Soccer Parents Should take care to follow Proper Sideline Etiquette.

While enthusiasm and cheering can be inspiring, and it is natural to get caught up in the emotion of the game, soccer parents should take care to follow proper sideline etiquette.

Steps:

Cheers, don't coach. Avoid yelling specific instructions and issuing commands. This can be extremely confusing for a child and possibly contrary to the coach's instructions.

Avoid running up and down the sideline shouting. If you want to follow the action, make sure that you don't distract the players or block the view of contrary to the coach's instructions.

Keep some comments to yourself. Do not speak out to the referee or linesmen. Unless they are complimentary, do not direct comments to members of the opposition.

Don't stand behind the goal. As it is prohibited in youth festivals.
Stand or sit at least 3 to 5 yards back from the sidelines. It is suggested that to sit at the seats allocated for parents.

Demonstrate good sportsmanship by applauding exceptional moves by the opposition.

Tips:

· Practice silence. Sometimes it is more relaxing for both parents and players, and you will likely view the game differently

· Ask your child if they like you to cheer. The answer may surprise you.

· Be positive, never negative. If child loses the ball for example, "way to hustle," is much better than "you can get that ball".

· SUPPORT the kids This means all kids. Make positive comments to players, not negative ones. Don't groan when someone misses the ball. After a loss or a mistake, don't malign the other players. They are children too. Make a rule for yourself - say one positive thing to an opponent each half! Applaud a great save by the opposing goalie, a wonderful pass or a beautiful defensive play.

Forget the constructive criticism. You know, things like "If you only worked on your left foot a little more" or "next time you should pay attention when the coach talks about heading!" Comments need to be unfailingly positive and supportive. Kids take even the mildest criticism as a sign that you don't support them. You job on the sidelines is to revel in their accomplishments and offer a shoulder, a hug or a kiss when everything doesn't go perfectly. If you feel the need to comment on a mistake, how about "Oh, what an unlucky bounce!"

And, please remember that the kids on the other team might be your next-door neighbors. Please don't gloat over the mistake made by an opponent. For heaven's sake, no celebrating over a team shellacking. What if it was your child? How would they feel? How would you feel?

· SUPPORT the Coach Here's a shock, your kid's coach isn't perfect or you might be an ex-national player or you may be a person who hang around with the best coaches and players in town, But, don't make it harder by coaching from the sidelines. Never yell to a player to do something - that's the coach's job. Players HATE to hear instructions from more than one source. Never, never decide that you know best what your child should be doing and complain during the game. If you have an issue, take it up with the coach after the game out of earshot of your child. Here's the best advice ever from a very senior coach that works with some of our players, "Let them play!"

It is a shame that the smallest kids play on the smallest fields allowing them to hear everything that everyone says to them! How many times have we seen a child turn around to a parent and say, "but the coach told me…" It's a sure sign that you are interfering with your child's fun. Let the coach do the coaching. You do the cheering.

· SUPPORT the Referee Okay, this is very simple. Refs make mistakes. But, they are the authority in the game of soccer. If you want your child to be a good sport, respect authority and have fun, NEVER CRITICIZE THE REFEREE. Let's be honest. Most of you don't really know the rules (Laws) of soccer. Most of you don't have a clue about the intricacies of the offside rule. Do you know that your child can be knocked to the ground legally? A legal charge that knocks your son or daughter over is not a foul. Do you know that it is not a penalty for a larger player to out-physical a smaller player for the ball?

But, let's get back to the mistakes. To have games, we must have referees. FAM recruit new refs EVERY YEAR. Does anyone think that a new ref is going to make the right call all the time? Of course not. But, does anyone really think that a ref is going to favor one side or the other? Please, these are games. Games as in fun and play. They are not life or death for anyone especially the ref! Assume the ref will make the same amount of mistakes for both sides. If you can deal with that you will be able to relax and enjoy the game a lot more.

Let's use an example of another area of life to show you what happens if you, the parent, yell at the ref. Pretend you are in school watching your child learn. You don't like the way the teacher has reprimanded your child. So, you scream at the teacher?!? Of course not. We realize that the analogy is not perfect. But, think about it. Do your kids follow your lead in how they interact with the world? Of course they do. If you are a ref screamer, expect your kids to be also. You wouldn't want your child to yell at a teacher and we're sure you don't want them yelling at the ref either.

In any event, we must warn you about an important related topic: Referee abuse. It happens very often. We are not talking about physical assault (although we have seen that too). I'm talking about a loud mouth Dad screaming at new recruited referee who is trying to handle the whistle (refereeing an Under 10 game). I'm talking about a coach (who has never read FIFA's 20 pages of interpretation of the offside rule) calling a referee an "idiot." Refs have been instructed by their organization and they are trying to bring out more and more quality referees each and every year.So, we are back to mistakes. Refs will make them. You will either learn that they are part of the game and refuse to let them ruin your enjoyment of your child's fun. Or, you will keep your mouth shut because you don't want the embarrassment of seeing a red card appear in your direction. Either way, the League will make referee abuse stop.

