Union County
CYO Basketball
Parents and
Coaches
Pre-Season
Meeting
Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry
Archdiocese of Newark, NJ
From Pope Francis …..
Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup! He offers
us the possibility of a fulfilled and fruitful life; He also offers
us a future with Him, an endless future, eternal life. But He
asks us to train, “to get in shape”, so that we can face every
situation in life undaunted, bearing witness to our faith. How
do we get in shape? By talking with Him: by prayer, which is
our daily conversation with God, who always listens to us. By
the sacraments, which make his life grow within us and
conform us to Christ. By loving one another, learning to
listen, to understand, to forgive, to be accepting and to help
others, everybody, with no one excluded or ostracized. Dear
young people, be true “athletes of Christ”!
Pre Season Meeting - Agenda
• Our Overall Purpose
• Overriding Rule of Archdiocesan Athletic Programs
• Visions and Guiding Principles of a Catholic Faith Based
Sports Program
• How Do Catholic Values Come Alive?
• Four Building Blocks for Catholic Youth Sports
• Program Standards
• Coaching Requirements and Standards
• Home Court and Game Dates
• Practices & Facilities
• Scorebook and Game Clock/Scoring
• League & St. Teresa CYO Webpages
• Day of Service
Our Overall Purpose
Our purpose is to provide an opportunity for young people
to play sports by participating in any or all of the programs
in a county structured environment, which works closely
with the individual parish teams. We are here to foster the
development of the whole child in the sense of a sound
mind in a sound body. The aim is to develop the physical
well being of our youth and to develop and have particular
athletic skills. We emphasize the importance of a
Christian atmosphere, one in which the players, coaches
and fans will be able to see Christ reflected in each other.
We aim to do this in the most pleasant and safe
surroundings available and with the complete cooperation
and support of those adults who share our aims for our
young people.
The Overriding Rule of Our Athletic
Programs in the Archdiocese
We are all working with young people. Although there are
specific and thorough guidelines named herein, we always
are within the general rule that all of our actions are to be
guided by the common sense rules of fair play. Also, it
makes our jobs easier if we constantly keep in mind that
we are here for the youth as models of Jesus Christ to be
emulated.
Vision and Guiding Principles of a
Catholic Faith-Based Sports Program
• PLACING FAITH & FAMILY FIRST
• CONTRIBUTING TO THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN THE
WORLD
• ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH
COMMUNITY
• DEVELOPING CHARACTER, SPORTS SKILLS AND GOOD
SPORTSMANSHIP
• PROMOTING HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF
YOUNG PEOPLE - The health, well-being, and wellrounded growth and development of young people are
paramount.
Catholic Values Come Alive in
Catholic Youth Sports
• In Catholic Youth Sports programs, emphasis rests not
on the number of games won or lost, but on the
participants' attitude in victory or defeat. Learning how
to lose is just as important as learning how to win.
Learning how to win graciously is more important than
winning itself.
• Catholic Youth Sports programs serve the needs of all
youth and reflect the diversity of the community. They
enable the gifted to excel, the less gifted to participate
and improve. "Star" athletes and teams do not receive
exclusive attention.
• Principles of fair play and sportsmanship must govern
every game.
Four Building Blocks for Catholic
Youth Sports
1. Sports as Youth Ministry
Catholic parish and school athletic programs must be
intentionally connected with the mission and values of the
Gospel. When understood in this context sports become
part of the overall parish ministry to, with, by and for
young people. This connects your sports programs with
the basic mission and values of your school or parish. An
essential question is this: How does your Catholic youth
sports program enhance, animate, or violate the mission
and values of your parish or school?
Four Building Blocks for Catholic
Youth Sports
2. Coach as Youth Minister
When sports are rooted in the mission and values of your
school/parish, the Coach becomes a youth ministry leader
who is ministering to young people on behalf of the faith
community. In this context the coach needs to have the
gifts and abilities to fulfill this ministry as well as being
open to the training and accountability required to serve
the youth and families entrusted to her/his care
Four Building Blocks for Catholic
Youth Sports
3. Team as Christian Community
Among the many terrific benefits of being on a Catholic
athletic team is the opportunity to learn first hand what it
means to be part of a Christian community in a personal
way. This relates to how the young people and coaches
live Christian values of caring, forgiving, encouraging,
settling conflicts peacefully, supporting, loving, and
challenging each other. The team experience is where
Christian faith is lived in practical ways that connects the
individual and team with basic Gospel values and beliefs.
