Parents' Corner

BANNER NEEDED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concussion Awareness

Concussions can occur while participating in any sport or recreational activity. Since the circumstances under which a concussion can be sustained are so varied, it’s important for all coaches, parents, and athletes to be aware of the signs, symptoms, and what to do if a concussion occurs.

The following links, designed by coach.ca and Ontario Soccer, provide some great tools for anyone wishing to better understand concussions:

Concussion Policy from Ontario Soccer

Ontario soccer - Returning players to training (base line testing) 

 


Parent Support

Parents want the best for their child. In a highly competitive society such as ours, there is a constant pressure to be the best in sports, school, and work.  We at Ottawa TFC understand that pressure and want to help your child to strive to be competitive, but in a healthy and enjoyable way.  We want humble warriors!

We encourage you to reflect upon the following guidelines for supporting your children in our soccer Academy:

  1. Ask your child questions about how they felt they performed during the practice or the game.   Encourage a conversation around what they did well and what they could improve on. 
  2. Ask them to share what the coach said about their performance and what is expected of the team.  Check with the coach, if the feedback is not clear to your child or to you.
  3. Provide positive feedback first, when sharing your views on your child’s performance.  Base your feedback on your knowledge of the game. Soccer is a complicated sport and is based on rules and strategies that are quite different from other popular Canadian sports such as hockey.
  4. If your child is upset after a game or practice, encourage a discussion to understand the problem.  Schedule time with the coach and your child, as soon as possible, in order to deal with the problem and not let it fester.
  5. Most importantly, your child should enjoy playing soccer and you should enjoy watching!

How you can support Ottawa TFC Coaches?

The Coaching staff are highly trained and skilled in soccer. Most of us have played the game at the highest competitive levels and are educated in coaching and passing on our knowledge. We want to help your children reach whatever level they wish to play at, and their success, is our success. In order to do this, we need your support in allowing us to guide, teach and inspire your child to be the best that they can and want to be. You can help us by respecting the following guidelines:

  1. Trust the coaches. While in our care, we are responsible for your child’s health and well-being and we will make player decisions in their best interests.  We will never do anything to put your child in harm’s way.
     
  2. Let the coaches make the decisions on the field.  Soccer is a sport, but it is also our vocation.  We work at developing our craft in the same way you do in your line of work. Our strategies, player selection, and game decisions are based on our years of experience with soccer and we encourage you to ask questions in order to understand what we are doing and why.
     
  3. Participate in meetings. This is the best way for you to connect with the coaches and other parents to get answers to your questions. Ottawa TFC meetings are held at the beginning of each season and team meetings are scheduled on regular basis throughout the season (Media sessions).   These meetings are rich in information and provide the opportunity for creating a strong Ottawa TFC community where you can make important connections with other parents, exchange knowledge, share stories and even coordinate schedules.