As a Parent do make the Game of Football more Enjoyable for your Child... and other People's Children too

As a parent you have a great role to play in supporting a child's involvement in football. It is supporting a child's involvement in football. It is the purpose of this article to make you aware of some of the issues surrounding a child's participation in football, what you can expect from FAM "youth development program" or any other Football Coaching enviorment.
As a parent/carer involved in football, you need to understand the issue, opportunities and problems, associated with a child's participation in sport.

The first question we all should ask our self is why do kids play football? Easy, because its FUN! Well fun is really important, but there are lots of other factors as well. Some kids play to be with their mates, some play football to copy the role models, e.g.; David Beckham. Some play just because their parents want them to play, so as a parent it is important that you understand what motivates kids to play football. If we know why kids play football, we also need to know why kids drop out.

· It stopped being fun; there are other things to do.
· Coaches bully kids and make them feel stupid.
· Parents keep forcing them to play and shout at them when they didn't win. (Pressure)

Football is a fun sport that children enjoy playing. There are, however, a number of other benefits that football brings to children. The benefits that the children receive then have a positive effect on society as a whole.
Children today are playing less and less sports in our society; the lure of television and computer games and video games is great. The consequence on the long-term health of inactive children is immense.
Some of health benefits include; strengthening of muscles, building and maintaining healthy bones, reducing the chance of osteoporosis, consuming excess body fat and keep body weight under control.

As you all know life is full of pressure and children are increasingly the ones to face them. Football cannot only be an escape from these pressures, but also a provider of skills that enable them to be better dealt with. Football shows them discipline and cooperation, communication, dealing with failure, confidence, social skills and dealing with success. Studies show that the pressure from coach's and parents is the main cause of children dropping out of football. Remember to encourage appropriately and not to apply too much pressure. The aim is to get children to play football for life. What we all need to understand is what we need to do in order to achieve this. It is not just about goals and winning, it is about having fun. Be supporting and encouraging if they had a poor game. Take children to watch national level competitive games. Help children set realistic targets for them selves, help children to make their own decisions, know when your child is ready to play.

In a recent English FA survey of 9-13 year olds:
54% felt there was too much pressure to win.
42% said coaches placed too much pressure on them.
36% said that a parent's absorption in the game lessens the fun.

It's amazing how many parents believe they have the next Ali Ashafag or Ali Umar. Having dreams and aspirations is to be encouraged, but make sure that these are the dreams of the kids, not your or the coach's. Try to manage the expectation, don't build child's expectations up too high, maintain a balance in the child's life, support the child whatever direction they choose and research the support available.

Source: Soccer Parents Hand Book By Ahmed Marzooq

Parents Love Their Children and want Nothing but the Best for Them...

As we all know behaviors that others may see as "pushy", sporting parents see as "lovingly supportive".

What a coach may interpret as "sticking their noses in", sporting parents see only a genuine interest in their child's development. This difference in perspective and the difficulty in being able to be objective where their kids are concerned often lead parents into a conflict situation with coaches, other parents, officials and eventually their own children.
I have done hundreds of talks to different sporting parents around Maldives. Many times parents have approached me after a talk and said, "I hear what you say, but you don't know my child. He is different".
Whilst every child is indeed an individual, what all children have in common are parents who have high opinions of their child's ability to do everything.
It starts early - the first day home from the hospital.
"Here is a picture of my baby. He is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen and I am not just saying that because he is mine".
Then around two years of age:
"My child is much more advanced than the other children - talking and walking before other kids, and I am not just saying that because he is mine".
Then at school.
"He is well advanced for his age. He can do things that most five year olds can't. I'm not just saying that because he is my son".
Then naturally at sport.
"He is the best full back in the island. He really is. I'm not just saying that because he is my son".
The football parent is merely extending their natural feelings of love and support for their child into the sporting environment.

Football Parents have five things in common:
· They love their children
· They want the best for their children
· They are incapable of being objective about their children
· They believe there is something special or unique about their children (that no on else can see)
· They don't believe people when they tell them every parent has the first four things in common.

This is where coaches and parents run into problems. Coaches see kids as athletic, confident, skilful etc based on their objective analysis of the child's ability to perform tasks at training and in games. Parents on the other hand see a child who is wonderful, brilliant and gifted because they share the same genetics.

Source: Soccer Parents Handbook by Ahmed Marzooq