Team Managers and Coaching

Admittedly not a first time poster but definitely not out to implicate our team or any other. I'm just curious on how teams handle fill in's when the coach can't be there especially as it relates to the team manager. And before anyone reads into it, our team manager is great But based on my discussions with others, the variations in how things are handled from team to team and club to club sometimes seem odd to me.

- Who runs the team when your coach can't attend a game?
- If it's the team manager, does he or she actually coach or just do subs according to the coach's preset instructions?
- How has it worked out? Do the parents support the manager as a fill-in or is there frustration and griping on the sideline?
- Is the manager an assistant coach? Does he or she help with the practices?
- What has been the best method for those of you that have been in select soccer for a while when the coach can't be there? Team manager? Club designated coach? Mom or dad that know a lot about soccer? From what I've seen, most teams don't have assistant coaches, so I'm guessing this is the least frequent option.

Thanks.

I would die if I had to coach - that's why I told our team to behave as I don't want the coach getting the boot because of their behavior.

I had to coach my son's team in State Cup a few times due to conflicts and, sure enough, the second the coach left, 2 kids got hurt. Luckily, the kids subbed themselves in (smart kids). It was only for a few minutes (15 tops - which was waaaay out of my comfort zone).

My 'everyone is a forward' strategy wasn't put into play - they didn't buy into that.

We've always had assistants, but, normally, we don't have them attend the games - which, could put us in a bind should the coach get the boot (which has never happened in his career, luckily). When things go awry with an assistant coaching - no one is happy - but, that's the best attempt at covering in terms of competence, just not familiarity.

Not sure who would cry more, the parents or me.

You've peaked my curiosity. What is your protocol for AFP coaches?

My dd's first year of select her coach had a scheduling conflict between his two teams and asked me (just a parent who played and later coached rec) to start the game and he'd be there by halftime. I totally bribed those kids. Told them if they made me look good and scored before the coach arrived I'd bring cupcakes to the next practice. They scored in the first five minutes. Then they asked what they'd get if they scored again. I told them they'd get ice cream too.

It was crazy. I swear those kids took more shots in the first fifteen minutes than they had in several games prior to. lol

Sometimes those old enticements learned in rec soccer work at the competitive levels too.  

GoFigure wrote:Admittedly not a first time poster but definitely not out to implicate our team or any other.  I'm just curious on how teams handle fill in's when the coach can't be there especially as it relates to the team manager.  And before anyone reads into it, our team manager is great  But based on my discussions with others, the variations in how things are handled from team to team and club to club sometimes seem odd to me.

- Who runs the team when your coach can't attend a game?
- If it's the team manager, does he or she actually coach or just do subs according to the coach's preset instructions?
- How has it worked out?  Do the parents support the manager as a fill-in or is there frustration and griping on the sideline?
- Is the manager an assistant coach?  Does he or she help with the practices?
- What has been the best method for those of you that have been in select soccer for a while when the coach can't be there?  Team manager?  Club designated coach?  Mom or dad that know a lot about soccer?  From what I've seen, most teams don't have assistant coaches, so I'm guessing this is the least frequent option.

Thanks.

I've seen it work out good and very bad with the team manager at the helm. My older daughter played for a team (big club) many years ago in which the coach would allow the team manager to coach alongside her. The problem was that the lady really knew very little about soccer, so the girls didn't have much respect for her... plus we as parents had not hired the manager to coach our daughters. But here's the punch line: About halfway through the season, the manager attempted a coupe to take over the team. No joke. She was bad-mouthing the coach via emails and phone calls instead of forwarding the parents' concerns. Needless to say, the team fell apart in the spring... and the coach was fired from the club.

You would be surprised at how many clubs do not even acknowledge the idea of a coach enlisting the help of an assistant coach. I can tell you first hand that at least five of the larger clubs do not "officially" allow anyone but a staff coach to be on the field with the players at their facilities. That makes sense in many regards. But it does make it tough when the coach cannot be at a game and a manager or parent has to run the show when he or she is unfamiliar with the coach's methodology. And from what I've seen, using a staff coach assigned by the club can be even worse. They often show up not knowing a single player on the team and attempt to give them instruction. It simply does not work.

For the most part, if a team manager or parent covers the coach from time to time and primarily sticks with subbing the players, I've not seen a lot of the other parents get freaked out about it. If a coach regularly misses games, however, it can sure get ugly fast.

We have left a team/club because the coach had a parent cover more often than not. If I'm paying club prices I expect a club coach.

GoFigure wrote:Admittedly not a first time poster but definitely not out to implicate our team or any other.  I'm just curious on how teams handle fill in's when the coach can't be there especially as it relates to the team manager.  And before anyone reads into it, our team manager is great  But based on my discussions with others, the variations in how things are handled from team to team and club to club sometimes seem odd to me.

- Who runs the team when your coach can't attend a game?
- If it's the team manager, does he or she actually coach or just do subs according to the coach's preset instructions?
- How has it worked out?  Do the parents support the manager as a fill-in or is there frustration and griping on the sideline?
- Is the manager an assistant coach?  Does he or she help with the practices?
- What has been the best method for those of you that have been in select soccer for a while when the coach can't be there?  Team manager?  Club designated coach?  Mom or dad that know a lot about soccer?  From what I've seen, most teams don't have assistant coaches, so I'm guessing this is the least frequent option.

Thanks.

If the team manager is involved in substitution or coaching in any way you are playing on a rec team regardless of what the uniform says, or how much you pay.

The coach needs to be there or make arrangements for another coach who knows the players to be there.

There needs to be a clear delineation between coaching and manager duties. When the team manager steps across that line and gets involved in personnel and coaching decisions it usually ends badly.

But also prefer an impartial, somewhat experienced parent to a club coach who doesn't know the kids.

Gunner9 wrote:There needs to be a clear delineation between coaching and manager duties.  When the team manager steps across that line and gets involved in personnel and coaching decisions it usually ends badly.

But also prefer an impartial, somewhat experienced parent to a club coach who doesn't know the kids.

I tend to agree. But I can't be the only one that has witnessed team managers actively coaching alongside the head coaches. And that had me wondering if the manager was an enlisted assistant coach or just a parent overstepping their bounds. We played a team in the qt and our coach went to shake the hand of the guy shouting all of the instruction through out the game. She said "Good game coach" and the guy responded "oh, I'm the manager. He (other guy) is the coach".

GoFigure wrote:

Gunner9 wrote:There needs to be a clear delineation between coaching and manager duties.  When the team manager steps across that line and gets involved in personnel and coaching decisions it usually ends badly.

But also prefer an impartial, somewhat experienced parent to a club coach who doesn't know the kids.

I tend to agree.  But I can't be the only one that has witnessed team managers actively coaching alongside the head coaches.  And that had me wondering if the manager was an enlisted assistant coach or just a parent overstepping their bounds.  We played a team in the qt and our coach went to shake the hand of the guy shouting all of the instruction through out the game.  She said "Good game coach" and the guy responded "oh, I'm the manager.  He (other guy) is the coach".  

"shouting all of the instruction throughout the game"

Sounds like the parent sidelines of most league games...