Welcome to coaching AYSO, whether you are a brand new coach or have been a coach for years this packet is designed to guide you through having a successful year. Defining success is not going to be about the wins and losses you have throughout the season, but your ability to create a fun and exciting atmosphere for not only the player, but the parent(s) as well. Your goal for the end of the season should be to have every player talking about how excited they are for next year. Remember this is recreation league soccer and the kids are there to have fun.
Pre-Season The most important part of the season is pre-season. This is where you are able to plan your entire season out before it even starts. The season can be longer than you think especially if you are in U10 division or higher with tournament. It is important to communicate to parents all the possibilities the season can hold. You could potentially be playing in the Championship game which is the last game of the season. If you let parents know upfront this will allow them to schedule future plans around those dates. You don't want to start tournament or play in a championship game and not having the whole team represented. By now you should have gone through your draft and have your roster and assistant coach. Don't wait to call your players! You should start calling the same day of the draft or the next evening. People are busy and can't always respond right away or may be out of town. You don't want to find out a week before the season starts that the player has dropped, moved, or has a bad contact phone number. If you cannot get a hold of a player you need to contact your division coordinator right away.
Making phone calls Your first contact with the parent(s) is very important. Parents have been waiting for this phone call for months anticipating who will be coaching their child. Always introduce yourself as Coach... and tell them you are "player's name" AYSO soccer coach. At this point the parents will be excited you called. Now they want information. Have a list prepared of all the information you can put together. You should have the following, list of important dates from AYSO, practice dates/times, practice location, date of first game if available, equipment list (cleats, shin guards, water, proper weather clothing). Provide the date/time of the first practice and let them know the practice schedule. If you know the game days you can provide that also. As you make your calls you should be looking over your player information sheet for parents who have checked "parent volunteer" or "referee". This is a great time to get parents involved. Remember you have a lot of responsibilities with the team, the more help you get the smoother the season goes. This is also a good time to ask parents if they prefer to get all future communication via email or phone. You will find most parent(s) prefer email and this will speed up your communication. Always verify the email on the player information sheet. You can also ask if they would like to add anybody else to the distribution list, i.e. grandma, grandpa, aunts or uncles etc. If you do not know how to make a distribution list just research it online with your internet search provider. Finally tell all the parents that you will be having a parent meeting 15 minutes prior to the first practice ending and you will be giving them an overview of the entire season and answering any questions they might have.
First Practice/Most Important Practice The first practice of the year sets the tone for the entire year. If parents think you are unorganized or not prepared they will automatically assume you don't know what you are doing. Be first, what this means is be the first one to practice. If you have a practice scheduled at 5:30, don't show up at 5:35 or even 5:25. Try to be there at least 15 minutes early even 30 minutes is best. The message you send by being late will echo throughout the entire season for practices and games. If you are the early you are telling people you mean business and you are serious about what you are doing. Have a practice plan ready prior to your first practice. The first practice tends to be about evaluating what your team and players strength and weakness's will be. You will be competing for field space with other coaches so the earlier you get there the better area you will get. Cone off the area you desire, within the guidelines the division coordinator has communicated with you. This lets the kids know the area they will be working in and more importantly it lets all the other teams know where you are.
Parent Meeting/Recruiting Volunteers Cut the first practice short about 15 minutes. If you are scheduled for 5:30 to 7:00, cut it off and 6:45. Bring all the parents/players together in a group. There is a "Parent Meeting Agenda" which is located at the back of this packet which is an overview of the typical season. Feel free to edit or add whatever you feel works best for your team. As you go through the agenda it will create parent/player questions. It is best to stop and answer the questions at that time. The agenda covers just about everything that happens throughout the season. This is another great time to ask for parent volunteers. You will need the following volunteers to make your season smooth. Certified Parent or Youth Referee (try for at least 2) Team Banner They can make it or buy it. Snack Schedule Important to have snacks after the game Set up/take down of Goals This is a great one for dad s
First Practice Soccer Meeting Agenda Coaches: Head Coach???-???? youremail@charter.net Asst. Coach???-???? youremail@charter.net Five Tenants of AYSO Soccer: Everyone Plays Balanced Teams Open Registration Positive Coaching Good Sportsmanship Be on time, ready to play Player sportsmanship Coach sportsmanship Parent participation Team Motto: Have Fun Play Hard! Practices: Anyday 5:30 pm 7:00 pm @??????? School Someday 7:00 pm 8:30 pm @?????? School (Until games start and we will only practice on Tuesday s) Please call or text???? or???? if you are going to miss a practice or game. Practices will last approx. 60 90 minutes. Players must have:
Shin Guards (mandatory) Size? Soccer Ball with their name written on it Water Bottle Positive Attitude Optional: Soccer cleats (must be soccer and not baseball or football cleats) Canceled Practice: If lightning is spotted anywhere in the Truckee Meadows practice will be canceled. Games: Games will start the end of August and will be on Thursday s and Saturday s. Players are expected to be at the game and ready to play at least 30 minutes before game time. Silent Saturday in September Coaches and parents are allowed to applaud as loudly as possible, however, we expect NO COACHING OR DIRECTIONS. This is time for the girls to coach themselves. Uniforms will be given out when they become available. Uniforms include jersey, shorts, and socks. Soccer parent(s) is needed to create a snack schedule and banner. Tournament: Tournament play begins in October,
To be eligible for the tournament each team must have an assigned referee to ref at least as many games as you play. New this year, each team must have their assigned referee also ref Tournament games. If we are playing three Tournament games then we will need our referee to ref at least three games. Pictures: Pictures will be held in September, time/date is - TBA Parent participation is expected. We will need referees, parents to make the banner, parents to be in charge of the banner(set up & take down), parents to set up and take down the field as well as other tasks. Parents should provide positive encouragement for all the players. Before our first game you will be reminded of the Kids Zone Pledge that you read and signed. Please don t hesitate to pull aside or call?????? or?????? if you have any suggestions or concerns.