How to handle situations effectively under pressure
Those who manage a youth-sports program know there will be times when parents complain. Incidents also may occur at the fields and sports venues that may have to be dealt with on a game day. Regardless of the type of complaint or severity of an incident, it should be taken seriously.
There are several common complaints that occur repeatedly. Not addressing these issues can lead to further incidents. Here are the top five complaints you will likely hear in any youth-sports league, along with possible resolutions:
- There is a discrepancy of playing time each child has. Have mandatory play rules and track playing time when possible.
- There are issues with a coach. Have a Code of Conduct. Educate, train, communicate, and monitor coaches.
- The fairness/balance of the teams is questioned. Put in the effort to evaluate players in forming teams. If parents still complain about losing, you have backup to show the process was fair, and on paper the team has the same skill level as that of every other team. Always try to shift parent focus away from winning and losing whenever possible.
- Someone claims he or she “didn’t know” certain information. Communicate, communicate, communicate! Don’t give parents and coaches a reason to blame you for missing information that was sent out or posted multiple times.
- People complain about calls during a game. Train, educate, monitor, and evaluate referees. Referees should meet before every game day to improve consistency week by week. Educating parents and coaches helps as well because they have a better understanding of the rules and won’t misinterpret a correct call as “bad” because they didn’t know the rules.