This applies to U12 and up, and teams who practice on fields with the full size, locked up, and movable goals.

The key message is:

 o Take personal responsibility for unlocking goals 
   on the soccer fields, and locking up goals when you 
   are done.

 o Keep combinations confidential, from your players, and 
   from other field users.

 o Never leave goals out, unless you are sure the next group
   has an arrangement with the City to use the field.

Here is a longer discussion:

The system of movable goals, stored off the fields is new
this year for most of our fields, and we have not done a good 
job letting you know the motivations and expectations 
for this change.

There are several benefits to storing goals off the field:

 o Practices will not automatically take place in front of 
   permanent goals, and wear out the space in front of the
   goal.

 o All soccer users must sign up with the city, preventing
   ad-hoc groups from using the fields, especially in rainy
   weather.  If you want to hold a soccer game on a Palo Alto
   field, with one of these goals, you must sign up and be 
   responsible.

 o The net result is that we hope the fields will be in better
   condition through the season, giving high use areas like the 
   field center circles and goal boxes rest during the week.

We see from Jordan, where this system has been in use for a few
years, that the fields end up in much better condition.

What does this mean for field users -- anyone using fields with
shared goals, like Greer, JLS, Jordan, Cubberley, and Terman:

 o Different clubs are "responsible" for different fields, but
   all fields are shared, and the clubs have to let each other
   know all the lock combinations, so we can schedule AYSO on 
   Saturday, PASC and SSC on Sunday, and share fields.

 o Goal combinations must be kept confidential.  
 o Goal combinations must be kept confidential !!!
 
   As a coach, please take personal charge of the combinations, 
   and do not share them with players.   

   After you unlock a goal, try to change the combination on the
   lock.  The nicer Master locks let you change the number after
   you unlock the lock (and still lock it later), so you can leave
   the lock unlocked without leaving the combination on the lock.

   (I know this does not work for most of the cheaper net-box locks.)

 o Do not leave out goals when you are done.  Put them away, to 
   the storage location on the field.  Do not leave them out for
   casual games!  Do not give out lock combos to casual groups
   so they can borrow the field!  

 o It is a serious safety hazard to leave un-anchored goals 
   on the field when you leave.  Goals must be chained up to a fence 
   to keep them from being climbed on and accidently tipped.
   
 o If the combinations become commonly known, to every recreational
   player who needs to borrow goals for a pick-up game, then the 
   clubs will just change the combinations, and we will have to 
   go through the process of sending out new combinations to 
   authorized users.  Better to keep the numbers to ourselves.