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Managing Your Team
Information for Northwestern Soccer Coaches
Your Team:
After children register, there is a lot of activity going into setting up the teams. Once that is done, the coach will get a copy of the children’s registration form with phone contact and medical information listed. It is necessary to have this information available at practices and games in the event a child gets injured or no one shows up at the end of practice. Practice field assignments will be offered by the club and the coach can set the times and days for practices. Remember to consider daylight savings time shifts. You may want to allocate an assistant coach or parent volunteer to be a team manager to make up snack schedule, line the field or any other assistance you might need.
Practice schedules, game directions and how cancellations of either are done should be clear. Info-TEL has been used successfully by many coaches. Info-TEL is a free service for coaches allowing them to make one phone call to relay important information to their team (practice/game cancellations, etc.). The coach’s voice recording can be accessed by parents and players through a local phone number. Coaches interested in using this service should contact the soccer director.
The Children:
For the children each season starts showing up at a field and wanting to play soccer. Their skill levels and backgrounds are naturally different. While the soccer field is not a recess yard, the children may see it that way. Having fun is very important in youth soccer and that fun can be directed through soccer related drills and games. Ask what positions they like or feel good at. This will help you understand how they see themselves. As Coach you can train and move the players with this in mind to keep them well rounded. Make sure you come to the practice prepared with a game plan. Do your homework before hand by getting practice suggestions from books, websites or fellow coaches. Additional resources are available upon request from the soccer director.
Most kids want to learn and want to respect the adult coaching staff. It is important that this gets started early and reinforced along the way. As the children advance, some may want to test the coaching authority. While this is natural it is not encouraged and some progressive correction steps can be considered to bring the child to a coach-able level. This may start by having offenders do laps, move to meeting with parents and removing the child to the sidelines to prevent practice disruptions.
Each season some kids come in from other teams or haven’t played before. Remember them as you reference last season’s practice drills, techniques you think everyone knows, etc. and help them feel part of the new Team this season.
The Parents:
They are looking forward to having their child taught soccer. Their support is important and a first practice meeting is necessary to introduce the coaches, outline how you plan to run the season and what you expect from the kids and the parents. Remember, many problems that occur during the season can be resolved with good communication. It is also important to put a parent face to a child for obvious reasons throughout the season. Parents may want to drop off the players and leave. You’ll need a clear understanding with them how you view this. In some cases this may be seen as child sitting where you can’t leave until the players are retrieved. Take this time to ask for parent volunteers to help with snack, lining the field, etc.
Each Coach tries to prepare a game roster in advance and if a child can’t make it to the game, the Parents need to be asked for consideration in letting you know that in advance. There will be enough going on before the game without re-doing a roster so ask for early arrivals (maybe locking the roster 15 min. before game time can be mentioned as an incentive?).
Nutrition is an important part of a player’s attitude and performance. Good meals a few hours before practice and game time is important. Sugar snacks before and during games and practices shouldn’t be encouraged and some kids get difficult to coach with sugar in their systems.
Coaches:
Coaches are highly, highly encouraged to attend coaching courses and licensing courses. All approved courses will be paid for by the soccer club. Courses may be announced by the soccer director
at the monthly meetings, but coaches are also encouraged to visit the league and EPYSA websites to find courses that work for their schedules.
Coaches are highly encouraged to attend the monthly soccer meetings. This is a great opportunity for information exchange and problem solving. Meetings are usually held the first Thursday of each month at the Rec Fields Office Building in the evening. Check with the Soccer Director for the exact dates and times. Coaches, Co-Coaches and Assistant Coaches must attend mandatory meetings set by the league or Soccer Club. This is where you will obtain very important information regarding game schedules, referee policies, game and referee cancellations policies, and rules of your particular age-group, among other things. If the head coach is unable to attend these meetings, an assistant coach, co-coach or other representative must attend in his/her place. You are responsible for relaying this information to your team and parents.
You’re the volunteer that accepted the call. Your dedication to this community is welcome and needed. The coaching task has many faces. This includes teaching the fundamentals of the game, ball handling techniques and game strategy. It also includes child psychology, good planning skills, parent interaction and keeping a happy disposition through it all. Remember you’re not alone! Assistant or Co- Coaches are great resources to use during practices and games. While one focuses on teaching a drill, the other can 1) teach the other half of the squad, 2) watch for training needs of individuals, 3) keep time of drills for rotations, 4) set-up the next drill so practice flows smoothly, 5) interact with parents on various topics while you keep the practice on track, 6) keep track of game scores and make notes on game topics that can be brought back to practice, etc. They will also be available to cover practices and games in the event you can’t make it for illness, travel, etc. so it is important to keep them aware of what you had planned so they can use that as a basis for making on the spot judgments. Some parents (guys and gals) can also be used as a resource. Some may be willing to help set up cones, act as a goalie for drills, line the fields, etc. Ask and you may be surprised.
The coaching influence doesn’t start and stop with the season. Children you coach this season may come back, move on up or move away. What you teach and support will help (or hurt) the next coach’s efforts. If some players have bad playing habits try to address them and teach them proper technique. Some day you may be the recipient of a player who only knows how to toe the ball…
Assistant Coaches:
You have an important role in supporting the coach, making sure the season runs smoothly and noticing things the coach is too busy to pick-up. Some of the items you can help with are mentioned above in the coach’s section. Remember that some days you’ll be in the back seat and some days you will be in the front seat when the coach isn’t available so it important you know the team’s dynamics.
By being a good observer you may notice some players that need special training on some point. Often times you can work with that player on the side to hone the skill whether it is goalkeeping, trapping, heading, etc. Work with the Coach to develop each team member that otherwise might get lost in the pack.
Resources:
Coaching books (available through the soccer director)
- Youth Soccer Parent/Coach Primer, Basic Philosophy and Techniques of Coaching Young Players
- US Soccer- Assistant Coach Series U6 & U8 Activity Aids for the Parent/Coach
- The Everything Kids Soccer Book- Rules, Techniques and More About Your Favorite Sport
- The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer
- Coaching 6, 7 & 8 Year Olds
- Coaching 9, 10 & 11 Year Olds
- FIFA Laws of the Game, 2002-2003
Coaching Videos
- Coaching Soccer
- Coaching Youth Soccer, Age 6-9
Websites
Manuals
(NOTE: These manuals are large even zipped and require Microsoft Word to read once unzipped..)
Coaches Certification/Licensing Opportunities:
Accredited coaching courses are paid for by the soccer club. Please check with the soccer director for reimbursement approval prior to taking a course.
Courses available at Northwestern: (for a more extensive list, please see the www.epysa.org website under coaching education.)
- Youth Module: Sunday, April 2 from 11am-3pm at the Rec. Fields Office Building
- E License Course: Tues, 6/13, Thurs, 6/15 & Mon, 6/19 from 5-9pm plus Sat. 6/17 from 9am-3pm (a 17 hour course)
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