TEAM MEETINGS

Here is a helpful guide to setting up & completing your team meetings

REQUIREMENTS

Must have at least 1 LUFC Staff or Board Member present.
A general understanding of the Club Policies & Procedures. Club Staff can help with this.

TIPS & FAQ's

To get better attendance at your team meeting try to:
- Set it up around other Lakes United scheduled events if your team meeting is when those events have started
- Set it up on a Sunday evening (avoid week day nights during the off-season and avoid the middle of the day on a weekend)
- Create a "special event", such as fun team activity (host a get together, go bowling, etc...)
A general understanding of the Club Policies & Procedures. Club Staff or Board member can help with this.
When should a team have one?
- This depends a lot on the age and the competitive nature of the team. For example, younger teams may have an informal informational meeting prior to winter training followed up by a main team meeting as you get closer to the season.
- Teams that want to do a lot of winter training or other events during the winter/pre-season should have their meeting earlier rather than later.
- Regardless if you decide to have an "official" team meeting at a later date you should still have some type of an informal one early (pre-January)
Important points to consider
- Teams do not operate completely outside of the Club, meaning each team does have it's own flexibility to do things that make the most sense for them, BUT the "bigger picture" of all player development and Club development should take priority over all else.
- Items that should be communicated through LUFC Staff or the Board for guidance prior to team decisions are things like:
  - Tournaments (all, especially out-of-state or travel) - Seek LUFC Executive Director/DOC guidance and approval
  - Fundraising - All teams have the ability to do their own fundraising, BUT there must be approval & guidance from the Board, Staff, or Fundraising Coordinator to do so. Again this goes back to teams having some of their own autonomy, but not at the expense of the Club as a whole. There are also Federal or State regulations that must be adhered to as a non-profit 501C3 organization.
  - Winter Training - Teams SHOULD NOT be procuring their own winter training time without guidance and approval from Club Staff. Teams should not be getting already limited indoor space unless they communicated and received approval from LUFC Staff (first), or the Club facilities/fields scheduler.

SAMPLE AGENDA

Team Manager, Coach, Staff or Board Member Introductions

Parent & Player Introductions

Expectations & Code of Conduct (Staff/Board Review)

Player Code of Conduct - Review it and remind of consent when registered
Parent Code of Conduct - Review it and remind of consent when registered

Player Development Philosophy (Staff/Coach Review)

Staff or Coach Review

Indoor Training

Is not mandatory to attend (Academy teams may have different expectations)
Schedules determined by indoor space availability.
Feedback we receive from teams if we can make adjustments to help we will, but ultimately it's what's available to us.
NSC Sports Hall or Dome & local school gymnasiums for futsal

LUFC Events - Spring Camp, Spring Kick-Off, Other Events

Look for Lakes United special events coming towards the end of winter or early spring. Events we have done in the past and are looking to BRING BACK are:
- A Spring Camp (April)
- Club "Spring Kick-Off" (Late April)
- Lakes Cup??? - Late Winter (indoor, late March/early April), will be a small-sided fun tournament

Outdoor Training

Begins when the fields are cleared to play by the governing authority (municipality, school, etc...)
- Generally middle to late April
Location will be Goodview Park, Wyoming & other locations within the footprint of Lakes United.
Typical training nights are scheduled based on coach availability and what works for most of the team members.
A typical "competitive" team will have on average 3 events per week between training & games.
Training days that typically work are Sunday evenings and then at least 1 other week non-game day evening.
Expectation is to attend all trainings.

TCSL League Games

League Schedules - TCSL does not complete until April, so they come very close to when the season starts.
- Playing nights are based on gender & age group. Typically is a Mon/Wed or Tue/Th type of game schedule. Those playing nights are made available from TCSL typically middle to late winter.
League games start the first week of May and end the week after the 4th of July

Uniforms

Uniform ordering information can be found on the Club website.
Unless otherwise decided by a team, uniforms must be ordered no later than Feb 1st.

Volunteering - Committees

Join a LUFC Committee! We get a lot of feedback, but we need feedback that includes those people who want to help.
Committees are "non-voting", but help direct and guide the Board decisions
- Marketing & Public Relations
- Budget & Finance
- Fundraising
- Competitive Play
- Rec Programs
- Fields Committee
- Equipment & Uniforms Committee

Fundraising

Club Leben's Flower Fundraiser - Is the most important fundraiser for the Club. The main proceeds go to the Club's Financial Aid packages and the general operating fund to help with field/facility costs (indoor).
Individual Team - All teams have the ability to do their own fundraising, BUT there must be approval & guidance from the Board, Staff, or Fundraising Coordinator to do so. Again this goes back to teams having some of their own autonomy, but not at the expense of the Club as a whole. There are also Federal or State regulations that must be adhered to as a non-profit 501C3 organization.

Communication

Team Manager - Coach - Staff - Board
- All questions should start at the team level first. Your team manager or coach can ask staff or Board if they need clarification or further guidance on something.
- If you are not getting the items you need from your TM or Coach then reach out to the Executive Director/DOC.
TeamSnap - Used for team specific comms and scheduling
- Add family members - The Club CANNOT add family members for you. You do that in your TeamSnap dashboard. If you need help with TeamSnap they have a ton of help links and resources. The Club will post some under the "Parent/Player" resource page on the Lakes website.
- Utilizing TeamSnap for communications (email & chat function)
  - Chat function should be used for team wide items. The team chat should NOT be used as a direct message to one individual, manager, or coach if you have a personal question.
- EXPECTATION/MUST UPDATE AVAILABILITY ON ALL EVENTS!
  - Yes = yes I will attend. No OR MAYBE = no I will not attend to the coach/TM, means they will adjust and ask for a guest player if needed who will get preferred playing time.
LakesUnitedFC.org - Used for resource information (parents, players, new prospective members). Before reaching out to ask a question check the website first.

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