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Armonk Soccer Club

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AYSO WiKi

Becoming a Coach

To become an AYSO coach, you must be certified in the age level you are coaching. No certification = no coaching so please take care of these 4 steps! No exceptions.

Certification requires four easy steps of you:

Apply as a volunteer on this website (5 minutes).
1. If you are a returning coach, this is still required.
2. This will trigger a background screening check by our national organization, each year, which is why a SSN is required.
3. An AYSO member year is from August 1 to July 31
Complete the AYSO Safe Haven™ training course online on http://www.aysou.org (1 hour)
Complete the CDC Concussion Awareness training course online on www.aysou.org (30 minutes)
Register for, and attend/complete, the age-specific AYSO soccer coach training course for the division you are coaching. It's only a few hours but it will equip you to deal with children and teach them soccer consistent with their age. At the soccer coaching course, you are provided a brand new Coaching Manual that provides you with training plans and activities for the age you are coaching. At the coaches meeting (before the season), you are provided with equipment and a coaches shirt if you are certified, and a roster of players/parents to contact as you start the season.
Be authorized by the Region as a coach. Your application to coach may be rejected for any reason by the Regional Board, and is subject to renewal each season. You are not a coach until you are authorized by the Regional Board, even if you have applied and taken the requisite training. Your prior actions as a parent and/or coach may be taken into account as part of the authorization or renewal process at the sole discretion of the Regional Board. Coaching is a privilege and not a right.

As you conduct the season as a coach, please implement the following best practices:

Hold a kick-off meeting for your own team to set expectations, educate your parents about AYSO, and layout your plans for the season.
Prepare for and coach your team's games and run your team practices:
- This is the fun part that you do with your kids! Thanks for coaching!
- Do whatever it takes to be a positive coach (help parents, help players, schlep equipment, send emails, make phone calls, print & carry the necessary forms, etc.)
- Be an outstanding AYSO role model for your kids and parents (practice all AYSO philosophies).
Evaluate your players at the end of the season, enter their rankings into the player tracking system (so we can balance teams next season)
Distribute trophies and encourage continued participation in soccer!

Being a Coach

The AYSO training and manuals are a coaches primary source for information.

Coaches are encouraged to supplement their education by considering the following resources that have been recommended by our regional Coach Administrators. All Coaches are expected to deliver the AYSO program as outlined in the manual.

10 tips for coaching the little ones

From Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America
The most recent time I heard the question: "I got recruited to coach my kid's soccer team. Any Advice?", it came from the parent of a 6 year old. It prompted me to put the answer in writing, based on some of the best insight I've gotten from coaches and players I've interviewed and observed over the years

If all you do is set up goals and have them play as much soccer as possible during that hour of practice -- you’re doing a good job.
Familiarize yourself with the various age-appropriate games/exercises to facilitate individual skills -- but don’t use ones that bore the kids. And if it takes more than a minute for 6-year-olds to comprehend the activity -- it’s the wrong one. (In other words, plan your practice but be ready to improvise.)
No lines, no laps, no lectures.
Enjoy yourself! If for some reason you’re grumpy, act like you’re enjoying yourself. Kids pick up on body language and you’ll get the best out of them if they sense you like being their coach.
Greet each player when they arrive in a way that lets them know you’re happy to see them.
Always end practice on an upbeat, happy note. (Even if they drove you absolutely crazy).
See the game through the children's eyes. This will remind you that your main objective is helping them discover the joys of soccer. And not to expect a 6-year-old to play like a 16-year-old!
Do not yell instructions at them! Do not coach from the sidelines during games! This interferes severely in their learning process. It also makes you look rather silly -- an adult screaming at 6-year-olds while they’re playing.
Sit down during games, instead of prowling the sidelines, which only creates tension that unnerves your players.
Always have a first-aid kit (including ice-packs) with you.