Coach letter to parents – beginning baseball

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

Coaching a Tee Ball, Coach-Pitch or Machine-Pitch team? Your players’ parents will have instant confidence in you once they read this letter informing them what to expect. And while this is specifically written for baseball, it can be modified for other sports as well. Save to your computer and then modify as needed. And, if you’re looking for some great drills to run with young players, check out www.coachdeck.com.

Dear (Team name) Parents,
My name is (Coach’s name), and I will be coaching the (Team name) (Division, i.e. Tee Ball, Rookies, etc.) team this year. I am looking forward to a fun-filled season where the kids will learn and improve their skills as well as the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. My goal is to create a positive, supportive environment so that every player, regardless of ability, has a great experience.
Since some of you are new to this, I have a lot of information I’d like to cover. This letter is lengthy, but please read it through.

Punctuality and Attendance: Our practices will be held (day) afternoons from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Our first practice is (day and date). Games are on Saturdays and could be played any time from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and will last approximately one hour. All practices and games will be held at (field name). Being on time is critical. Please try and arrive at games 30 minutes before game time so we have ample opportunity for a team meeting and warm-up. Be at each practice 5-10 minutes prior to start time. If a child will not be at a game or practice, please notify me.
Equipment and Apparel: The league provides each player with a shirt and cap. Your player should also bring a glove (recommend 10 to 11 inches) and a water bottle. I’d like our players to wear white baseball pants, (available at any sporting goods store) and rubber cleats, (prefer baseball cleats but soccer cleats are OK if you already have them). If a player cannot wear baseball pants, then sweat pants would suffice, but please, no shorts or jeans. The league also provides the team with bats. If you would like your child to bring a bat, that is fine. However, if it is brought to a game or practice, it must be available for any player to use. Please label all items.

Team Parent: I am looking for a Team Parent (or parents) to assist this season. Our Team Parent will be responsible for creating a snack schedule for the games and for sending out email reminders about practices and games. The Team Parent will also be responsible for coordinating our season-end party. This is not an extremely time-intensive job, but it is extremely important, and will help free me up to do a better job coaching.

Assistant Coaches: If you are interested in helping out at practices and games, please come see me at our first practice, or send me an email. I believe in getting as many parents involved as possible and will probably be able to find something you can do to contribute.
What we’ll work on: At practices and games, I will be working on a few things:

• Skills: Obviously we want them to all improve at fielding, catching, throwing and hitting by the end of the season.
• Rules: We’d like them to know more about the rules of the game so that they can play more effectively at the next levels.
• Safety: Baseball can be a dangerous game if safety rules are not followed. I will be diligent in making sure no one puts another player at risk. This means no throwing balls or picking up bats at any time, unless one of my coaches or I say it is OK. I will be very strict about this.

Expectations: The emphasis in this division is not on winning, (we don’t even keep score or keep track of outs), but on player development and having fun. My primary goal this season is the make sure every player wants to come back and play again next year. With that said, all players will play all positions and bat in various positions in the lineup. Your child may be the most skilled player on the team, or may be the least skilled. I plan to treat all players fairly and reward positive attitude, hustle and improvement over natural ability. And remember that the being best player in Tee Ball usually doesn’t mean automatically being the best player in high school, and vice-versa.

Miscellaneous:

• Picture Day will be scheduled for (day and date).
• No food is allowed in the dugout.
• If your child is sick we’d rather have them miss a game or practice rather than risk getting other children sick. Please be considerate.
• In the event of rain, check our website (www.ourleague.com) or check your email for a message from our Team Parent or me. The game will be stopped if the weather gets bad or if there is any sign of lightning.
• (Insert any other items you feel important)
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I am expecting to have a great season and know I will enjoy coaching your children. My contact information is as follows:
John Doe
[email protected]
(555) 555-1234
If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. Otherwise I look forward to meeting you all at our first practice!
Sincerely,