Parent Meeting Agenda - Template
1. Introductions
• Coaching Staff – identify 2-3 committed individuals.
• Coaching Background: Recommend focusing only on your coaching experience. Prior to
the meeting take some time to assess your ability as a coach (strengths and weaknesses).
Maybe you exhibit great organization skills and work well with kids but inexperienced
with the technical aspects of the game. Okay to express this, more than likely there will
be parents that will be able to help. There is value in having played the game but
ultimately this is your chance to be honest about your history coaching youth sports.
• Team Manager: Nice to have a dedicated person to assist with team communications
and help with team functions off the field.
• Parents / Players
2. Philosophy/Goals
• Coaching style?
• Goals: What do you intend to accomplish this season?
• Sportsmanship
3. Player Expectations
• ACE (Attitude – Coachable – Effort). Don’t be afraid to fail! From a hitting perspective,
fail 6 out 10 times and you are an exceptional hitter.
• Commitment
• Control emotions and control what you can control
• Teamwork and Communication. Appreciate what it means to be a part of team.
4. Parent Expectations
• Sportsmanship (represent yourself, Andover and our team)
• Consistent message (positive). Please let the coaches coach, your main job is to be a
cheerleader.
• 24-hour rule: Any issues/comments/concerns, take a day to cool off before
communicating with the coach. Instituted to protect both yourself and the parents.
Coaches are parents first and we know that not everybody is going to agree with every
decision we make. If the situation is dealt with in a respectful manner, an optimal solution
can usually be agreed upon.
• Need your help: (Practices) Especially at the younger ages, increase helpers = increase
stations. The more parents assist and feel like a valuable part of the team the less likely
they are to become a distraction. Important that all helpers are consistent in the message
delivered to the players.
5. Coaches Expectations
• Sportsmanship
• Be on time / organized
• Age appropriate skill development. Assess each player’s skill level and coach accordingly
• Patience
• Consistent message
• Request that the parents provide feedback on any additional expectations they require
from their coaches.
6. Define Success
• Important as a team to define what it means to have a successful season. Probably
touches on many of the concepts discussed above. This should be a collective decision that
once settled upon provides direction for the coach.
7. Off-season Training
• It’s not mandatory that you meet during the offseason, but if so, what is your plan? How
often? Where? Even if you decide not to do anything softball related maybe schedule an
activity to start building chemistry.
• Winter Skills – usually starts in January @ Andover High School.
• Dome Ball Leagues/Tourneys: several tourneys (MLK and President’s day) to choose from.
• Many girls participate in winter sports/activities, so be mindful when planning.
8. Practices
• Usually 2-3 nights a week. What nights?
• Water bottle, wear practice jersey and softball pants, arrive with cleats on.
• Arrive 5-10 minutes before practice
• Maybe provide an example of your practice plan.
• If weather is an issue early in the season, might have to budget for indoor facility use.
9. Defense Positioning
• Explain your approach to defense positioning. Highly encourage rotating the girls
frequently to develop well-rounded players. Each girl should have an opportunity to play
infield, outfield and their preferred position (at least once). Place girls in a position where
the player and team can be successful.
10. Batting Order
• There are many factors in developing the batting order. It’s appropriate to provide insight
to the parents on your decision-making.
• Consider the cumulative number of bats for each player, if a girl is short at-bats find
opportunities to reduce the deficit.
11. Pitching/Catching
• Schedule pitching/catching sessions 30 minutes before or after regular practice.
• Any girl that shows interest and is participating in these sessions should have an
opportunity at a minimum to pitch/catch in some league games.
12. Leagues Games
• Communicate which nights you will play. Usually play between 10 -18 games depending
on age level.
• Most coaches play one game “to be competitive” and the second “to allow development”.
13. Tournaments
• Go to compete, but don’t lose focus on providing all girls an opportunity to be successful
and do something “special”.
• 3 tournaments (including Andover), State Qualifier, State.
• Out-of-town tourney? If so, would recommend earlier in the season to expedite the
relationship building.
• Nationals (optional?). Need to qualify. If going, does the team want to fundraise?
