Upcoming Coach Courses
Course	Date	Time	Location
10U Coach	Saturday, August 5, 2023	8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.	Amana Elementary School
12U Coach	Saturday, August 5, 2023	12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.	Amana Elementary School
6U Coach	Saturday, August 12, 2023	8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.	Amana Elementary School
8U Coach	Saturday, August 12, 2023	12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m.	Amana Elementary School
14U Coach	Saturday, August 26, 2023	8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Amana Elementary School

In addition to the Coach Courses listed above, every Coach, Assistant Coach, and Team Parent MUST be a registered volunteer prior to attending training, and prior to volunteering in any capacity with AYSO. Every Coach must complete online Safe Haven Certification, CDC Concussion Certification & Cardiac Awareness. All training certifications will stay with you for life. Once you are certified to coach a certain level, you will not need to re-certify unless specifically requested by the regional coach administrator. You MUST, however, re-apply as a volunteer on an annual basis each Spring, in order to continue to volunteer with the region. You are welcome to re-certify as many times as you like. Youth volunteers must be 10 years of age or older to attend. All Coaches, Assistant Coaches, and Team Parents should attend ONE mandatory Coach Meeting each Fall, and one mandatory coach meeting each Spring.

If you have any questions regarding coach training or certification, contact the Regional Coach Administrator at [email protected].

To Register or attend class, you must do the following...

• Register as a volunteer coach in the correct division.
  
• Go to the AYSO Training Website - AYSOU.  This is linked from the volunteer tab of your account page when you are logged in.  This site will require a user name and login.  If you are logged in to your Sportconnect registration account, simply clicking on the login button should automatically give you access.
• Choose the In Person Coaching Classes option, and filter down by Region Number (1103).
• Register for the course you plan on attending by clicking the "Register" button
  
• Complete any prerequisites.  You can access these online prerequisites through the AYSOU website - check for "My Classes"
  All Volunteers must complete the following ONE time only...
  • Online Safe Haven (approximately 15 minutes online, including test)
  • CDC Concussion Certification (approximately 20 minutes online)
  • Sudden Cardiac Arrest (approximately 20 minutes online)
    
• All Volunteers must complete Federal Safe Sport Training (2+ hours every 3 years, and a 30 minute refresher in the off years)
• Any 12U and above class will have an online pre-course component that must be completed prior to class.
• Attend Class and coach inspired Soccer!!!!

With your graduation, you will receive access to an age specific coaching e-book.  This book will have all of the information covered in class, and much more.  It will include a 12 week coaching lesson plan, which you may choose to follow, or expand upon based on the needs and abilities of your team.

Please note that Safe Haven, Concussion, and Cardiac Arrest classes are one and done.  You do not have to re-take them every season.  Safe Sport training does need to be renewed every season, and your background check must be renewed on an annual basis as well.

AYSO Rules of the Game is an excellent online refresher of the actual soccer rules.  I would recommend reviewing this online training at least with each new age division, if not every year.  It is a requirement for referees and for intermediate and above coaches.

All coaches must attend ONE of the Mandatory Coach Refresher courses each season.  At these courses, you will be issued a final schedule and roster, uniforms for your players, and equipment bags.  Information on signing up for practice times and locations, and for secondary programs will be available also.  In addition, all rules changes and expectations will be covered.  If you are unable to attend, you must contact the coach administrator at [email protected] and schedule a time to go over the information at another time.  Please be respectful of our busy schedules, and make every effort to attend one of the scheduled refreshers.

Other training such as a 10U Keeper Clinic may also be offered.  Registration for this clinic and others like it will often be through the player registration page as a free event offering.  

Coaches are the foundation of our organization.  We expect our coaches to not only teach soccer, but to teach and mentor children.  We value development over winning, and encourage every child to improve at their own pace.  

A good coach should care about the kids he or she is coaching.  They should be doing it because they enjoy it and because they have something to offer back to all the kids in the neighborhood.  They are coaches because they want to impact and effect these children in a positive fashion.

The AYSO philosophy is that children should have fun while playing soccer, and learn something they can apply beyond the soccer field as well.  We preach and expect good sportsmanship and a positive experience on and off the soccer field.  We try to make our games competitive so that all teams have an opportunity to win and compete every year.  

Coaches are responsible for making sure that winning AND losing are positive learning experiences for the child.  Regardless of the outcome of the game, what did the players do well?  What can they work on to improve at practice?  Did they have fun?  NO child should ever feel like losing a soccer game on a Saturday morning in May is the worst thing in the world, and No child should ever take blame for that loss.  Every child should be allowed to develop and flourish at their own level, grow within the team, and know that they have value on that team.

Soccer experience is NOT required to be a coach.  Soccer knowledge is not required to be a coach.  You can learn everything you need to know about soccer in a few hours.  You will continue to learn how to develop children for your entire life!  If you have the right attitude and dedication to impact our children, please contact the Regional Coach Administrator at [email protected]  for more information, or contact your town representative directly about local coaching opportunities.