? He's four. Pre-k teams don't even have goalies. They put colored bandannas on the goal so he'll know which one he's aiming toward--otherwise, it's just a free-for-all (but at that age, isn't it anyway?).
I think I've learned the most about rec programs through helping with soccer these past two weeks. I've been able to see how to register a child using the Class Registration program that Murray City uses. I've used Class a bit to update records with changed addresses, cell phone numbers, and new emails based on all of the 5k paper forms (the online registrations change/add automatically). Now I know how to enroll someone in a program, how to print off rosters or program lists, and how to update accounts so we know who has turned in a concussion form. (They're really cracking down on concussions now! I'm surprised that I'm surprised with the change.)
Calling parents aside, I've done a lot of other things with soccer. I've watched teams become organized, shirts ordered, and learned about Murray's partnership with Real Salt Lake. Scheduling is tough, with no main location but many different fields across the city in use, but I've seen that come together. With our coaches meeting, I learned about how to do background checks and what to put in the coaches packets. Something that I thought was really neat was that Sports Authority (who was a sponsor on the Fourth of July) gave all of the participants a 25% off coupon for any purchase at their stores, taking a little pressure off parents who needed to buy things like new shoes or the mandatory shin guards. Another thing that is included is a packet with the rules for each age group, tips for practices, and a labeled diagram of the field that also includes positions and explanations. I know from a coaching class I took that there are tons of references for coaching soccer alone online, but most of the parents don't.
Something else that I picked up on while working with Trish on her soccer program was Trish herself. She really goes out of her way to make sure the kids can participate and that the parents are comfortable. Instead of turning away late registrations, she fills up all the teams and then makes a wait list that will become a team as soon as there are enough signed up. In the coach's packets, she included her business card so that everyone would have her phone number. In the coach's meeting, I really felt that she put the new parents' minds at ease, assuring them that they were in charge and to make things like practices convenient for themselves, and making sure they know how important they are to the program and to her job. I was really impressed. If Trish were a doctor, her bedside manner would be excellent. I hope I can learn from her example and be half as efficient and likable someday.
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