Welcome Dear Coach

Welcome Dear Coach, Thank you for graciously volunteering your time and energy this season to be a Coach. Your efforts will significantly contribute to the enjoyment of the sport by the players. As a coach, you will have the most contact with the children and as a result, the greatest impact on the children playing on your AYSO team this year. Experienced or new to soccer coaching, welcome to the American Youth Soccer Organization. In our all-volunteer organization, your involvement as a coach is most important. Without our fine corps of coaches, AYSO could not exist. Be proud of your role as Coach for an AYSO team. You may be wondering what you need to do to be a successful coach. Here are some qualities that we have observed to be key elements to successful coaching for youth athletes.
* PATIENCE - Active kids require a lot of attention. A good coach is one who doesn’t expect angels on the soccer field.
*TOLERANCE—Kids are going to be rowdy, or moody or lazy. Tolerance takes the different mind-sets and turns the focus to the tasks “afoot”. *ACCEPTANCE—Each player on your team has varied potential and skill levels. A good coach recognizes each child as an individual and he/she encourages that child to perform at his/her very best level.
*MOTIVATION—Soccer can be viewed as kids kicking a ball across the field, or it can be viewed as an opportunity for growth. The true test lies in sparking a child’s interest to learn and grow and keeping that spark alive each season.
*SPORTSMANSHIP—The definition of sportsmanship is to teach kids to work together as a team in order to achieve a common goal. It also means teaching kids to respect opponents, spectators, officials, coaches and each other. Insults are not tolerated. Mistakes are team mistakes, and they are used as teaching tools for the next game.
* ABILITY TO TEACH—There is a huge difference between the team whose members do what is yelled at them, and the team whose members actually understand what to do and why. A good coach teaches his/her players basic fundamentals, explains concepts and enables his/her players to think logically when making a play.
* LOVE OF KIDS: Kids have the energy to make every practice and every game a new experience for coaches and parents alike. They offer a day-to-day challenge for coaches, which is contagious and which is motivation for everyone involved in athletics at all levels.
*LOVE OF THE GAME: Coaches must love their sport and must show their players enthusiasm for every aspect of the game- including techniques, tactics, fair-play, respect for the opponents, officials, and spectators, and positive reinforcement for team mates. It is hoped that the contents of this handbook will help make your job as enjoyable and easy as possible. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected]. Your volunteerism is greatly appreciated, as it is volunteers like yourself that make Region 1225 successful.