Four Building Blocks for Catholic
Youth Sports
4. Parents as Partners
It is commonly lamented that parents are a big problem in
youth sports. Stories abound that support such a claim.
Yet in Catholic sports programs we recognize that parents
need to be as fully engaged as possible in helping to work
as active partners to foster the best of what Catholic
youth sports is about. This requires active work with
parents to identify what is and is not acceptable in
Catholic youth sports while working together to always
keep the value of the child growing in faith as central to
all considerations.
Program Standards
• Standards - core drills and skills that will be used at all
clinics, training sessions, and team practices.
Standards are critical for these additional reasons:
– Fully Leverage our Gym Time;
– Coach Coverage;
– Learning - older siblings/parents can contribute to
instruction if we all understand the plan;
– Coach Training;
– Volunteer Training.
• Overall, we want to implement standards so that all
players are taught certain core basics.
Acceptable Standards of Coaching
Behavior
• Set a good example for participants and fans to follow,
exemplifying the highest moral and ethical behavior.
• Respect the judgment of officials and abide by the rules
of the event.
• Treat opposing coaches, participants, and fans with
respect.
• Instruct participants in sportsmanship and demand they
display good sportsmanship; Coach in a positive
manner, reflecting Christian values.
• Remain seated on the bench at all times except in the
instances in the National Federation for Catholic Youth
Sports Rulebook.
Coaching Eligibility
To be an eligible coach in the Archdiocese of Newark the
coach MUST have completed the following:
• Attended and completed a Protecting God’s Children
Class
• Have a volunteer application on file at the Parish or
School they are coaching at
• Had a Background Screen done on them at the Parish or
School they are coaching at
• Attended and completed the Rutgers S.A.F.T.Y Clinic.
Home Court – St. Joseph’s Hall @ CSE
Home Game Dates (6 per Team)
12/07 - 2-8 PM (6 hours)
12/14 - 2-8 PM (6 hours)
12/21 - 2-8 PM (6 hours)
12/28 - noon to 8 PM (Holiday Event w/ Corpus Christi)
01/04 - 2-8 PM (6 hours)
01/11 - 5:30-8:30 PM (3 Hours)
01/18
01/25
02/01
02/08
-
2-8 PM (6 hours) (MLK Weekend)
2-8 PM (6 hours)
5:30-8:30 PM (3 Hours)
5:30-8:30 PM (3 Hours)
02/15 - 2-8 PM (6 hours) (President's Day Weekend)
Practices and Facilties
• Oak Knoll and Oratory Prep have made their gyms
available to St. Teresa CYO
• Practices will either be Monday or Wednesday nights
• Additional practices/clinics @ Rec. Ctr. or Summit
Schools (e.g., if OK or OP unavailable that week)
Rules for Practices:
1. Wear Practice Jersey;
2. Arrive on time but not too early;
3. Ensure a coach is there to supervise;
4. Players must take/dispose of all they bring;
5. Pick up on time;
6. Treat the Facilities w/ Respect
Scorebook & Time/Scorekeeping
For all Home Games, we need parent/sibling (HS)
volunteers to:
1. Keep the Official Scorebook
2. Run the scoreboard/clock
Please let your coach know when you can volunteer
A coach or I can sign a HS student form for volunteer
hours if the perform one of these duties.
League Website & Rules
The Union County CYO league uses a specific website to
post contact numbers, schedules, results, etc. The
address is www.leaguelineup.com/uccyo
League Specific Rules can all be found on the league
lineup page the Union County CYO league uses
www.leaguelineup.com/uccyo
• Rules for our teams are - JV/Varsity Boys and Girls
St. Teresa CYO Webpage
Uniforms
We will use the following uniforms:
1. Maroon and White revisable uniforms identical to last
season. Newly ordered jerseys will have “St. Teresa”
Can use the uniform from last season if it fits
Can use the uniform of a sibling but must tell me the #
Jerseys ($38) and shorts ($25) can be purchased
separately
2. Practice jerseys ($15) – reversible and numbered
Fall Team players can use the same practice jersey
All uniforms must be ordered @ Thompson Sporting Goods
522 Morris Avenue, Summit (908)273-0660
Uniform #s – e-mail top three choices
Day of Service
The Program will schedule a Day of Service for all players
to participate.
• 7th/8th Graders – volunteer @ Food Bank. We plan to bus.
Need five or more coach/parent chaperones
• 5th/6th Graders – make bag lunches for Bridges at a
location on the Parish Grounds
Saturday January 11th @ 8 AM Sharp is planned DOS.
Thank You For
Joining Us
Tonight – Best of
Luck This
Season!