Fathers can be found in neighborhood parks, playing catch with their sons and daughters.

They’re on the sidelines coaching. They’re in the stands or behind the dugout videotaping games. They’re cheering, always.

With Father’s Day approaching, area players and coaches shared stories about their fathers— or being dads.

Brett Hall played for her father, Rob, on the Oak Park High girls’ basketball team this season. The Eagles had their best finish in years, reaching the CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA playoff semifinals.

“It means a lot to me knowing he’s my No. 1 fan and supporter,” said Hall, who graduated on Wednesday.

“I can’t remember, since I was little, of a time where one of my parents wasn’t at my game. He was always there supporting me.”

It hasn’t always been easy.

For the first semester last fall, Hall saw her dad in Advanced Placement government, at basketball practice and at home.

“It got a little frustrating at times,” said Brett Hall, who also starred for the OPHS softball squad. “We definitely didn’t get along too well at the beginning of the season.

“One night, after a rough game, we came home and sat down for an hour and talked about it. It was pretty emotional. I tended to give him attitude and he tended to be harder on me than the other girls. We talked about compromising in order to make it better for the rest of the team. It worked out well. I wouldn’t have rather had anyone else coach our team.”

Hall has always been close to her dad.

“Throughout my life, my dad’s been my role model,” she said. “I look up to him so much, and we’re really close.”

Dalton Saberhagen, a standout senior pitcher for Calabasas, found it easy to fall in love with baseball.

His father, Bret, won a World Series and Cy Young Award in the major leagues.

“He’s a great role model for me,” said Dalton Saberhagen, who’s bound for Tennessee. “He never forced me to play. I just love doing it.

“The most important thing he taught me is, whatever you aspire to do, be the best you can at it and have fun.”

One of Saberhagen’s fondest moments was “shagging” fly balls at Fenway Park when his dad played for the Boston Red Sox.

“Before a couple of games, I got on the field and to ‘shag’ flies,” the Coyote said. “He was always standing right behind to catch it and then throw it to me.”

Former Newbury Park football coach George Hurley directed his father’s lessons to his own sons—Ethan and Ryan— who are also coaching football.

Ryan Hurley is an assistant with the Panthers.

The elder Hurley, a Newbury Park legend, keeps a picture of his father, also George, playing football at Ventura College. The photo dates to 1931, when helmets were made of leather.

“He always had a saying that stuck with me and that I’ve carried on: ‘Play hard, play fair and have fun,’” said Hurley from Catalina Island, where he was enjoying his first week of retirement with his four children, brother and six grandchildren.

“I’ve always used that. That’s what I wanted my teams to do.”

Jonathan Meyer, who starred for Simi Valley’s baseball team, has also been influenced by his father.

When his son was 4, Andy Meyer built a batting cage in the backyard of their home.

“My dad really taught me about mental toughness, playing the game the right way and playing hard every day,” said Meyer, who plays for the Lexington Legends, a Class-A team in the Houston Astros system.

Lance Martin, head coach of the Simi Valley football team, lives 10 minutes away from his father, Jerry, in Thousand Oaks.

The younger Martin starred at football and baseball with the Lancers. Although Jerry Martin never coached his son, he instilled valuable principles of hard work and commitment.

“He showed me how to do things the correct way,” Lance Martin said. “He would never allow me to miss practice. I had to give 100 percent, be a good teammate and do all the little things.

“In the long run, as you get older, you understand the importance of those things. They mean a lot.”

Newbury Park boys’ basketball head coach Jeff Perrault learned about discipline from his father, Michael, a former military officer.

“You could take anything a father says and apply it to life and sports,” Perrault said. “Every sport requires discipline, dedication, commitment, accountability and respect.

“One of the biggest things my father talked about was taking care of the people you work with. I work with kids, and I try to nurture and mentor them.”

Perrault, a hard-nosed guard for TOHS’ hoops team, inherited his scrappiness from his pop.

“One thing I get from my dad is resilience,” he said. “He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior. That’s in my blood.”

Moorpark football head coach Tim Lins coached his sons Jake and Vernon with the Musketeers.

“On one hand, it’s a unique experience to work with your son out there and spend as many quality hours as you can. But there are challenges, too,” Lins said. “It was definitely worth it.”

Although player and coach get engrossed in the action of a hectic season, little moments stand out.

“Being able to make eye contact in the heat of the battle—that was always important,” Lins said. “It’s good to have those moments with dads and sons.”

Stacey Kelly, a star on Royal’s boys’ volleyball team, learned about the joy of competition from his father, Dennis.

“He’s a very competitive guy,” said Kelly, who will study civil engineering at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. “I see that and I try to do the same. I always try and win. He’s never coached me, but he’s always been to my events.

“He’s always been there for me.”