GREATER FORT ERIE YOUTH SOCCER CLUB COACH S MANUAL

GREATER FORT ERIE YOUTH SOCCER CLUB COACH S MANUAL 2013

1 WELCOME TO COACHING You have now entered a very rewarding and challenging time. As a coach you will become one of the most influential people in your player s young lives. You are an important role model with an opportunity to teach this group of kids how to work as a team while having fun. They will learn from you how to respect each other as individuals, to work together as a team, to learn and improve their sport specific skills and all the while have fun doing it. You can do it! Remember to be organized, set standards, be enthusiastic, look the part and most importantly.. Have fun out there! COACHING OBJECTIVES: For many of the first year coaches, the following are some guidelines to assist you and your team during the season. These are only the minimums that are anticipated within each division. ASSISTANT COACHES are encouraged to participate in planning, practice and assisting in the games. Also, look for future travel or senior players, or players that might want to coach younger division next year. Use set plays and use your assistant coaches in all aspects of the game. SQUIRT: 1 Enjoyment, Participation, No scores recorded. 2 Team spirit 3 Sportsmanship 4 Rules Mini Soccer 5 Practice 60 minutes a week 6 Teach them: the importance of warm ups, building stamina and speed, basic ball control, passing, shooting and dribbling skills, understanding basic rules. ATOM: 1. Enjoyment, Participation 2. Sportsmanship 3. Team spirit 4. Rules Mini Soccer 5. Practice 60 minutes a week 6. Teach them: each practice use warm ups, build speed, stamina, shooting skills, heading etc. should become thoroughly knowledgeable of basic rules and possibly one or more set plays. UNDER 12 / 15 : 1. Enjoyment 2. Sportsmanship 3. Team spirit 4. Rules ALL FIFA soccer rules 5. Practice 60 minutes a week 6. Teach them: each practice use warm ups, build speed, stamina, home in on passing and heading skills, teach the soccer rules thoroughly, Off-sides will now be in play on the full field starting with U-12. The number of set plays will depend on players and coaches ability. Formations, offence plays, mid field and defensive plays should be tried and used. UNDER 18 1. Enjoyment 2. Sportsmanship 3. Team spirit 4. Rules ALL FIFA Soccer Rules. Players in this division, should know, understand, follow and accept all rules of the game. 5. Practice 60 minutes 6. Teach them: each practice use warm ups, build speed, stamina, home in on and sharpen passing, shooting and heading skills, teach the soccer rules thoroughly, the number of set plays will depend on players and coaches ability. Offence plays mid field and defensive plays should be tried and used. 1

2 *REMEMBER THIS IS A GAME FOR THE KIDS TO LEARN THE GAME OF SOCCER, AND THE YOUNG REFEREES TO LEARN THEIR CRAFT AS OFFICIALS. *ENCOURAGE BOTH YOUR OWN TEAM, AND THE OPPOSING TEAM, AND THE REFEREE. * TALK TO YOUR CONVENOR IF YOU ARE UNCLEAR ABOUT A RULE OR TO REPORT CONCERNS ABOUT OFFICIALS OR OPPOSING COACHES SPECIAL NOTE: O.S.A, N.S.A, and Town of Fort Erie have a NO SMOKING POLICY ON FEILDS - THEIR WILL BE NO SMOKING BY ANY ONE ON THE SOCCER FIELDS and TOWN PROPERTY. PLAYING TIME: Coaches are required to play all players. (a minimum of 50 % time on the field ) The purpose of house league play is to develop soccer skills. You cannot develop skills if you are not playing. Everyone must play at least half of the game time. GAME CANCELLATIONS: The referee is the only person who is authorized to cancel a game due to field or weather conditions. He will render his decision when he inspects the field. ALL TEAMS MUST REPORT TO THE FIELD. In the event of no referee, this will revert to the mutual agreement of the coaches. MAKE-UP GAMES: If a game has been cancelled by the referee, both coaches are requested to inform the division convener of the cancellation. The convenor and referee co-ordinator will reschedule the make up game, in consultation with our scheduler. Your make-up game must be played within 2 weeks of the postponement. AUGUST MAKE-UP GAMES MUST BE PLAYED DURING THE WEEK THAT IT IS CANCELLED. Generally, Friday nights are available for your game. COACHING EQUIPMENT: Each coach will be provided with a net bag, soccer balls, a goalie jersey, a first aid kit, and corner poles (2) (or pylons) All of these items must be returned promptly at the end of the season to your Convenor, or a Director of the club, AT THE END OF THE POST SEASON TOURNAMENT. RATING SHEET: All coaches will be given rating sheets in mid season. You are required to rate all of your players for the purpose of balancing the teams for the following playing season. No one wants a weak team, so please help the registrar and convenors to balance the teams. Please be fair in your assessment. Please deliver your rating sheets to your Division Convenor. REGISTERED PLAYERS: Any unregistered players that approach you to play must be referred first to the REGISTRAR. You are not permitted to play an unregistered player. Only players on your official roster may be on the field for your games. Unregistered players are uninsured players. LINESMEN: Linesmen will be provided for some divisions and travel games. Please advise players and parents they are NOT to stand on the side (touch) line. Players on the bench must remain on the player s bench area within 10 yards from the center line. They are not permitted to roam up and down the side line. COMPLAINTS/COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: Complaints must be in writing and sent to the Division Convenor. Examples: Conduct of players, coaches, assistant coaches, managers, spectators. Complaints about referee performance are to be directed to the Referee Co-ordinator listed in this manual. Coaches are expected to set a good example by showing good conduct, and by not being abusive or using foul language. This is recreational soccer, not a World Cup scene. Coaches like players are subject to discipline by a Committee of the Club. 2

