what does a team parent do?
(see useful links at bottom of this page)
Having a Team Parent doing all the behind-the-scenes work allows the coach(s) to focus on coaching. A Team Parent can be invaluable for any team.
Here are some of the major responsibilities of a team parent. Some of these are only necessary in the Spring or Fall season. It can also be helpful to recruit other parents and split up these tasks:
Money Manager - Collecting money towards the purchase of a team banner, a team gift basket towards the leagues Spring Season Closing Day Basket Raffle, team party, and maybe one or two other small odds and ends. The league does require each team to participate in the raffle baskets ($150+ value per team basket), but all else is optional. You can take advantage of our Sponsor Program to help cover these and other team expenses.
"Answer Person" - The "go-to" person on all questions regarding team activities, fundraising, etc. Should know the schedule and where to find the field locations (maps are on our 'Fields' page), directions, etc. via the Internet.
Communications Coordinator - Gathering contact info of parents of the teams players and starting up a team messaging group. SportsYou has been the page/app of choice for MPB teams/members and is required for all Managers (Head Coaches) and Team Parents for league communications. Keep in mind that if a player has more than one set of involved parents information for both parents needs to be listed.
Team Gift Basket Coordinator (spring season only) - During Closing Day Ceremonies, Menifee PONY's Closing Day gift basket raffle the league raffles off creative gift baskets made from each team. The gift baskets should be a minimum of $150 value and can be made up of items purchased or donated.
Team Banner Coordinator - Most teams like to have a team banner for their team, listing the players, coaches and the team parent. This banner can be of the home-made variety, or it can be purchased from a company that makes custom banners. Older teams, typically Pony+ and sometimes even Bronco, don't always use banners.
Picture Day Coordinator (spring season) - For MPB's Picture Day the Team Parent makes sure parents of each player get the order form before picture day, and they each know the time and location of picture day. On Picture Day they will organize everything on the team side of the picture taking process.
Post-Game Snack Coordinator - Kds loves their post-game snacks so it's important that the game schedule gets coordinated with the snack schedule. It's also a great idea to send out a reminder a couple days ahead to the parent with snack duty. This task sometimes isn't done for Bronco teams, and very rarely for any divisions older than that.
Dugout Boss (up-to Pinto 8u Kid-Pitch ONLY, and must be safety approved & wearing badge) - In the younger divisions, Filly & Shetland, and sometimes even Pinto, the players often need extra supervision in the dugout that the coaches are sometimes too busy to handle. This includes preventing behavior that might be too rowdy or dangerous, having the players keep the dugout clean during and after their games, and even holding the batting lineup to keep the batters and on deck batters ready to go.
Player Buckets - In the younger divisions, Filly, Shetland and maybe even Pinto, some teams like to purchase small bins/buckets for players to keep their equipment organized.
Team Party - At the end of each season you will want to schedule a team party where everyone can relax, have fun, maybe hand out trophies here too. In the spring season, sometimes these parties are scheduled on Closing Day at Wheatfield Park so the adults can hang out while the kids enjoy all of the leagues Closing Day festivities.
USEFUL TEAM PARENT LINKS & TOOLS
Sponsor Incentive Program
Sponsor Request Letter
Sponsor Reimbursement Form
Injury Report Form
MPB Emergency Procedures
High Temperature & Heat Index
Smoke & Air Quality Index
Covid Policy