AZYS COACHES’ MANUAL

Coaches, we’re so glad you’ve decided to take part in this great adventure with us.  This league doesn’t happen without you!

Please reference our cheat sheet during the season for quick information.

OVERVIEW

We are a private league whose focus is on sportsmanship and fun.  You’ll notice that the kids have a lot of fun in this league because we provide a low-pressure and family-friendly experience.  If they’re not smiling, we’re failing!

PLAY FORMATS

Our sport divisions are played in two different formats - rec and tournament style.  

Our rec divisions are parent-coached and, in some cases, coach officiated, too. There are no wins and losses recorded in our rec division and score keeping is optional.  Rec divisions include most of baseball/softball and soccer as well as the two youngest divisions of basketball. There are no tournaments for these divisions.

Our tournament divisions have referees provided, the score is kept, wins and losses matter for playoff seeding, and there is a single-elimination tournament at the end of the season.

TEAM ORGANIZATION:

1. You will receive your team rosters on the weekend before practices start.

2. Find a “team parent” immediately.  This person will help you with things like jersey handouts, snack schedules (if applicable), communication, etc.

3. After the parent meeting please reach out to your team regarding practices and introduce yourself.

COACH MEETING

Most seasons we will have a coach meeting/clinic. We will simply go over the information that is in this document.  If you feel you have all the info you need or have coached with us before, the coach meeting is optional.

EQUIPMENT

*Equipment is only provided to baseball and flag football teams*

1. Please call or text to schedule equipment pickup (if applicable). 480.269.0817 (Mesa teams), 480.788.4463 (Gilbert & Chandler teams) or 480.331.9284 (Queen Creek teams)

2. League-provided equipment:

   1. Baseball – 1 bat, 3+balls, batting tee (for tee ball) and throw-down bases.  Parents must purchase their own gloves and batting helmets for their child to prevent the chance of lice. Kid-Pitch is provided with Catcher's Gear.

   2. Basketball – League provides no equipment.  Ask parents to have their child bring a proper-sized ball with their name on it to each practice.

   3. Flag football – League provides Flag football belts.  Ask parents to have their child bring a proper-sized ball with their name on it to each practice.

   4. Soccer – League provides no equipment.    Ask parents to have their child bring a proper-sized ball with their name on it to each practice.

   5. Volleyball – League provides no equipment.    Ask parents to have their child bring a proper-sized ball with their name on it to each practice.

   6. Softball- 1 bat, 3+balls, and throw-down bases.  Parents must purchase their own gloves and batting helmets for their child to prevent the chance of lice. Catcher's Gear is provided for the Kid-Pitch division.

3. Jerseys will be handed out a week or two before games. You will be contacted when your team jerseys are ready for pick up.

PRACTICES

1. Begin practices immediately.  You are only required to hold one practice a week for about an hour.  Some teams practice twice a week, but the extra practice must be optional for your players.

2. As the head coach, you get final say on the practice location and time, but please be considerate of your entire team.  Try to centralize the location and make the time convenient. If you would like to practice indoors, we recommend contacting your local school district.  Many elementary schools are available to rent for minimal fees (about $15/child for the entire season).

3. Please provide the best coaching possible.  This means teaching proper technique and giving constructive feedback.  You don’t have to be an expert, but you can find plenty of resources online that will help you better instruct your players.  Players perform best when they are confident in themselves. This is true for athletes of all levels.

4. Here are sample practice outlines to follow if you need help:

   1. Baseball sample practice

   2. Basketball sample practice

   3. Flag football sample practice

   4. Soccer sample practice

   5. Volleyball sample practice

GAMES

Most games are played Saturday mornings (generally between 8am and 4pm).  It is your responsibility to check the schedule to know when you play and on which field.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your game start time.  In order to keep the games on time, warm-up should occur off the game court/field.

GAME RULES

Rules can be found on the rules pages:

2. 1. Baseball rules

   2. Basketball rules

   3. Flag Football rules

   4. Soccer rules

   5. Volleyball rules

3. Playing time should be even and fair.  “Winning” should never come at the expense of a child’s happiness.  The only acceptable causes for shortened playing time are a child’s lack of desire to play, exhaustion, disobedience or the missing of multiple practices.

4. Player opportunities should be fair.  For instance, in flag football, every child must get at least one ball carry or pass thrown to him/her in each game.  In soccer, each player must be given the opportunity to play different positions that allow them to learn to score and play defense.  This league is to allow the kids to grow in their respective sports.

5. Referees are provided for volleyball, basketball, flag football, the oldest division of soccer and the kid-pitch division of baseball.  Younger soccer divisions, tee ball and coach-pitch baseball are coach-officiated.  You will be provided a whistle.

6. If your division is a coach-officiated division, please start and end the games on time.  Because you coaches are officiating the game, you may tweak some rules for your game as long as both coaches agree on those changes (ie. playing 8 on 8 instead of 6 on 6 or changing the field size).

SPORTSMANSHIP:

1. There is absolutely no yelling, arguing or berating players, coaches or referees.

2. If your parents are showing poor sportsmanship, we ask that you help control them.

3. If correction is required for a player, please calmly instruct him/her.  If a player is out of control, please bench that player.

4. Choosing to coach strictly to get the coach discount is not acceptable.  There must be a genuine interest in helping the kids succeed and become better at the sport they are playing.

Again, we’re excited and grateful to have you as part of our organization.  We strongly believe that if you catch the vision of what this is all about, you’ll have just as much fun as the kids.  We’ll see you on the field/court!

Accessing TeamCenter

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Messaging Your Team in TeamCenter

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Basic Team Management

Perform basic tasks using the Team Page Team Management functionality

Add Contacts to Receive Team Messages

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Managing RSVPs

Manage RSVPs for each athlete within your team’s TeamCenter or within the SportsEngine mobile app

Sending RSVPs for Existing Games or Events

Do you import your game schedules from a third-party scheduler or create them manually on your team page? This article explains how to add RSVPs to those games and events after they are imported.

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