3 MINIMUM NUMBER OF PLAYERS: A minimum of 7 players are required to start a game. For mini soccer the minimum is 5 players to start a game. The referee will be expected to start the game once he is aware that you have a minimum of 7 or 5 players. If you do not have enough players after 15 minutes of grace, the match will be awarded to the opposing team. It is suggested that any time a team is short players that you consider matching the same number of players that the other team has. It is not required. NOTE REASON: You could be penalizing your own players playing time BLOW OUTS: It is recommended when you have attained a 3 goal lead that you temporarily retire your superior players so that undesirable blow outs do not occur. If you have few or no subs, move your superior players to the back field. Generally speaking, a 4 goal spread may indicate that unfair tactics may have been used. In the interest of fair play, NO SCORE WILL BE RECORDED BY A MARGIN GREATER THAN 3 GOALS. Example; SCORE OF 5 1 WILL BE RECORDED AS 4 1. EXHIBITION GAMES: House league teams are not permitted to play out of town teams without the permission of the GFEYSC Board of Directors. If you want to play out of the province you must obtain permission from the Board a minimum of 40 days prior to the game. The club has to obtain permission of the Niagara Soccer Association, which in turn, requests permission of the Ontario Soccer Association. REPORT OF SCORES: Scores must be emailed in to the Division Convenor (except for squirt and pre-squirt) within 48 hours of a game, or forfeit the win. BOTH COACHES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CALLING IN THE SCORE. (a parent may be assigned this duty if a computer is not available to the coach.)a game sheet will be signed by both coaches and the referee. The referee will return this sheet to the soccer club. We have website deadlines to meet and if the score is not called in, your team may not be correctly shown online. REBALANCING TEAMS: Teams may be rebalanced if they are found to be too strong or too weak in order to make a more competitive division. These changes will be made at any time during the season. Please understand the purpose of this is to give all teams an equal chance to compete. REFEREE S ROLE There will be a referee assigned to each game. The referee will administer the laws of the game with instruction to the players, just as in other divisions. He will concentrate on teaching the rules of the game, as well as calling the game. Your co-operation with the referee is requested. These laws of the game are designed to develop cohesion between the coaches and the referees. Throughout these pages the phrase in the opinion of the referee refers to all laws and THE REFEREE HAS FINAL SAY IN ALL DECISIONS. These decisions are made by what the referee is allowed to see, his angle of the play, his knowledge of the rules and his judgment of fair play. As coaches, your angle of vision of play will be different from that of the referees, therefore, you might see something that the referees didn t for various reasons. DON T CHASTISE HIM FOR FAILING TO CALL SOMETHING THAT HE MOST LIKELY COULDN T SEE. NEW REFEREES: This year there will be some new referees who have recently completed an Ontario Soccer Association Referee Clinic. We request your patience with the new referees. Please feel free to call your Referee Co-ordinator to express your complaints or compliments about referee performance. We need to know where referee performance is not acceptable. Please do not ride the referee when errors occur. We know that we can educate our referees to become excellent referees. We request your comments and your patience. 3

