Parents Code of Conduct

Parents play a huge role in the development of a successful softball player. You are always welcome at practice, and we appreciate your support every game. We try very hard to be a family-oriented organization, and your participation is a major part of our success. Our board welcomes your feedback on all areas of the program as well so that we can make this a hallmark program in Geneva.

a) Encourage your daughter to communicate with the coaches. It is very important that the players build the confidence to interact with and establish a healthy interactive relationship with their coaches.

b) Make sure your daughter is on time to all team activities. Always know, if you as parents cannot get your daughter to an event, we are a team, and someone will help you.

c) Communicate with the coaching staff. Log attendance always. Respond to emails and team texts. We all want to be on the same page.

d) Please come to any of your child’s coaches if you have a problem or concern. Your thoughts are important to us. We will work to address your concerns. If we cannot help, we will explain why and work with you to find another way to address your concerns. Complaining to other parents and in the stands cannot solve your problems, nor can we solve problems that we do not know about. The GSA board expects parents to first raise any issues with the coaching staff before requesting board involvement.

e) Parents play their role at home and outside the softball field. On the softball field, the coaches play their role. Please do not coach your child during practices or games. Your comments detract from what the coach is doing, they give the player another thing to think about, and it interferes with the development of the player/coach relationship.

f) Please stay out of the bench area during games. Make every effort to ensure that your daughter has everything she needs prior to the start of the game (water, equipment, etc.) If your daughter needs something, the coach may give her permission to leave the bench area.

g) Do not question the coaches during a game. Like all programs, GSA utilizes the 24 hour cool down period before contacting the coach. We will meet 1-on-1, in a productive manner to clear up any misunderstandings. Coaches do make mistakes.

h) Be supportive of your daughter after good games and poor games, your support matters more than you realize.

i) Please tell the coach before practice or games, if you think your child has an illness or injury that will prevent her from participating. Please do not rely on the coach to make medical decisions.

j) Be prepared for tournament weekends. Tournament play often starts very early in the morning (8:00 AM) and can last all day. Sometimes games are played back-to-back, and other times the team may have to wait several hours between games. Coaches will communicate tournament schedules as soon as they get them; however, Saturday game times are usually not set until Wednesday/Thursday prior to the weekend.

k) Tournament weekends can be a great time to interact with other GSA families and build an atmosphere that allows the girls to develop “Team Chemistry,” which is a winning quality that cannot be coached. If you are new to tournament softball, please ask the coach and other parents for advice. It can be great fun, but if not prepared, it can be a difficult experience.

l) Be an example for your daughter. They are still impressionable kids and young adults.

m) Parents are expected to comply with all park rules, including the use of alcohol while at the park. Most parks prohibit or restrict the use of alcohol without a special permit.