It's Bigger than the Game

BPALL expectations of our coaches are necessarily high. As parents and guardians, we entrust the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our children to you for at least a few hours each week. But a coach’s actions and example can influence a child’s development and trajectory—as an athlete, but more importantly, as a person—far beyond the field.

As such, we look for specific qualities in our coaches and ask that they embody the virtues of the BPALL program.

Coaching Qualities

• Places the safety and well-being of the children first. Possesses a passion for and working knowledge of the game and the commitment to remain a student of the game.
• Patience. To quote Coach Dan Ventrelle (Lafayette LLL, CA), it is the number one virtue of a coach. “Children do not have the attention span/discipline of adults and need to be constantly reminded about technique and sportsmanship. Coaches need patience to work with a large group of children who may be at different levels of expertise.”
• Committed to creating a culture of respect; for each other, opponents, coaches, umpires, families, the game, the fields and environment—everything.
• Understands the proper balance between player/team development and fun.
• Believes that leadership is best administrated by example.

Virtues of BPALL – what we teach our players

• Respect – for selves, others, community and environment
• Teamwork – working towards a collective goal
• Sportsmanship – how to compete, win and lose with grace
• Trust and the belief that everyone has a job to do
• Hard work – an indispensable virtue in life and critical for overcoming adversity
• Competition – pushes us to grow and excel
• Loyalty

What we should all ask of our players…

• Always pay attention
• Always try your very best
• Never give up…on anything