Team Manager = Captain of Helicopter Mom Fleet

[Unregistered]

I have a real issue with the team manager philosophy at the club level.

I wonder how often a kid is moved along to a higher level (like ECNL) because their mom is a team manager? For a mom in a situation like this who may only have one child, a manager mom may be continuing the party for their player when the party is obviously over. You're starving your kid holding on to false hopes, you're putting the coach into a position to make bad choices. Do they protect the teams best interests or do they protect their own? Do they cut the cancerous daughter of the team manager, or do they keep the manager that will clean the coaches taint after team dinner?

The answer is simple. Term Limits.

We need to free the coaches of the long term burdon of these out talented players. The political agenda begins at the team manager and ends with them. At the end of each season willing managers should be pooled and chosen at random to team different than their own. Then you're still volunteering your time to the club, but the best interests of the team remain with the team, and not the coach or their daughter who was really good once but is only on the team because her mom cleans up the coaches hotel room after she's finished outlining her daughters agenda for each game.

[Unregistered]

I have a real issue with the team manager philosophy at the club level.

I wonder how often a kid is moved along to a higher level (like ECNL) because their mom is a team manager? For a mom in a situation like this who may only have one child, a manager mom may be continuing the party for their player when the party is obviously over. You're starving your kid holding on to false hopes, you're putting the coach into a position to make bad choices. Do they protect the teams best interests or do they protect their own? Do they cut the cancerous daughter of the team manager, or do they keep the manager that will clean the coaches taint after team dinner?

The answer is simple. Term Limits.

We need to free the coaches of the long term burdon of these out talented players. The political agenda begins at the team manager and ends with them. At the end of each season willing managers should be pooled and chosen at random to team different than their own. Then you're still volunteering your time to the club, but the best interests of the team remain with the team, and not the coach or their daughter who was really good once but is only on the team because her mom cleans up the coaches hotel room after she's finished outlining her daughters agenda for each game.

This may be the dumbest post TS has ever seen.

[Unregistered]

This may be the dumbest post TS has ever seen.

Not so dumb....poster has a valid point. It does depend on how ruthless the club/coach is. I’ve seen the team manager’s kid get cut before and was surprised. What was refreshing was that the player DID get cut!!! Everyone knew on the team he wasn’t one of the stronger players. In fact this coach did it twice. It made me respect the coach/club even more. It must have been very hard for the coach to do that but his ultimate interest was the quality of the team, not maintaining friendships. Proof that club and coach don’t play politics.

[Unregistered]

I've seen demotions (position and playing time) too which ended with a kid leaving the club. Team manager is a thankless job - you can come manage my kids team PLEASE!!

[Unregistered]

I've seen demotions (position and playing time) too which ended with a kid leaving the club. Team manager is a thankless job - you can come manage my kids team PLEASE!!

It IS a thankless job. I have respect for those parents taking on that role while managing their own families as well. Exactly why I wouldn’t want it.

OP brought up an interesting topic that another poster thought was dumb.

Not so dumb after all.....

[Unregistered]

Team managers can be helpful if they accept their role which is get the players and coaches to practices and games at the right place and right time. However too often they get involved in spreading rumors and the inner club politics. Club directors need to be careful who they select as a team manager as they do a lot of damage and create a toxic environment which drives families away.

[Unregistered]

I've helped for two years. Each year was handled separately (i.e. coach asked AFTER the roster was set, and AFTER each year). Roster was clearly decided without any input or consideration for who would be helping out.

Did my kid get any consideration because of it? Honestly, hard to say. The backs rarely come out, of which she is one. By my guess, she got the 3rd-4th most minutes on the team, which I think based on skill level and position is accurate.

We didn't pay any less. I put in quite a bit of time tracking down travel arrangements and donations and wasn't given anything in return. I communicated pretty much via e-mail and keep to myself at games.

I actually found helping out to be a big pain in the ass and have no intent on continuing. Chasing some parents down or having to explain every dime spent (which I never came directly to me) was time consuming. I won't vouch for every parent who has helped out, but what was described in the OP I can't see how it applies to us. If someone wants it, they can have it.

[Unregistered]

With today's websites and communication tools there is simply no reason for a team manager. None. It is not a major responsibility for anyone to schedule some friendlies here and there and to input the schedule into a clubs site (or web calendar) if the club is not on a league scheduling site.

[Unregistered]

Our team manager is useless. I’m sure her her three kids in the club get deep discounts for her hard work.

[Unregistered]

I've helped for two years. Each year was handled separately (i.e. coach asked AFTER the roster was set, and AFTER each year). Roster was clearly decided without any input or consideration for who would be helping out.

Did my kid get any consideration because of it? Honestly, hard to say. The backs rarely come out, of which she is one. By my guess, she got the 3rd-4th most minutes on the team, which I think based on skill level and position is accurate.

We didn't pay any less. I put in quite a bit of time tracking down travel arrangements and donations and wasn't given anything in return. I communicated pretty much via e-mail and keep to myself at games.

I actually found helping out to be a big pain in the ass and have no intent on continuing. Chasing some parents down or having to explain every dime spent (which I never came directly to me) was time consuming. I won't vouch for every parent who has helped out, but what was described in the OP I can't see how it applies to us. If someone wants it, they can have it.

The OP never said it applied to you. Also a parent’s opinion of talent is always biased. Posters idea of manager being assigned a different team is smart. Better yet is the poster who suggested with modern technology/apps team managers might be an old concept. Not so much the days of a secretary taking shorthand and transcribing to an old fashioned typewriter but similar.

[Unregistered]

Our team manager is useless. I’m sure her her three kids in the club get deep discounts for her hard work.

or playing time.

[Unregistered]

Team managers can be helpful if they accept their role which is get the players and coaches to practices and games at the right place and right time. However too often they get involved in spreading rumors and the inner club politics. Club directors need to be careful who they select as a team manager as they do a lot of damage and create a toxic environment which drives families away.

True. Almost an unspoken role of power that the manager and other team parents are aware of but would never acknowledge.

[Unregistered]

very simple solution. NO team managers. Have the "professional" coach handle all of that. There are many clubs that do this. Its the Coache's job to schedule the games and email parents with any information needed. Honestly, its not that difficult. If its an ECNL team, I mean Christ they do the schedule for you, you simply need to get a field and time. Again, not that difficult. The less the parents are involved the better.

[Unregistered]

very simple solution. NO team managers. Have the "professional" coach handle all of that. There are many clubs that do this. Its the Coache's job to schedule the games and email parents with any information needed. Honestly, its not that difficult. If its an ECNL team, I mean Christ they do the schedule for you, you simply need to get a field and time. Again, not that difficult. The less the parents are involved the better.

Bingo

[Unregistered]

The OP never said it applied to you. Also a parent’s opinion of talent is always biased. Posters idea of manager being assigned a different team is smart. Better yet is the poster who suggested with modern technology/apps team managers might be an old concept. Not so much the days of a secretary taking shorthand and transcribing to an old fashioned typewriter but similar.

Well, the OP certainly used terminology to describe as all-encompassing.

And, absolutely a parent's opinion is always biased. I see my kid do something and think "nice effort" because I know what she intended. I see another, and not knowing I think "*** are you doing?". Only natural. Which is why when I wrote it I didn't say "top 2 player" because that's my opinion :-)...

I'd never sign up for being another team's manager. It's hard enough coordinating with people you know and have an interest in it.

Are they needed? There's some logistics to track down with Showcases etc so there is a benefit. Overall, though, clubs will survive without them and so far, nobody has asked anyone to which is fine by me.