Santa Monica United Football Club Parent-Player Agreement INTRODUCTION Santa Monica United Football Club serves the families on the Westside of Los Angeles, as the number one and largest soccer school for its residents. The following agreement explains the expectations for our parents and players as a member of SMU, as well as what can be expected from the club and its commitment to member families. CLUB PHILOSOPHY In our soccer program, we feel it is important that all players are benefitting from the same services and resources, which creates a true development culture for our teams, players and coaches to follow. CLUB VALUES The rules and expectations in this agreement extend from several basic principles. Respect the professional coaching staff's judgment and values on soccer instruction and education. Respect all players, parents, coaches, and officials, many of whom volunteer time. Provide clear and consistent communication channels among teams, coaches, players, parents and the SMU Board of Directors. Be accountable for your commitment level and time management. EXPECTATIONS OF SMU PLAYERS Playing with Santa Monica United is a privilege. It is an instructional, competitive and not recreational experience. The only elements within a player s control are his or her commitment, effort, focus, and determination. Below are the expectations for every player. Communication Clear communication between the player and coach is essential. Soccer is a game of opinions and we may not always agree on things. If there is uncertainty about what is expected of you, it is your responsibility to speak to your coach first. If the matter does not get resolved, please talk with your respective DOC for clarification. Please always communicate any problem 24 hours after a training session or game which allows for time to make issues a bit clearer. Volunteerism All SMU families should help their team and our club in an appropriate way. Younger players can pick up litter after practice and games. High school-aged players should look for ways to get involved in the administration of their team and can help support the planning of special club wide events.
Conduct SMU players are responsible for their own performance and conduct. Honesty and reliability will be expected at all times. This requires that you maintain a healthy lifestyle, a positive team attitude, and personal sense of sportsmanship and fair play. Players agree to: Work hard to improve as a player for the success of the team. Practice soccer skills outside of team time. Show respect for teammates, opponents, officials and coaches. Exhibit fair play, sportsmanship, and proper conduct on and off the playing field. Refrain from the use of profanity, vulgarity, and other offensive language and gestures. Any use of drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes is not acceptable and may result in temporary suspension or even removal from the Club. Adhere to established rules and standards of the game. Show humility in victory while learning valuable lessons in defeat. EXPECTATIONS OF SMU FAMILIES Members of SMU agree to put their team ahead of the individual player. Annual Commitment The SMU commitment is for our soccer calendar year. Depending on the age level, it is from April or May through State/National Cup the following winter or spring. At the younger age groups (currently 2006-2009) we will always finish the calendar year with an open tryout. This tryout will identify and evaluate the talent for the following soccer season. We do not place players for the following season until we have completed the open tryouts. In the event your team qualifies for regional or national competition, we expect you to fulfill your commitment to your team through the end of that competition regardless of your status with the club for the following season. No player will be cut from a team during a soccer season unless it is for disciplinary reasons. In addition, the club can suspend your training at any time if such action is necessary to enforce the fulfillment of financial obligations. Uniforms and Equipment Players must purchase and wear the designated Club uniform. For practices, players must wear an SMU practice t-shirt and navy blue shorts. For games, players must bring both home and away uniforms. Uniforms must be kept clean and in good condition. Players must bring cleats, shin guards, and water and a ball to all practices and games. No watches or jewelry of any kind may be worn. Field Space Youth sports on the Westside of Los Angeles face huge challenges in securing field space. SMU prides itself on managing its field resources carefully. SMU expects players and parents to be partners in
securing and maintaining this space, by being respectful of our facilities and neighbors. This means following facility rules, picking up all trash, minimizing noise, and using designated bathrooms. Attendance Once a family has committed to the soccer year, it is our expectation that every family will work towards attending as many practices and games as possible. It is very important to manage your time effectively to juggle all activities in the calendar year. Please notify the head coach in advance if you must miss a game or practice. Practices. The first missed practice will result in the player sitting a half of the following game. Two missed practices in a week and the player will sit a full game. If your schedule allows please make up any missed practice with another team or at a SMU clinic. If the player has made up practices with other teams, it remains the coaches decision on how to manage your playing time if you have been absent from your team events. Games. Advance notice for missing a game must be given to the coach and Team Administrator at least two weeks before the game, unless emergencies or other circumstances make it impossible to give notice any sooner. Players who fail to show up for a game for no acceptable reason or who fail to give proper notice will serve a suspension of one (1) game at the following game. Repeated failure to attend games could result in reduced playing time and possible removal from the team the following year. Before, During and after Games and Game Day On game days, players are expected to be at the field at least one hour prior to the scheduled start of the game unless otherwise directed by the coach. From the designated arrival time, players must be prepared to concentrate on soccer. Players must arrive on time with required equipment (SMU uniforms, shin guards, cleats and water), and be ready to warm up and play. While parents, family and friends are encouraged to attend games and support teams, they should refrain from socializing with players from the designated arrival time until that player has been dismissed by the coach. Please don t approach the bench at any time unless the coach notifies you. Pre-Season It is important for players to be prepared for the Club season. All SMU teams begin Club season activities between the last week of July and the first week of August. In years past, the Season began with a mandatory five-evening Performance Week attended by all players on all teams. It is our belief that the training and needs of teams differ between the younger and older teams. Therefore, at the suggestion of the coaching staff and Directors of Coaching, the Mandatory Performance Week will be replaced by the following during the week of July 31- August 4, 2017. Teams 2006-2009. Players on teams 2006-2009 will be offered the opportunity to attend the SMU Summer Camp, during which all players years 2006-2009 have five days of camp each morning from 9-12 p.m. The camp will be run and staffed by SMU coaches. In the registration process each player will
