NASC Behavior Standards

There are over one thousand kids playing in our club each season and there are inevitably a wide range of expectations that parents have for their experience in the club.  In most cases, your child’s coach is your main interface with our club.  We appreciate that over 120 volunteers spend a good deal of their time helping the kids play soccer and develop their skills and teamwork.  Each weeknight there are roughly 20 practices going on.  Saturdays there can be as many as 17 games going on simultaneously.  Sundays we host between 10 and 20 games.  By those numbers you can appreciate how hard it is to maintain the consistency of behavior we expect of our members, so I’m communicating the standards directly to you so you understand  the club’s culture and have a chance to voice your opinion or let us know if we aren’t practicing what we preach.

Below, please find our behavior standards for all members of the club, whether player, coach, parent, ref or just a spectator.  (They are also posted on the “Coaches” page of the NASC website).  If you disagree with them, please feel free to contact me to discuss your alternate view.  If you observe contradictory behavior, perhaps apply the rules and ask the person about their actions, then let us know if there seems to be a problem, whether by contacting me or submitting an email to “feedback@nasoccerclub.org“

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Game and Practice Behavior Standard for ALL Members

Whether you are a Coach, Player, Parent or Referee, these are our Conduct Rules:

• Every player with the right attitude deserves to play at least half the game
  • At least 50% play time for all players and players rotating through positions is the expectation at all levels of play (even travel and D4)
• Save criticism for 1 on 1 conversations
  • Kids deserve instruction, not aggression
  • Issues with a player are handled in private
  • Issues with a referee need to be sent to the Head of Referees after a game
• Holler support, don’t yell criticism
  • Cheering is encouraged.  Parents and coaches are to refrain from any disparaging remarks about players, referees and opposing teams.
• Ask why before you condemn
  • Often times, there are is a simple explanation
• Raise your voice only because the field is large
• Winning is great, but learning is greater
  • Creating a positive environment that encourages playing soccer is the focus of the program.  There is a reason you see no scoreboards on our fields.
  • Equal playing time and rotating players through positions supersede strategies to win matches.
  • Kids need to learn to lose gracefully, learn from mistakes, and realize that their work will help them overcome weaknesses.  Just as learning to play defense can make you a better offensive player, losing some games can help them be a more compassionate winner.