Parents & Players
All successful teams have a positive relationship between managers, coaches, parents and players. Each one is an integral part of a team’s success.
Managers and coaches must be honest, direct and respectful with parents and players in dealing with their concerns.
All conversations with parents and players should be private.
If a parent is not following the prescribed behavior the manager should alert both the parent and Athletic Director of this problem. If there is no visible change in the behavior the Athletic Director will intervene. At this point the manager in conjunction with the Athletic Director and President can:
Have the parent stay in a restricted area or no longer attend games. If no change occurs, the manager along with the President and Athletic Director can terminate the parent’s child from the team.
Players leaving the Organization
Any player may leave any team a Cougar any time. They must return equipment, uniform and any membership donation that belongs to the organization. If these conditions are met a player will always be granted a release.
It is important for the player and parents to know that once a player leaves the organization to play for another organization, they will immediately be suspended from playing on any Cougar team. They can apply for re-instatement at a later date through the Eligibility Committee but will only be re-instated based on extenuating circumstances.
Extenuating circumstances to be considered by the Eligibility Committee would include but are not limited to a player moving out of town, major personality conflict with coach, not getting sufficient playing time. In those cases, the player can be considered for re-instatement.
The Eligibility Committee will determine if the extenuating circumstances warrant further consideration of the situation including reinstatement. In controversial situations as determined by the President and the Athletic Director it will be presented to the Board of Directors for a decision.
Player Conduct and Suspensions
All players are expected to conduct themselves in a reasonable fashion at all times. They should be respectful of the manager, the coaches, their fellow players and parents, the umpires, and the opposing team and their parents both on and off the field.
All players are expected to be attentive and cooperative at all times and to put in their best efforts to help the team be successful.
Parent Liaisons – Meetings
Each team in the organization is required to have a parent liaison. The liaison is appointed by the manager in consultation with the parents, President and. Athletic Director.
The duties include administrative and financial aspects of running the team. The role of the Parent Liaison is to facilitate communication between the manager, the parents, the and the central organization.
Must attend meetings over the course of the season with the Cougar organization that deal with fund-raising, policies, guidelines and other issues.
Playing Time
Our goal is not to ensure that each player gets equal playing time. As stated above we are a competitive organization. We want to be able to compete at the highest level possible.
However, it is the organization’s intent to ensure that all players within the suggested number get regular playing time and that those outside the suggested number are given a chance to play as often as possible.
Playing means different things to different people. The organization’s definition of playing means that a position player had an opportunity to bat and that a pitcher was able to pitch at least one inning.
These guidelines are meant to be followed for all Cougar teams. However, a particular player situation can be different and it is the responsibility of the Athletic Director and manager of that team to apply the “spirit” of these guidelines if not the “letter of the law” to the particular situation.
Competitive Situation – New Players
Roster spots and playing time on each team is highly competitive.
The “best team” changes from year to year, week to week. Each player, new or old, has an equal chance to make the starting team based on his/her skill and knowledge of the game.
In important games and championship situations it is the manager’s responsibility to put the best team possible on the field.
