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Grievence Procedure
Competitive team athletics, by its very nature, creates situations where everyone may not be happy all the time. Knowing when to communicate and how to communicate with your athlete's coach is a concern for almost every parent at some time during the season. Most often the concern is how to inquire about issues surrounding playing time.
At Greene County Club, we encourage the athlete to take responsibility for their participation. For this reason we expect the athlete to talk to the coach first when they have a problem concerning their playing time, or if they are unclear about what the coach expects from them either in practice or in a competition. The appropriate way to do this is for the athlete to ask the coach what they need to do to get more opportunities to play in matches. Most of the time, the athlete knows why they may not be playing as much as a teammate when the parent may not.
Parents can best help their athlete by helping them set some goals to achieve more opportunities.
When a parent has a problem that is specific to their own athlete, we also expect them to first talk to the club director. Coaches have been instructed not to discuss coaching decisions with a parent. These coaching decisions include, but are not limited to specific match decisions, substitution patterns, etc.
The coach will not be required to defend his/her thought process or conclusions in the determination of playing time, and it is improper for a parent to request that.
Specifically, the procedures to follow if you as a parent, or your athlete as a member of a Greene County Club team, have concerns about Greene County Club policies or a coach's actions are, in this order:
The athlete will speak or meet with the coach to discuss the matter. If the matter remains unresolved, or if the athlete has reasonable concern that speaking to the coach will not resolve the matter,
The parent should speak to or meet with the club director. Parents should call the club director on the phone or email to set a meeting. Meetings are to be at times and locations other than tournaments. If a coach is approached by a parent during a tournament, we have instructed the coach to refuse to discuss any controversial matter, to refer the parent to the Club Director and to walk away from the situation. The recommended time for a parent and/or athlete to talk to a club director about a problem is a previously arranged meeting time either before or immediately after a scheduled practice.
If the matter remains unresolved, or if the parent has reasonable concern that speaking to the club director will not resolve the matter,
The parent may speak to the Head Coach and the Club Director. In certain situations, Greene County Club may ask the athlete to attend the meeting also. Meetings should be previously arranged. Meetings will not be scheduled during a tournament. The Head Coach or the Club Director will not engage in discussions about coaching decisions.
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Other Policies
Greene County Club will not tolerate hostile, aggressive confrontations between a parent and any official, or a parent and any coach, or a parent and any athlete, or a parent and any other parent, whether the coach, athlete or other parent is a member of Greene County Club or not. Violation of this policy may result in the athlete being dismissed from Greene County Club without refund.
It is inappropriate for an athlete or a parent to approach other Greene County Club members about a problem the athlete or parent is having with a Greene County Club coach, about objections to coaching decisions, or about disagreement with an administrative decision. Asking uninvolved people to take sides in an issue is unfair to the third party and to the Club. For the psychological health of the teams and the Club as a whole, grievances need to be handled between the parties involved and in the proper manner.
If an athlete or parent is approached and asked to listen to, or express an opinion about matters between two other parties in the Club, it is strongly encouraged to refer the complaining party to take the matter up with either the coach in question, the Head Coach and/or the Club Director.
Any member who, as a third party, hears remarks or stories about Greene County Club, its employees or its policies, that cause the member to be concerned, is encouraged to contact the Head Coach and/or the Club Director immediately to determine the facts, or to alert the club administration to a situation it may be unaware of. It is detrimental to everyone involved to repeat complaints you hear or overhear to other uninvolved parties. By the time a story gets to the third or fourth party, it frequently bears little resemblance to the truth or the facts of the situation.
Please refrain from negative comments around your athlete or other athletes. Young athletes are vulnerable and if they hear complaining about the coach, the coach's style or Greene County Club policies, this can have an adverse effect on their performance and/or attitude. If you, as a parent, are unhappy about something, you should follow the grievance procedure of this guide to resolve the matter.
Repetitive complaining to the athlete(s) or other third parties that interferes with the Club's efforts to pursue its stated mission and purpose may be cause for dismissal from the Club.
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