14. Health Issues
• Any health issues the coach needs to be aware of (asthma, allergies, diabetes, etc)
15. Preferred mode of Communication
• Texts, Email, TeamSnap, SportsEngine, GroupMe, etc
16. Questions?
Parent Meeting Agenda – Example (Connie Huberty)
1. Coach introductions and coaching back ground.
2. Parent and player introductions.
3. Discuss schedule – Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday
o Practice times
o Game times
4. Coaching goals.
o our priority is to keep the girls safe, help them learn the game of fastpitch, and have as
much fun as possible
o sports are not everything but using sports as a tool to help the kids develop skills to be
successful in life
o teach them confidence, how to deal with adversity, have class, commitment, and
discipline
o teach the girls what to expect moving forward to the high school level / information
binder - reference
o teach the difference between playing well and winning
o how to have composure and be good sports
5. Coaching Philosophy
o teach the girls to be a team first and to be a family - on and off the field - sit together,
walk together, work together
o teaching them to learn the attitude of “together"
o empower and encourage players to take responsibility for their play, practices, attitudes,
and work ethics
o do this by having them lead warm ups, lead stretches, run drills, set up drills, help with
equipment
o learning and executing the details and basics of softball, if we teach them all the little
things then the big things will take care of themselves
o little things – proper batting, fielding, catching, throwing form, to play as a team, back
each other up, cut off and bunt responsibility, 1
st and 3rd plays
o big things - playing well, having fun, winning some games learning to move forward after
a mistake, flushing / throwing mistakes away and getting ready for the next play
o one home run does not win a game and one dropped fly ball does
not lose a game we win as a team and we lose as a team with class
6. Coaching strategy
o preventing mental mistakes, teach the girls to stay focused and in the game, third strike
protocol are our big concerns
o we expect and understand that the girls will make physical mistakes and that is ok
o play tournaments more competitively
o each player will receive one maybe two positions and play their 90% of the time to help
the players develop confidence and success at their position
o positions will be decided on skill level, personal, and how the coaches feel players will
impact the success of the team
o players will rotate as evenly as possible depending on the personal and playable innings
per game nights
o as the season moves forward we will take more chances, go after some first and third
plays, aggressive base running
o we plan to challenge the girls to personally improve as the season moves forward
7. Challenges this year
o we will be playing in a very competitive U16 level league
o we will be fielding a team with a combination of U16 and U14 level players
o we have many talented athletes and we will need to find the position that best suits the
player, we have number of girls that want to play third, short, and second base and we
will need to sort that out
o adjusting the team for players with conflicting schedules
8. Discuss Tournament Options
o we would like to consider an out of town / overnight stay tournament
o discuss the in town on out or town options
9. Fund Raiser
o do we want to try to do a fund raiser of some kind
o discuss options = Beef’s, Andover Lanes, Bag Groceries
o very important to have the adults help out with things / promote /organize
10. Parents
o We need their positive support in the bleachers, behind the fences, in the car, at the
dinner table, and at home in the back yard- the more positive example the parents show
the more successful the team will be on the field.
o if the parents are happy and having fun together the girls will have fun, the closer the
parents and coaches are the stronger the team will be
o we need to be constantly up dated on scheduling conflicts for games and tournaments in
order to plan tournaments, games, and practices correctly
o we need to be aware of vacations / camps / mission trips / etc
o don’t let things build up- work out issues with coaches as they come up
o dispute resolution / problems – follow the 24 hour rule big emotional disputes – minor
problem deal with problem right away like to encourage face to face or phone
conversations – please no emails or anonymous e-mails
o encourage players to talk to the coaches about issues and concerns - good skills moving
forward
o practice at home
o be punctual and on time as much as possible so we can start practice together
o 60 min warm up before games, ready to go with shoes on one hour before games – it
takes us a hour to properly warm up the team
o notification of missing practice, games, or tournaments
o debriefing after practice and games – please give us time to meet with the girls – good
team building / bonding time
o please encourage the girls to do things as a team and look out for each other on and off
the field
o we ask that parents to not heckle umpires - let the coaches approach and challenge calls
o please be prepared for tournaments – first aid supplies – Ice / water / girl personal items
/ etc.
