Overview

Welcome, Coach Volunteers!

As an all-volunteer organization, AYSO depends entirely on parent volunteers to act as coaches and referees. We are always looking for people who are interested in coaching their kids in soccer!

Many of our first-year coaches in the younger divisions (6U – 8U and even 10U) have never coached or necessarily even played soccer before but yet have a very successful year. For those of you who are considering coaching your child but do not feel comfortable with your knowledge of the game, we offer plenty of Training Clinics and support to make your experience a success.

The Coaches section of our website outlines the process you must follow to become a fully qualified AYSO coach and provides some background information specific to coaches about how we prepare for and run our Fall soccer program.

Hillsborough AYSO assigns a parent-volunteer “Division Director” to manage each age/gender division, starting shortly after the spring registration process through the end of the Fall season. Your Division Director will begin to contact coach volunteers after the spring registration events and will be your primary point of contact with the AYSO organization. In addition, for questions relating specifically to your coaching credentials and certifications, please contact our Coach Administrator at [email protected].

Getting Started

You may have attended one of our walk-in registration events and put your name down as a coach volunteer. That means we know you want to coach in a particular age division, but it doesn’t count as formal registration. You still need to formally register as a volunteer through our website. Formal registration is critical because that process will put you into the national AYSO system, allowing AYSO to complete mandatory background checks and other requirements to ensure our kids are protected. Once that process is complete, we will know how to find you and will include you in all coach-related communications as we prepare for the Fall season.

If you did not sign up as a coach at our walk-in registration event, please complete the formal registration process and then email [email protected] indicating the age and gender division you want to coach. Be sure you are signing up for the correct age division for your child here. If you are volunteering to be a Head Coach and you want to request a specific person as your assistant coach, please see the Registration FAQ question on how to do this.

Once you have registered as a volunteer coach, the Hillsborough AYSO Division Director for your age group will be in touch with you via email with regular updates as we move through team formation, assignments of coaches to teams, coach certifications/training and other preparations for the season.

Checklist: What You Need To Do

To be an AYSO coach, you need to do the following:

Register as an AYSO volunteer by clicking on the “Register Now” link on this website's home page. Returning coaches must renew their registration because registration expires at the end of each year.
Sign up for an age division at one of our registration days or send an email to [email protected] indicating the age and gender division you want to coach. Be sure you are signing up for the correct age division for your child here.
Take AYSO Safe Haven and concussion awareness training for Coaches. This is a one-time requirement, so if you have already taken these courses you need not do so again unless instructed by your Division Director.
Attend the Mandatory Coaches Meeting in early June (explained below).
Complete the age-Division Specific Coach Training and Certification for your age group – go to the Coach Training page for instructions.

Practice Fields

Practice slots are allocated to teams in age divisions 8U and above at the Mandatory Coaches meeting in June. Generally, fields are assigned based on the division (i.e., 8U at Crocker, 10U at District, 12U at West School and 14U at North School).

If inclement weather is present or in the forecast or we have had recent rain, please check the Field pag e for field closure details and our general policy. Please honor any signs of field closure even if it means losing a practice. Sometimes, the fields are closed suddenly before we are notified and we need you to honor that closure.

At all locations, please avoid worn areas to limit damage to the turf, and use good judgment. If the players are getting muddy, it may be time to shift the practice to a less exposed area of the field. Note that many of our fields show bare areas after repeated use, particularly in front of the goals, which are easily torn up by cleats. Please practice away from these areas, and DO NOT USE THE GOAL AREAS FOR PRACTICES. Use cones to mark off practice areas which avoid the worn spots.

Mandatory Meeting

We hold a Mandatory Coaches Meeting in early June. Your Division Director will give you the date and time for your age division. The primary purpose of the meeting is to ensure all coaches understand the process leading up to the season kickoff, including coach training and certification requirements. During this meeting the Division Directors will also assign practice times and fields for each of the teams in Divisions 8U and above. Your best chance to get your preferred practice time is to attend the meeting.

In addition, for 8U coaches, the meeting includes a session called "Laws of the Game" designed to give volunteers who are new to the game a solid grounding in the rules of soccer for this age group. As a bonus, after completing this session 8U coaches will qualify for certification as 8U Referees.

Coaching Resources

AYSO-approved coach manuals and other training materials are distributed to coaches at their coach training sessions. You can find additional online coaching resources at these sites:

AYSO Individual Activities For Divisions 6U, 8U, 10U (Skill Specific) are here
Youtube has many instructional videos on soccer skills and techniques. A list of recommended videos is here
A FIFA Rules Summary is here
Simplified rules for Youth Coaches are here

8U Players: Weekly Skills Clinics

For 8U and 10U players, we have implemented a program of weekly skills clinics to be run by our professional instructors. For those players who want additional help with the technical aspects of soccer, these clinics will be a great opportunity to get extra training from professional coaches. You are also welcome to attend and observe the professional instructors in action – this is a great way for inexperienced coaches to improve their coaching skills
We will contact families directly with information about the program and instructions on how to register. 8U coaches should remind their players of this opportunity and encourage them to attend.

For 2019 the U10 Clinics will be combined for both boys and girls and will held at District Field from 3.30 to 4.30 on Mondays, starting on Monday, August 26^th with the last clinic on Monday, October 28 2019.^t

For 2019 the U8 Clinics will be combined for both boys and girls and will be held at District Field from 3.30 to 4.30 on Wednesdays, starting Wednesday August 28^th with the last clinic on Wednesday October 23^rd 2019. Prior registration is not required.

Parents must sign their players in and out so please accompany your child to the field and locate the UK Soccer coaches.

Players must arrive for the clinics wearing suitable soccer attire, with shin guards and a water bottle. No earrings. Players who do not have appropriate attire will not be permitted to participate in the clinic.

Practice Times

Practice times are assigned at the Mandatory Coaches' Meeting in June (see the description above). Practice times will be posted here after the meeting.

Accident Reporting

If a player or registered adult volunteer (such as a Coach or Assistant Coach) becomes injured during practice or a game, the injury must be reported. Please contact our Regional Safety Director at [email protected].

The AYSO Incident Report Form is available here. Incident Report Forms should be completed by any Coach, Referee or Regional Board Member witnessing any serious incident involving, but not limited to:

Injuries
Threats of bodily harm
Fighting whether or not a serious injury occurs
Property damage
Hospitalization of a participant
Law enforcement summoned
Service or notification of a pending lawsuit

Regional Board Members, Coaches, and Referees should submit Incident Report Forms to the Regional Safety Director, who in turn, should call the AYSO National Office Risk Management/Insurance Department at 800-872-2976. The Regional Safety Director must also send a copy of each Incident Report to the AYSO National Office.

Website Manager

Hillsborough AYSO Region 110