My son just finished up a 12 week soccer program through the city. I believe the coaches are volunteers. The soccer banquet is today. Am I supposed to get a gift or something for the coach? This is my first time around, and I am not sure what is appropriate. There is one coach, one assistant coach. Thank you cards only? Cash in the cards?? Or gift cards??
Thanks, moms (and dads)!!
The team probably should have talked about that before the last minute!!
If no one did then I would go ahead and do a thank you card and maybe a gift card to somewhere you think/know he would like.
Last year my husband volunteered and coached for my son's team. It was a 12 games, 2 practices a week, and 16 weeks of soccer total.
He got $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, $10 to Jamba Juice, and $10 to an ice cream place.
My husband is our kids soccer coach and at the end of the year most parents give him a card with a gift card in it. The gift cards are nice, but a hand written note (if possible) from your child thanking the coach goes so much further.
Our team chips in for a gift card. Sports store, restaurant, or grocery store.We give 1 to each coach.
Not soccer, but for gymnastics: I didn't get one for the banquet, but at xmas, we gave each coach a mug filled with candy. But not everyone got a gift for the coaches.
In our area, one of the moms collects a small amt. from each family and then buys a group gift for the coach and assistant coach and then they present it at the last game or banquet. It is nice to show appreciation for their time, often they volunteer or get paid very little. If no one initiated this then maybe you could
At the end of my son's T-ball season last year, we presented the two coaches with a photo book of the season. All the parents chipped in. Obviously, it's too late for you to do that this time, but maybe you can frame a team picture? If the coaches have their own children on the team, you could also frame a picture of them with their kids (if you have one). Otherwise, I think a gift card is a nice gesture.
Usually someone collects money and then they buy a small thank-you gift from the team. Since the banquet is tonight it's too late for that!
I think if your son made some thank-you cards for the coach and assistant, that would be fine. No need to get a gift card from just you.
I am not in soccer but I've been in cheer for years and typically money is collected and the coaches are presented with a team gift. Our coaches are not volunteers, they are paid extra to take on coaching along with the courses they teach.
Last week was our cheer banquet. We have 2 coaches, 1 Junior Varsity, 1 Varsity and 24 cheerleaders. We all donated money and each coach got a gift card for $300 and a nice bouquet of flowers.
It is also acceptable if you choose to do something on your own.
It sounds like a nice gesture, although I have never done it or seen it done. If you do feel you want to do something like that do it privately, or all the other parents will feel that they need to do something or should have done something. I think that is how the giving gifts to teachers thing got started because nobody did that when I was a kid, but now everybody does it.
Normally the team mom/parent will have all the parents chip in for a coach gift at the end of the season. At least, that was how it worked when stepson played for several years when he was younger.
