Every sideline has them. Nobody wrote them down. Nobody taught them in orientation because there is no orientation. You just show up one day as a new sports parent and somehow, within a few weekends, you know them. Everyone does.
"These rules exist because thousands of sports parents figured out, over thousands of weekends, what makes a sideline work."
— The Sideline Report
Don't coach from the sideline. There is a coach. You are not the coach. The coach knows this. Your kid knows this. The other parents absolutely know this. Act accordingly.
If you set up early, you hold the spots. Early arrival earns real estate. That is the law. It has always been the law.
The person who brings the team snack gets to pick the flavor. No debate. No notes.
Don't park your tent directly in front of someone who was there first. There is enough room. There is always enough room. Spread out.
Cheer for the whole team, not just your kid. It costs nothing and it means everything to the kid whose parent couldn't make it today.
Leave your spot cleaner than you found it. Trash bag. Always a trash bag.
Offer your extra sunscreen. You will need theirs someday. This is not speculation.
Don't talk about the referee. Nothing good has ever come from talking about the referee. Not once. Not in the history of youth sports.
Follow them. Pass them on. The sideline is a community and it only works if everyone treats it like one.