o birth certificates – scanned into league data base / anyone not want on file with state /
copy fine
11. Parents Help
o team manager
o practice help
o game night help warming up players
o one or two people to keep book
o first aid mom / equipment mom
o someone to organize pot lucks for tournaments
o someone to take pictures during the season
o someone to host an end of season team party
o someone to host team building party – pizza
o someone to find hotel and organize out of town tournament
o someone to help with a fund raiser
o
12. Equipment
o Uniforms - Jersey size and ordered - Ideal / black socks - Ideal /
black under shirt - Ideal or where ever
o Matte black helmets with face shields and chin straps – Ideal
o Sliding pads or under slider padded shorts
o Face masks for defensive play - Rip-it
o Steel cleats / or plastic
o Rain jackets
o Bats - discuss the borrowing of bats
13. Discus the league web site
The information available on the site like – game schedule, roaster, field locations and directions,
etc.
14. High School Fastpitch Opportunities - Contact Connie Huberty
15. Questions
Parent Meeting Agenda – Example (Dean Michurski)
1. Coach introductions and coaching back ground.
2. Parent and player introductions.
3. Discus schedule - Monday and Wednesday
o Practice times = sent in e-mail already
o Game times = 6: 15 / 7: 15
o Pictures = to be determined
o All Star Game - August 8th, 9th - Eden Prairie MN - 2 players - $60
4. Coaching goals.
o our priority is to keep the girls safe, help them learn the game of fastpitch, and have as much
fun as possible
o sports are not everything but using sports as a tool to help the kids develop skills to be
successful in life, Life Lessons
o teach them confidence, how to deal with adversity, have class, commitment, and discipline
o teach the girls what to expect moving forward to the high school level / information binder -
reference
o teach the difference between playing well and winning
o how to have composure and to be a good sport
5. Coaching Philosophy
o Attitude Reflects Leadership
o teach the girls to be a team first and to be a family - on and off the field - sit together, walk
together, eat together, work together
o teaching them to learn the attitude of "together" and how to play ball with a good attitude
o empower and encourage players to take responsibility for their play, practices, attitudes, and
work ethics
o do this by having them lead warm ups, lead stretches, run drills, set up drills, help with
equipment
o learning and executing the details and basics of softball, if we teach them all the little things
then the big things will take care of themselves
o little things - proper batting, fielding, catching, throwing form, to play as a team, back each
other up, cut off and bunt responsibility, 1st and 3rd plays
o big things - playing well, having fun, winning some games
o learning to move forward after a mistake, flushing/ throwing mistakes away and getting
ready for the next play / only thing worse that making a mistake is making two mistakes due
to lack of focus
o one home run does not win a game and one dropped fly ball does not lose a game
o we win as a team and we lose as a team with class
o importance of communication
6. Coaching strategy
o preventing mental mistakes, teach the girls to stay focused and in the game, third strike
protocol is our big concerns not if they strike out swing
o we expect and understand that the girls will make physical mistakes and that is always ok
o play tournaments more competitively
o each player will receive one maybe two positions and play their 90% of the time to help the
players develop confidence and success at their position
o positions will be decided on skill level, personal, and how the coaches feel players will impact
the success of the team
o players will rotate as evenly as possible depending on the personal and playable innings per
game nights/ game score can open opportunities
o as the season moves forward we will take more chances, go after some first and third plays,
aggressive base running
o we plan to challenge the girls to personally improve as the season moves forward/take focus
away from competing against each other
o sitting a player - we will never sit a player for a physical mistake, but we will sit a player for
mistreating a team mate, creating unnecessary drama, making a negative or rude comment
to a teammate, or if they make a mental mistake repetitively due to lack of focus
7. Challenges this year
o we will be playing in a very competitive U16 level league
o we will be fielding a team with a combination of U 16 and U 14 level players
o we have many talented athletes and we will need to find the position that best suits the
player for the team, we have number of girls that want to play third, short, and second base
and we will need to sort that out
o adjusting the team for players with conflicting schedules
8. Parents
o Most of the communication will be done through e-mails, short notice instances we will text
the girls = rain delays and cancellations
o We ask that no parents enter the dug out
o We need their positive support everywhere = in the bleachers, behind the fences, in the car,
at the dinner table, and at home in the back yard
o the more positive example the parents show the more successful the team will be on the
field.
