· Communicate!! Your job is to be the communication “hub” of the team. The easiest way to do this is through e-mail. Get e-mail addresses from the coach (who will get them from the club manager after registration). Establish an e-mail group (try to include e-mail addresses for both moms and dads so everyone stays informed) and plan to communicate with the team about once a week.

· Website and Schedules: Give parents the Arlington Soccer web address which is www.arlingtonsoccer.com, along with information about the age group and division of your team. (Get this info from the coach). I recommend that you NOT send a copy of the schedule because it often changes during the season. It can be confusing to have more than one schedule circulating. Just remind your parents to check the schedule on the website (and let them know when it has been revised).

· Cancelled Games. Send an e-mail if the coach notifies you that a game has been cancelled. (Most parents will know to check the inclement weather line---see below---but it doesn’t hurt to let them when you hear from the coach that a game has been cancelled, usually due to wet field conditions).

· Directions to all Arlington soccer fields are located on the website www.arlingtonsoccer.com. Be sure parents know that directions can be found there.

· Rain: Remind parents to check the Inclement Weather Line (703-228-4715) before ALL games AND practices if there has been rain in the previous 24 hours. Sometimes games and practices will be cancelled even if it is not raining because previous rain made the fields too wet.

· Practices: Consult with your coach about when and where practices will be held and notify parents. Include directions to the field for parents who may be new to soccer and the Arlington area.

· Water: Remind parents to send water (to both practices and games) with their players.

· First Aid Kit: Check with your coach to see if he/she needs a simple first aid kit to keep with other team equipment. I usually assembled band-aids, antiseptic wipes, ace bandage, and instant cool packs and put them in a sturdy Ziploc bag.

· Rosters: Send a copy of the roster (with parent names and phone numbers included) to all team parents. Often people like to set up carpools and this will facilitate that process.

· Snacks: Most teams like to provide snacks at the games. Set up a snack schedule before the games begin. I recommend just randomly assigning a day to each family and asking them to trade off if there is a conflict. Alternatively, you can bring a copy of the schedule to a game and have parents sign-up for a particular day. Once a snack schedule is set, be sure all parents have a copy of it. Usually, snack consists of orange slices or grapes for half-time and a granola bar/popsicle/crackers and drink for after the game. Sometimes parents will bring cupcakes if there is a birthday! Check with your coach to see if he or she has any preferences for snacks.

· Coaches Gifts: At the end of the season, most teams take up a collection and present the coaches with a thank you gift. Over the years, coaches have received: stadium chairs, signed pictures of the team, t-shirts, gift cards…the possibilities are endless!! It’s fun to personalize the gift. (One year one of our coaches was renovating his house and the team got him a gift card from Home Depot!)

· End of Year Trophies/Gifts: Many (but not all teams) also get gifts for the kids at the end of the season. Gifts range from patches, ribbons, medals, trophies, jewelry, socks…again the possibilities are endless. I usually ask the other parents on the team for ideas and suggestions. Trophies, medals, and ribbons can be ordered locally in Arlington at: Dan Kain’s www.dankain.com (trophies and medals can be personalized with kids’ names, team name, and year). There are also some online soccer stores that I found pretty reliable, including: www.soccersupplies.com. Locally, there is Soccer Kicks located at 6019 Wilson Blvd in Arlington, and another soccer store on Route 7 in the Tyson’s Station strip mall (where Trader Joes is!). Parents usually seemed willing to contribute up to $10 for trophies, medals, etc.

· Parties: End-of-year parties vary and depend on time of year and what the kids might want to do. If the weather is nice, you can order pizza and have it after the game at the field or in a park (During colder months, we sometimes had hot chocolate and cookies). Many teams gather at Joes (on Lee Hwy: www.joespizzaandpasta.com) or Anthony (On Broad St in Falls Church: anthonysrestaurantva.com) for a team party after the last game. Be sure to make reservations well in advance. Joes will deliver to most fields in North Arlington and Papa Johns will deliver almost anywhere! Our team usually took up a collection to cover the cost of these end-of-year celebrations.