Guidelines that shape our culture, protect our players, and define the standards every member of the Alleycats family is expected to uphold.
Parents can be the most crucial, and in some cases the most inhibiting of all the people associated with a player — more than a coach, a teammate, or anyone else. Parents are of course the most involved with a player, seeing them 95% of the time. They are the chauffeurs, the cooks, and even the cheerleaders. However, it is important to maintain strict boundaries and role clarifications for parents, because the positive can be met equally and as quickly as the negatives when concerning their child.
The Albany Alleycats have a strict rule concerning the role of parents and coaching. Parents of a player are not permitted to coach their own child. We as a club feel that this is not appropriate for the desire of clear and defined roles in a child's life.
In brief terms, we feel that each person in the "Player's Triangle" should maintain their piece or side. When one person occupies more than his/her side, we enter into a dangerous territory of overlapping roles, responsibilities, and actions — not only for the parent, player, and coach, but also in the views of fellow teammates and parents.
It is expected and will be enforced that no coaching of any kind can come from the sideline of a parent or family member. Coaches Coach and Parents Parent. Parents in the Alleycats Club will only be allowed to cheer in a positive and respectful manner for their own children and child's team. They will not be allowed to speak negatively about any player, Alleycat or not.
Every household is entitled to their privacy, and it is not the place of the Albany Alleycats to teach parenting. However, it is a loose rule that our parents respect the lives of their child. We ask that parents "let their children come to them" when speaking of club, game, or practice related topics. Kids need time to process things, and should be given the opportunity to do so in a consequence-free environment.
In addition, it is the club's viewpoint that when a child comes to their parent — and not the other way around — it means more in the long run, and the communication tends to be better and longer lasting.
Players being good enough to play up in age is a common occurrence in club soccer. Here at the Alleycats our main goal is to develop players.
Players aged U13 and older must play in their age-appropriate groups. Players may request a waiver from this policy based on either special or unusual circumstances or very superior playing ability (top 4 of the team requesting to join). The Alleycats Coaching Committee will decide such requests by majority vote. The committee consists of:
Our play-up policy is focused on the best long-term interests of the individual player and the club. Playing up is an ongoing process with no assurance of renewal for following seasons — the player is required to repeat the process seasonally.
The Director of Coaching oversees all guest playing opportunities. Under his/her direction, a player may have the opportunity to "guest" play for an older team within the club. This is managed by the Director of Coaching and is another opportunity that gives a player the chance to further his/her development.
A determining factor for these opportunities is a player's commitment, attitude, and performance for his/her true age group team. The Director of Coaching, through the respective age group coaches, will recommend such situations. Requests can only come from the coaches involved and cannot come from a parent or team manager.
The Alleycats encourage top players to train up. However, they must attend their current team's practices as well, unless the coaches involved allow for an occasional exception. This can be handled by the coaches involved.
Warm-up times for matches differ in length depending upon the age of the team. In general, warm-up times should be approximately 5 minutes shorter than the length of one half (e.g., a 90-minute match with 45-minute halves = 40-minute warm-up). It is expected that parents and players arrive ready to warm up at the specified times below.
| Age Group | Arrive Ready Before Kick-off |
|---|---|
| Academy Ages | 30 minutes prior |
| U13 – U15 | 40 minutes prior |
| U16 & Up | 50 minutes prior |
It is the philosophy of the club to promote development. All players on a roster will play an appropriate amount of a match, with time ultimately determined by the coach based on training habits, attitude, work ethic, and ability in the game.
After a game or match, parents sometimes have questions or concerns they feel need to be communicated to the coach. It is the policy of the Alleycats that a period of 24 hours passes before any communication occurs from the parent to the coach/club, or vice-versa. This is also referred to as a "Cooling Off Period" — set in place so that both the parent and the coach can settle and gain perspective without the heat of emotion getting in the way.
Parents who do not observe the 24-Hour Rule will not be responded to, and coaches are in no way required by the club to respond during this period. The 24-Hour Rule also applies to coaches towards parents, and coaches towards club administrators, leagues, referees, and other governing bodies.
This policy is set for parents or players of the club who have trouble observing and applying the Alleycats club philosophy in real-life situations. The 3 Strike Policy helps parents and players understand that proper behavior and etiquette must be observed at all times while being a member of the club.
If a Parent/Player is asked to leave the Alleycats Club, the Alleycats are not required to refund club fees. Being asked to leave the club will be determined by a vote by the Board of Directors. The guilty party will be given a chance before the vote to voice their side one time, after which the board of directors will make their final decision.