Adults as Coaches on the field

[David Brinza]

The subject of adult coaches is also discussed in this FAHA thread.

I doubt FIRST will create a rule requiring/forbidding adult coaches, just as they won't tell teams that robots must be 100% student built.

Now that you've got my attention, here's my take:

An adult coach can bring stability to a team that a student cannot. Authority and experience are big factors in effective leadership. All high school sports teams (football, basketball, soccer, baseball) have adult coaches whose performance is of keen interest to the school. Win/loss records often determine whether they stay or go. There isn't that kind of pressure on FIRST teams (or at least not yet), but consistent, "good" teams are well-known and respected by the broad FIRST community. The investment of time, money, and talent in FIRST is worth putting a team's best capability on the field to make good decisions in a match. In most cases, an adult mentor is more qualified to assume that responsibility.