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IMPORTANT TEAM INFORMATION


PARTICIPATION RULES
Like other team activities, FIRST LEGO League has basic ground rules.  Failure to abide by these rules could result in inelibibility for awards at a tournament or other consequences deemed necessary by judges, referees, tournament organizers, FIRST LEGO League partners, Headquarters, or their designated representatives. ​
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GENERAL
  • Teams, coaches and other supporters must demonstrate the Core Values in their actions and activities.
  • Throughout the season, teams need access to the following materials:
    • LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Set
    • Computer or tablet with software to program the robot. (Laptop is recommended.)
  • Throughout the season, teams need access to the following season-specific materials:
    • Challenge Set
    • Documents from the season Engineering Notebook and Team Meeting Guide - also available on www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge:
      • Mission Model Build Instructions (released August 1 of Challenge season year)
      • Missions, Rules, Field Setup (released August 1 of Challenge season year, found in Game Guide)
      • Challenge (released at noon ET on August 1 of the Challenge season year)

COMPETITION RULES
A competitive team is one playing in a FIRST® LEGO® League official event. These additional rules apply:
  • A competitive team consists of a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of ten (10) children. Proper adult supervision is required as described in the FIRST Youth Protection Policy.
  • A team must be registered and fully paid in their national registration system to sign up for official events. Additional event fees may apply.
  • Team members are between the minimum and maximum age allowed in their region.**
  • All work presented at an official event is the work of the children on the team.
  • All team members attending an event are required to participate in all three (3) judging
  • sessions, and be present as a team at the Robot Game matches.
**A Partner may approve an individual’s participation request below or above the age range due to special circumstances or needs.

AWARDS/ADVANCEMENT
A competitive team must meet these additional criteria to be eligible for awards and/or advancement at an official event.
  • Teams are at their first official event of each tournament level for the season. For example, teams are only eligible for awards at the first qualifier they compete in each season.
  • Team members’ work must conform to the parameters and rules outlined in the Challenge and Challenge Guide.

CONSEQUENCES
FIRST® gives authority to volunteers staffing FIRST LEGO League official events to interpret and implement the Participation Rules, guided by global FIRST LEGO League training materials.
  • Teams, coaches and supporters at official events are expected to demonstrate the Core Values.
    • Individuals interfering with, excessively instructing, prompting or heckling a team or volunteer may be asked to leave.
    • Severe infractions of these rules may result in a team’s dismissal from the event. FIRST LEGO League official event volunteers are provided training to identify and respond to these situations (See FIRST Youth Protection Policy)
  • Individuals and/or teams who fail to abide by the Participation Rules may be ineligible for awards at a tournament.

Participation Rules - PDF (updated August, 2020)

COACH RESOURCES


FIRST® CURRICULUM
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COACH ROLES
Mentors and Coaches are individuals from all backgrounds and disciplines who work with students to share their knowledge and guide them through the season. Many Mentors and Coaches contribute on a weekly basis during the program season, or support the team with subject matter expertise on an as needed basis. Teams may have additional or more specialized roles or combine roles as needed. In addition, Mentors help students to embrace FIRST® LEGO® League Core Values.

Job Description:
  • Help the team set realistic goals
  • Facilitate meetings and help the team to coordinate the work
  • Administrative responsibilities such as tournament registration and communication
  • Relay all aspects of FIRST LEGO League guidelines and rules to the team, other Coaches, Volunteers and parents
  • Desire to work with children 9-16 (Ages vary by country)
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YOUTH PROTECTION PROGRAM
Youth Protection Program Resources
FIRST Youth Protection Program Guide
FIRST® Code of conduct
The FIRST mission is to inspire a generation of science and technology leaders who are both gracious and professional. This FIRST Code of Conduct lists some of the basic behaviors  mentors, coaches, volunteers, team members, affiliate partners, contractors, staff, and other participants should adhere to while participating in FIRST activities.
  • Exhibit Gracious Professionalism® at all times. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions.
  • Ensure the safety of all participants in FIRST activities.
  • Not engage in any form of bullying, harassment, use of profane or insulting language, or any actual or threatened violence.
  • Adhere to all FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP) policies.
  • Report any unsafe behavior to event or local FIRST leadership.
Persons who do not comply with this Code of Conduct may be barred from participating in FIRST activities.
trainings in schoology
To view these trainings you must create or sign into an account on Schoology.
Creating an account:
  • “Sign Up” for a FREE “INSTRUCTOR” account
  • NOTE: DO NOT sign up as a “STUDENT”
Joining a course with an access code: Youth Protection Training - course access code: 72S5P-RW23T
  • This training is intended to enable adults working with FIRST teams to recognize situations that may pose a threat to team member safety and take the actions necessary to prevent and report injuries.
New Mentor Training (new for 2019) - course access code: FCW5J-6KKV8
  • This training is for you if:
    • You are a former team member transitioning into a mentor role with your old team;
    • You are a former team member transitioning into a mentor role with a new team;
    • You have worked with a youth serving organization before but are new to FIRST;
    • You have never worked with a youth serving organization before; or
    • You are a veteran mentor and plan on inviting new mentors from any of the above categories to work with you and your team.​
Team safety meeting resources for ages 6-10
More information regarding the Youth Protection screening/clearance process and what to expect:
ENGINEERING DESIGNPROCESS POSTER

ROBOT TABLE


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Official Table Building Instructions (for Competition Tables and Practice Tables): Alternate Plans for Practice Tables (not for Competition Table use):