Thank you for taking the time to look into how you can help Meridian PAL Baseball!
First, let’s get some specifics out of the way. We run a national background check on all of our coaches (head and assistants). Because we need to run a background check on you, and because you will be in a leadership position with children, you must be at least 18 years of age to be a coach. And, yes, if you are going to be on the field with the kids, you need to have a coaching badge, indicating to the PAL organization and the families of the players that you have passed your background check.
Okay, with that out of the way, here are the volunteer positions we need filled to make the season go…
-- Coach. Every team needs at least one coach, but if you’ve ever tried to keep the attention of more than one child, you know that the more coaches you have, the better it is for everyone. We are delighted when a team has an assistant coach (or two or three). We try very hard to offer one or two coaching training sessions before the season to help you, especially if you’ve never coached before. You also have the help of a league director on whom you may call with questions and/or concerns. You are not alone! We are here to help make your season as pleasant as possible. Please fill out a Coach Application
-- Team Parent. The coach (or, hopefully, coaches) will be busy working with the kids on the field, so the team parent is vital because for a lot of kids, organized sports are really all about the snack. The team parent, or parents, helps organize the off-field items like:
- Keeping a list of who is bringing snacks for the team
- Taking the lead in planning any after season party (optional)
- Working with parents if there is to be any end of season certificate, trophy or medal for the kids (optional)
-- Umpire. Our 13U league keeps score and plays under Little League rules. The home team for each game must provide an umpire.
-- Board Member. We currently have a 10 member board, which is fantastic, but we’re always looking for people who are passionate about kids playing baseball and want to help. Our board meets monthly, though we’re not too busy from July through November, and often are able to skip a month or two.
