PRMS COACH HANDBOOK  

“A coach will impact more people in one year than the  

average person will in an entire lifetime” - Reverend Billy Graham  

“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” -John Wooden

Selection  

Coaches are selected by admin and staff, under the direction of the Varsity  Head Coach, team Head Coach and the PRABC. Coach Agreement Signatures are done by completing a Sport Specific Google Form which will be provided to selected coaches before the start of the season. Volunteer coaches are  screened and asked to go through training to ensure the best fit for the  program. Please complete the required UCPS Volunteer Form https://www.ucpsvolunteers.com/

Vision  

United under one vision, the coaching staff will collaborate, cooperate,  and work together to achieve outcomes, goals and ultimately, wins on and  off the field.

Leadership  

Each coach is a leader on the field. Accountability among the coaching  staff is unilateral, reciprocal and expected. We are leaders of the student  athletes on our teams and hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard at all times to model best practices, good choices and good attitudes for the team. Porter Ridge Middle School staff and PRABC leadership and commissioners reserve the right to remove a coach if the situation becomes necessary for the success and longevity of the program.

Head Coach  

The Head Coach is assigned by and accountable to the admin and staff under the direction of the PRABC Executive  team. The Head Coach is responsible for casting a vision, working with the  program, admin, their coaching staff, parents, players and the community to support the goals, expectations, excellence and future of the program.

Assistant Coach

The Assistant Coach is the backbone of the program. Each team assistant coach will be assigned a coaching designation and work with players in their positions to bring out the best of each player. If the team  assistant coach is a parent, we expect the coach to equally distribute their time coaching ALL of the athletes, not just their child. If you have concerns  about this, please let the Head Coach know and you will be assigned elsewhere to make sure we’re all doing our best to make this program be the best it can be for each athlete. It is our position that no parent will be coaching their child’s position if possible.

Coaching Responsibilities  

• Attend practices and games as available, notify the teams’ Head Coach if there is a schedule conflict so they can plan accordingly
• Participate in meetings and team events as available

• Communication during practices and games, ie..last minute schedule changes via BandAp for weather alerts or a quick note to parents
• Communicate with Commissioner if anything is needed outside of coaching responsibilities

• Direction for line of communication: Coach to Commissioner to Booster Club AD

• Ensure all players get practice reps and game plays  
• Know the game/sport to support the whole team vision and game strategy
• Support your fellow coaches, provide accountability and represent PR with Pirate Pride
• Coaches with athletes on the team are still responsible for paying the player fees, no fees are waived for volunteer coaches 
• If the team coach is a parent, we expect the coach to equally distribute their time coaching ALL of the athletes, not just their child. If you have concerns about this, please let the Booster Club Athletic Director know as we want to make sure we’re all doing our best to make this program be the best it can be for each athlete. 
• Read Commissioners Handbook to understand their role and their responsibilities to help with the team

Communication/Conflict Resolution

Respectfully, we request that parents follow the 24 hour rule. If a parent is upset or has a concern that isn’t immediately pressing or in regards to their athlete's health and safety, we ask that they wait 24 hours before reaching out with a concern to our admin staff. We understand the need for a healthy dialogue and the “open door” policy with regards to player’s game time, game play, development, etc.. is in place. Our only request is that parents bear in mind that our staff are all volunteers so please reach out to set up a time to have a meeting or schedule a phone call. If a separate meeting with a coach becomes necessary, the staff will coordinate with the parent to set up a meeting. If any concern is necessary to escalate we ask that everyone follows the process of escalation: Coach, Commissioner, Booster Club Athletic Director, Booster Club President.  In most cases escalation beyond the coach and/or commissioner is not necessary as concerns are usually addressed successfully at that level.  

Coaching is an opportunity to make an impact in our local school, community and  our future. Coaching at PRMS for the PRABC is a volunteer position and a calling to serve our  student athletes, thank you for your willingness to be a part of this program.