4 EQUIPMENT: ALL PLAYERS MUST WEAR SHIN GUARDS UNDER SOCCER SOCKS NO PLAYER SHALL WEAR DANGEROUS HEAD GEAR ONLY GOALIES CAN WEAR HARD BRIM HAT NO JEWELRY IS PERMITTED ON THE FIELD. TAPE TO COVER A PIERCING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. HARD PLASTER CASTS ARE CONSIDERED TO POSE A DANGER TO BOTH THE WEARER AND OTHER PLAYERS AND ARE NOT PERMEITTED TO BE WORN. THE PRACTCE OF PADDING A HARD PLASTER CAST DOES NOT REDUECE THE ELEMENT OF DANGER. PLAYERS SHALL NOT WEAR ANYTHING WHICH IS DANGEROUS TO ANOTHER PLAYER. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT FOLLOW SAFTY RULES CAN BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE FIELD OF PLAY AT THE DESCRETION OF THE REFEREE. COACHES MUST WEAR COACHES SHIRTS AT ALL GAMES SQUIRT (U-8) mini soccer rules size 4 ball Seven (7) players a side ( minimum of 5 players) 2/25 minute halves 2 chances at throw-ins, demonstrate when necessary and if not correct after second try, award to opposing team No Offside Substitutions at goals, goal kicks, throw-ins, or injury Do not allow coaches to take too long on substitutions Penalty kicks 1 step in from center of outside penalty area Stop play immediately if you suspect an injury. After stoppage the injured player may be substituted. No records of game to be kept ATOM (U-10) mini soccer rules size 4 ball Seven (7) players a side ( minimum of 5 players) 2/ 30 minute halves 1 chance at throw ins No Offside Substitutions at goals, goal kicks, throw-ins, or injury Substitutions to be done at half field Do not allow coaches to take too long on substitutions Penalty kicks 1 step in from center of outside penalty area Stop play immediately if you suspect an injury. After stoppage the injured play may be substituted. UNDER 12 size 4 ball Regular rules 2/35 minute halves Eleven (11) players a side (minimum 7 players) 1 chance at throw ins Substitutions at goals, goal kicks, own throw-in, or injury Penalty kicks 12 steps from the goal line Substitutions must be made from half Play is stopped immediately for any injury. Injured player must be substituted 4

5 UNDER 15 size 5 ball Regular rules 2/35 minute halves Eleven (11) players a side (minimum 7 players) 1 chance at throw ins Substitutions at goals, goal kicks, own throw-in, or injury Penalty kicks 12 steps from the goal line Substitutions must be made from half Play is stopped immediately for any injury. Injured player must be substituted UNDER 18 size 5 ball Regular rules 2/40 minute halves Six (6) players a side 5 players + 1 goalie ( minimum of 4 players) 1 chance at throw ins Substitutions at goals, goal kicks, own throw-in, or injury Penalty kicks 1 step in from center of outside penalty area Substitutions must be made from half Play is stopped immediately for any injury. Injured player must be substituted. PICTURES: Team and Individual pictures will be taken on SATURDAY JUNE 15, 2013 at the leisureplex rain or shine. You will receive a schedule from your convenors showing the time of your team picture. PLEASE HAVE YOUR TEAM ARRIVE ON TIME WITH ENVELOPES READY. THE FINAL DAY YEAR END TOURNAMENT: SATURDAY AUGUST 10, 2013 = Little Stars, U-6 and U-8. SUNDAY AUGUST 11, 2013 = U10, U12, U15 and U18 5

6 EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN: Although serious injuries or accidents are rare, you must be ready to deal with them if and when they occur. As a first step, formal training in first aid and CPR for all team staff will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to deal with emergencies effectively. You should maintain a complete First Aid Kit to help you deal with minor injuries. Develop an Emergency Action Plan and write it down so everyone involved is clear on their responsibilities. Designate key individuals to carry out the plan (ie. The person in charge, and the call person) Person in Charge: The person in charge should be the one who is most qualified in first-aid emergency procedures. This individual will: know what emergency equipment if available at your facility secure a controlled and calm environment assess-and tend to the injured player direct others involved until medical personnel arrive. Call Person: This individual will: keep a record of emergency phone numbers and know the location of telephones in the area. make the telephone call for assistance. guide the ambulance (if required) in and out of the area. Team/Event Emergency Site Person in Charge Ambulance Police Name of Player Injured Details of Action Taken Notification of Greater Fort Erie Soccer Club Director Name Date 6

7 INTERESTED IN SERVING THE SOCCER CLUB If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Fort Erie Youth Soccer Club or assisting the Club in its functions, please contact any convenor or board member for more information. You do not have to be on the board to assist the club in it s functions. Each year, the following positions need to be filled in order for the program to function efficiently: Recreation Co-ordinator (liaison with Town Rec. Dept) Awards/Trophies Scheduler Referee Co-ordinator Tournament Chairperson Publicity and Stats. Coach and Coach Development Sponsorship Co-ordinator Social Co-ordinator Division Convenors The Club generally meets once a month in May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, and February, and twice a month in March and April If you feel you can help the Club, please come to the Annual General Meeting and express your desire, or speak to one of the directors on the Club. All coaches are urged to attend the Annual General Meeting held each year in November, to express your feelings, vote on changes, and lend direction to the Soccer Club. FORT ERIE SOCCER CLUB EMAIL: administrator@forteriesoccer.com 7