The Pre-Season Parent Meeting: How to Win the Season Before It Starts
As coaches, we spend hours analyzing splits, planning microcycles, and recruiting athletes. Yet, we often treat the pre-season parent meeting as an administrative chore—a box to be checked.
This is a mistake.
The parent meeting is your “first practice” for the adults. It is your single best opportunity to build culture, establish boundaries, and proactively answer the questions that otherwise turn into midnight emails in October. If you win the room in August, you win the parents’ trust for the season.
Here is a guide on what to present, how to present it, and understanding what parents actually want to hear.
1. The Parent Mindset: What They Really Want to Know
Before you build your slide deck, you must understand the audience. While you are thinking about state championships and lactate thresholds, parents are usually sitting there with four specific anxieties:
- Safety: Is my child safe with you? (Injuries, heat, supervision).
- Logistics: Where do I need to be, when, and how much will it cost?
- Fairness: How is Varsity decided? Will my child be included?
- Communication: How do I know what is going on?
If your presentation answers these four questions clearly, you will leave the meeting with allies rather than adversaries.
2. The Agenda: What to Present
Keep the presentation to 45 minutes max. Anything longer, and you lose them- or worse alienate them.
A. The “Why” (Philosophy & Culture)
Start with the big picture. Don’t just say you want to win. Definitely don’t present that as your main goal.
- Mission Statement: “We are here to build resilient and responsible young adults through the sport of distance running.”
- Coaching Staff: Briefly introduce yourself and assistants. Highlight credentials, but more importantly, highlight your passion for student growth and your personal connections to the program, the school and the sport.
- Tone: Emphasize that this is a “no-cut” sport (if applicable) and that the slowest runner is expected to work just as hard as the fastest.
B. The “How” (Expectations & Policies)
This is where you set boundaries. Be firm but kind and thoughtful.
- Attendance Policy: Be crystal clear. “If you miss practice on Friday, you don’t race on Saturday.” Explain the difference between excused (sick) and unexcused (hair appointment) absences.
- Varsity Criteria: Crucial. This must be objective. “Top 7 times run Varsity.” If it is subjective, you open the door for complaints.
- The Chain of Command: Establish the protocol for conflict.
- Athlete speaks to Coach.
- Parent speaks to Coach (after a 24-hour cooling-off period).
- Parent/Athlete/Coach meet with AD.
- Pro Tip: Good communication should keep things from ever getting to the AD.”
C. The “What” (Logistics & Safety)
- The Schedule: Hand out a physical calendar or a QR code to a live Google Calendar. Parents are tech savvy these days.
- Gear: What do athletes need (good shoes, water bottle) vs. what is nice to have (GPS watch, spikes)?
- Health: Briefly touch on hydration and nutrition, iron deficiency (for distance runners), and the role of the Athletic Trainer.
- Transportation: Bus policies. Can they drive home with parents?
D. The “Ask” (Volunteering & Boosters)
Don’t end on rules; end on community.
- Team Dinners: Pass a clipboard around during the meeting for sign-ups. Team dinners are gold.
- Fundraising: Explain specifically where the money goes (e.g., “This buys the tent that keeps your kid dry in the rain”).
- Meet Volunteers: Course marshals, snack table, photographer.
3. How to Present It: Delivery Strategy
Visuals Over Text
Do not read bullet points off a slide.
- Bad Slide: A wall of text listing the entire code of conduct.
- Good Slide: A photo of the team high-fiving with the headline “Culture of Support” while you verbally explain the conduct expectations. Don’t worry, you’ll remember what to say.
The “Handout” Strategy
Parents will not remember dates. Provide a “Refrigerator Sheet”—a single-page color handout with:
- Crucial Dates (Regular Season, Regionals, Senior Night).
- Links to the team store for gear. Parents may want some too.
- The “Remind” app code or email list signup details.
- Your contact info and “Office Hours.”
Control the Q&A
Open floor Q&A can derail a meeting (“What about band practices?” “My son has Drivers Ed on Tuesdays”).
- Strategy: Tell parents, “I will hang around at the front for 15 minutes after the meeting for individual questions.” This allows the majority to leave and saves you from answering hyper-specific questions in front of the group.
4. The “Golden Rule” for Parents
I always include one slide titled “The Car Ride Home.” Use this moment to teach parents how to be sports parents.
- Advice: “The worst moments for an athlete are the uninvited critiques on the car ride home. The best thing you can say to your athlete after a race is: “I love to watch you run” or simply, “What would you like for dinner?”
Summary Checklist for Success
- Start on time.
- Be professional. (Wear team gear, not work clothes).
- Be transparent. (About costs, cuts, and criteria).
- Be grateful. (Thank them for trusting you with their children).
If you execute this meeting well, you aren’t just a coach anymore; you are the leader of a program that parents are proud to be part of.
About the Coach
Coach Saltmarsh specializes in high school distance running and athlete development. With a focus on data-driven training and consistent progression, this site provides the tools and insights coaches and athletes need to reach their peak performance. This calculator was built to solve a common problem on the track: making running math simple, so you can focus on the splits that matter.
Looking for more training resources? Explore the Training Articles or view Coaching Resources.