Rules
5U - 6U
Coaches: You may coach as normal. However, Silent Saturday is an opportunity to be mindful about how much direction / "joystick coaching" you are doing during a typical game. Are you able to manage the game, rather than coaching every moment?
Spectators: You may cheer, however we encourage you to participate in the spirit of Silent Saturday and eliminate any sideline coaching (which you should not be doing anyway), and simply cheer what happened, rather than telling players what to do. If you can support your players through just applauding, please do so.
7U - 8U
Coaches: You may provide instruction on the field to players that need support. Be mindful of the spirit of Silent Saturday, and try to minimize how much joystick coaching you are doing. If you have a team that can handle it, use this as an opportunity to "just let them play" and see how they do. If they need support, go ahead and provide it.
Spectators: You may applaud/clap. Please no noise-makers or horns.
10U
Coaches: Ideally, we want 10U coaches to follow the rules of Silent Saturday, but we recognize this is early in the season and some teams may need more support, so we allow slightly more "coaching" than Silent Saturday expects. Be as quiet as possible, and "coach" as little as possible during game play. (This is a great chance to be mindful of how much "over-coaching" you may normally be doing.) If you have less experienced players who need support, you may calmly and quietly talk to them on the field, but please do so without yelling. Use this as an opportunity to encourage leadership in players who are ready to lead the team.
Spectators: You may applaud/clap. Please no noise-makers or horns.
12U and up
Coaches: We ask you do not provide any direction - verbal or non-verbal - to players who are on the field. Speak to the team before the match, at substitution breaks and at halftime as you normally do. During the match, speak quietly to players on the bench about the game. If required, quietly call a player on the field over to the touchline to provide tactical instruction. Then let them convey the message to the team.
Spectators: You may applaud/clap. Please no noise-makers or horns.
All Players
While on the field, you are encouraged to speak to each other as normal. Continue to support and provide direction to each other, as you have in the past. Players on the bench should may not be used as a megaphone or substitute for their coaches tactical instruction.
Referees
For this special day, referees are asked to monitor the spectators' and coaches' adherence to these guidelines and to offer gentle reminders if the recommendations are not being followed. Continue to verbalize often during the game as you normally do. You are there to help the players have a safe, fair and fun time.