Thank you for managing your child’s soccer team for Minneapolis United! This club wouldn’t exist without the many excellent, committed volunteers just like you. Since 2002, we’ve grown from just 7 competitive teams to over 60 teams per year. Because of this outstanding growth, the MU Board of Directors and the Competitive Committee rely on team managers to create a smooth process for the teams and individual families.

As a manager you are the ‘face’ of MU for parents on your team. You serve as a crucial link between families and coaches. When a child first starts playing competitive soccer, the parents often have no idea of all that’s involved (Where is our game? What time? How do we get there?). You can do a lot at the beginning of the season to make it easier for them, and thus, easier for you in the long run. Here are some guidelines.

FIRST OF ALL:

• Complete the Manager Registration. See the link in the right hand column.
• Educate yourself by reading through the Competitive Program page, including the Team Formation Policy for the club, this is an important tool when speaking to the parents about team formation.
• Find a Minnesota tournament, go to: www.thetournamentcenter.com, click on “Find a Tournament,” select “Minnesota” in the drop down box and click on “Search.”

Do this as early in the year as possible. Bring a calculator and a calendar to the meeting and ask everyone to bring their family calendar. At this meeting you will:

• Review MU club principles & practices (see attachment below.)
   
• Gather every adult's e-mail and phone number. Get cell phones too. Be sure to get all parent contact info if the child spends time at more than one home.
   
• Determine your team philosophy: If your team already has a coach, this is where he/she can state their expectations (attendance at practice, when to arrive before games, behavior codes, etc). Decide where to practice, and how often.
   
• Use a calendar to tally who’s going to be out of town, and when.
   
• Choose which Tournaments to attend: Circulate the tournament list and decide how many tournaments, where and when. This is where the calendar comes in handy!
   
• Find a volunteer to organize snacks and/or drinks, or extra water on hot days, for each game. Some families like to bring orange slices for half time. This is up to the team: some do, some don’t do treats.
   
• Find a volunteer to to take great team pictures to be posted to the MU website. These don't have to be just the trophy shots after winning a tournament! Any great shots with a short ( or more extensive) caption line will be accepted. Team Managers can post these on their SportsEngine team page or send to the Admin to be placed on the website.

Helpful tips for after the meeting:

• Put all the contact info into one group on your e-mail program. It’ll save a lot of time over the season.
• Register for tournaments. Tourneys that are early in the year or very popular fill up quickly. You’ll need to pay for each tournament as you sign up for it. Email the business manager, Trina, your email confirmation that shows what you paid (up to $450) and she will send you a check for 1 fall tournament and 3 summer.
• Immediately send out a reminder to parents that you need the money for tournaments (if needed) at the first practice. Some parents will need multiple reminders.

Have a well-stocked First-aid Kit (sanitizing wash, ace wraps, adhesive bandages and ice packs).

Each home team must supply the game ball of the appropriate size. You also need to supply corner flags. Contact the previous manager for their flags first otherwise go to Planet Soccer on Lyndale Ave. to get a set. MU will pay for the flags, you just need to sign for them. Each team is allowed one set.

Remind parents that it’s the coaches job to coach, and the parents job to enjoy the game. (Bring suckers for parents who have a hard time with that idea.)

Have the players thank the referees at the end of the game.

Have your players and families pick up after themselves. Empty bottles, candy wrappers, soccer balls!

At the end of the Summer Season every coach is required to fill out a a player ranking form.  This is a very important tool used during the team formation meeting after tryouts. Once team managers have confirmed with Gregg Olson that an evaluation has been turned in for the team they manage the coach can be paid their last payment.