be asked to indicate whether they will be attending the Summer Camp or not. No additional fee is required to participate in this camp. For campers and their families who desire a full camp day experience, an afternoon extended day program will be available for an additional fee to cover coaching and field costs. Please refer to the SMU Summer Camp information for further details. Teams 2005-1999. Older teams will start their season the week of July 31st with practices four evenings that week. Your coach or Team Administrator will have further details regarding your schedule. All teams. Thereafter, twice weekly evening practices will be held by each team through the start of the Fall League season in mid-september. Many teams also schedule one or two tournaments and scrimmages to prepare for the Fall season. As in the regular season, a missed practice will result in the player sitting a half of the following game. Two missed practices in a week and the player will sit a full game. If your schedule allows, please make up any missed practice with another team or at a SMU clinic. Coaches have the discretion to exempt new players playing for SMU in their first year from this preseason attendance rule for pre-existing conflicts disclosed at the time of registration. Please discuss with your coach and TA. This grace period is for the first season only. Playing Time and Positions All decisions regarding playing time and positions on the field are the responsibility of the head coach or assistant coach running the game. We do not guarantee any amount of playing time. If there are any questions about positions and playing time, please talk with the coach. Please apply a 24-hour cool off period before approaching the coach about any of the above matters. Team Travel During the course of the year, teams will participate in away games. It is the player s responsibility to arrange transportation to and from these games. The team may play games which require an overnight stay. During these trips team members may be required to stay at a designated hotel or motel and eat meals as a team. Players family members will always be invited to stay at the designated hotel or motel and may be invited to join the team during meals. EXPECTATIONS OF SMU PARENTS Parental support and involvement in the club are essential. Concerns involving parent expectations and personal behavior are perhaps the greatest of challenges to any youth athletic organization. At SMU, management of parental expectations and behavior is taken very seriously. Parents must conduct themselves with common sense and mature restraint at all times during Club and team activities. Play-by-play instruction to any player isn t helpful. We need all our players to make their own mistakes and solve their own problems so that the player can learn. Please provide constructive feedback after the event, but providing it during the event robs SMU players of learning opportunities. Please no calls
to pass, shoot, tackle, or anything of the decision-making sort. The only communications permitted from the sideline are showings of appreciation for our teams and celebration for good plays. Under Coast Soccer League rules, parents are subject to being carded by the officials, with the team being assessed disciplinary points for those cards. When teams accrue enough disciplinary points, points in the standings will be taken away. Parents should never be the cause of disciplinary points being assessed. Volunteerism We would love everyone to get involved with our soccer community. Individual teams and the club administration depend on parent volunteer activity for day-to-day operations and for the overall success as an organization. Within teams, parents volunteer by managing equipment like a canopy or bench, picking up trash after games, organizing the team purchase of uniforms, hosting a team party, and most importantly, serving as Team Administrator. At the level of the Club, parents fundraise, do promotion, serve on the Board of Directors, manage equipment, secure field space, help with the Newsletter and the website, and organize Club picnics and other events. Please show your respect for these volunteers by looking for ways in which you can help, too. A volunteer agreement is part of the registration requirements for the Club. Meetings and Communications There will be a Parent-Coach meeting for each team near the beginning of each season. At least one parent from each family must attend. This is a critical meeting as it sets the stage for the progression of the team through the competition season. Later in the season, each coach will provide his or her players and their parents with written and/or oral evaluations as part of a discussion with each family about each player s strengths and weaknesses, outlining what players can work on to improve. Administration At SMU, many aspects of team administration are performed by Team Administrators, who are usually parent volunteers. This is an official club position, and TAs operates under the supervision of the DOCs and Club Board. TAs have no authority in soccer and coaching decisions. These volunteers are essential for the operation of teams and the Club, and all parents are expected to be respectful of their time, extra commitment, and administrative decisions. Parents are welcome and encouraged to get involved in team administration and SMU Leadership Committee positions. TAs and parents generally can be involved in player recruitment, as SMU relies heavily on word-of-mouth. Parent Concerns Parents should feel free to communicate and ask questions. Should any issue or concern arise regarding the Club experience, parents are encouraged to first address the coach of the team at an appropriate time. Parents should feel free to contact their coach by telephone or e-mail. If a matter is related to soccer as opposed to a Club or administrative issue and it not fully resolved following discussions with the team s coach, parents are encouraged to address any remaining issue with the AGC for younger players (Age group coordinator) or the responsible DOC.