o if the parents are happy and having fun together the girls will have fun, the closer the parents
and coaches are the stronger the team will be
o we need to be constantly up dated on scheduling conflicts for games, practices, and
tournaments in order to plan tournaments, games, and practices correctly
o we need to be aware of vacations / camps / mission trips = at least one week ahead of time
even if it is a reminder
o don't let things build up- work out issues with coaches as they come up
o dispute resolution/ problems - follow the 24 hour rule big emotional disputes - minor
problem deal with problem right away like to encourage face to face or phone conversations
- please no e-mails or anonymous e-mails
o encourage players to talk to the coaches about issues and concerns - good skills moving
forward
o practice at home
o be punctual and on time as much as possible so we can start practice together
o 60 min warm-up before games, ready to go with shoes on one hour before games - it takes
us a hour to properly warm up the team
o de-briefing after practice and games - please give us time to meet with the girls - good team
building / bonding time
o please encourage the girls to do things as a team and look out for each other on and off the
field
o we ask that parents to not heckle umpires - let the coaches approach and challenge calls
o please be prepared for tournaments - first aid supplies - Ice / water/ girl personal items / ect
o birth certificates - check with Mary to make sure she has a copy
9. Parents Help
o team manager = will be Mary this season - Thank You Again
o practice help - please let us know if you are interested and we will contact you if there is a
need
o game night help warming up players - please let us know if you are interested and we will
contact you if there is a need
o one or two people to keep book - in case Mary is unavailable
o first aid mom/ equipment mom
o someone to organize pot lucks for tournaments
o someone to take pictures during the season
o someone to host a end of season team party
o someone to host team building party - during the season
o please let us know if you are interested in contributing to any of the above
10. Equipment
o Team binders - yellow - Girls who have them from fall please bring them to the first practice
to be updated with team info and things
o Please have your player bring in one of their game pants to first practice to get Andover logo
on leg/ number optional
o Uniforms - Jersey size and ordered / black socks -/ black under shirt/ all black pants
o Matte black helmets with face shields and chin straps
o Sliding pads or under slider padded shorts
o Face masks for defensive play - Rip-it= girls prefer - it is metal and comes with a removable
visor
o Steel cleats / or plastic
o Rain jackets
o Bats - discuss the borrowing of bats = family's need to decide weather or not they are willing
to borrow bats and inform their daughters - girls who want to borrow bats must ask for
permission and respect and take care of a bat they may borrow, no throwing or abusing bats
o Game Balls - please return the game balls to coaches - the association pays $ for the game
balls- 50% of the game balls were not returned to the program last year - we need to use
these good balls for players moving forward
PLAYER QUESTIONAIRRE
1. What is your fast pitch experience? How many years have you played?
2. What is your favorite thing about the sport of softball?
3. What is your favorite thing about being part of a team?
4. What is your most special memory thus far in your softball career?
5. What positions do you think fits you best after reading the player position description sheet? Infield /
6. outfield / a base / etc.
7. What position(s) would you like to play the most?
8. Is there a position(s) you would prefer not to play?
9. What are your biggest
strengths as a softball player? – Running / Batting / Bunting / Fielding / Fly Balls /
10. etc.
11. What skills or aspects of the game would you like to improve at the most?
12. Do you have experience sliding into bases?
13. Are you comfortable sliding when your team needs you to?
14. Do you have experience stealing bases?
15. Are you comfortable stealing a base when your team needs you to?
16. Have you learned how to bunt?
17. Are you comfortable laying down a bunt for your team?
18. What are you most looking forward to this 2017 season with your team?
19. Is there anything you are nervous to experience this 2017 season?
a. What do you expect from your coaches?