If a concern or matter is not directly related to soccer, but to the general club experience or administrative issues, parents can discuss their questions or concerns with the Team Administrator. Any remaining issue should then be brought to the attention of the Club President or a Board Member. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS If conflicts arise between the team and a player or parent, the team coach and team administrator under the direction of the DOC will be responsible for making decisions for the good of the team. Certain cases are decided upon by the Board of Directors. Once a decision has been made, it is final. Players, parents, and coaches must agree to abide by the decision. The Club may suspend or expel any member for disciplinary reasons involving any infraction of its Agreements, Bylaws, Policies, Rules or Regulations, or for other good and valid reason as the Board of Directors shall determine. Members subject to suspension or termination from the Club for disciplinary reasons will be given written notice of (1) the nature of the charges or grounds for the action to be taken, and (2) the time and place of the hearing to be conducted by the Board of Directors to consider such charges or grounds. The member shall be given the opportunity to appear before the Board of Directors and to be heard concerning the charges, grounds, or other reasons given for any punitive action that is contemplated. If termination or expulsion is contemplated, the member will be given fifteen (15) days written notice of the proposed action, the reasons therefore, and the time and place of the hearing. The Club President may temporarily suspend any person for a period of up to fifteen (15) days or until a decision is made by the Board of Directors concerning expulsion or suspension, provided that such suspension shall not exceed thirty (30) days. The decision of the Board of Directors concerning any suspension or termination is final; there is no appeal from the Board s decision. COACHES SMU aims to provide excellence in coaching, in accordance with the national and local standards. Team coaches are hired and fired by the DOCs in conjunction with the Board. The coach is responsible for roster selection, player positioning (line-up), player participation (playing time), team direction, team strategy. The DOC will provide team schedules. Club policy is to allow coaches to train more than one team in the organization. The coach will attend as many games as the schedule permits, but inevitably coaches will occasionally be unable to attend certain games. In such situations, the team assistant coach will run activities. In the unlikely case of absence of both the head coach and assistant coach, the head coach, with assistance from the DOCs, will designate a coach to cover that particular practice or game. SPORTS OUTSIDE OF CLUB SOCCER The club allows its players to participate in other sports, as especially at the younger ages, it is beneficial to be involved in other sports and activities. However, if a player is frequently absent or physically unable to train and play with the club team due to other athletic commitments, the family should reconsider participation in club soccer. If a player misses SMU games or practices for other sports the coach will manage playing time accordingly. Please see attendance policy.
Participation with Middle School and High School teams is allowed; however if it is not on hiatus, the Club team takes priority. DUES Dues are set by team treasurers, TAs and coaches under the direction and approval of the Board of Directors. It is the responsibility of each family to pay agreed upon dues on time and in full. The only acceptable reason for non-payment is a change in a family s financial situation. When payments become overdue, it is the responsibility of the family to discuss payment with the TA. Consequences for late payment may be enforced, including game time reduction and/or suspension from team activities. Please see all details in the SMU Financial Agreement to be signed by each player s family. We hereby acknowledge that we have received, read, and agree to abide by the Santa Monica United Parent-Player Agreement, the Financial Agreement and the Volunteer Agreement, and agree to abide by the policies, rules and procedures of Santa Monica United FC and be governed by its representatives. We hereby consent to emergency treatment of the player listed below. In consideration of the benefits derived, and in view of the fact that the Santa Monica United Football Club (SMUFC) is a non-profit organization, and that participation in SMUFC is voluntary, and recognizing that the sport of soccer carries certain risks, we voluntarily assume the risk from participation of the player named below and hereby waive any claims against SMUFC including claims against coaches, managers, club officials, board members, agents, sponsors or other representatives of SMUFC. SMUFC may contact us with information related to club or soccer activities using the information provided during registration of the player listed below. We hereby give permission for our child s likeness to be used in the SMUFC website, newsletter, emails or other club materials. PLAYER Printed Name Signature Date PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN Printed Name Signature Date