Coach Guidelines

Club Philosophy

To let the kids play without a lot of coaching during games. To smile a lot. To encourage a lot. To let the ball be the teacher. The kids like to keep track of the score. The adults should focus on managing activities and helping the players learn soccer, social skills, and team skills.

What's on this page

Coaches need help too!  This section should help guide you through some areas that you may need assistance.  If you cannont find the information here, contact us by using the table on the Contacts page.  Click on the list below to go directly to the topic of choice.

• Getting Started
• Coach Licensing
• Practices
  In-Town Fields
  Travel Fields
• Games
• Rescheduling Games and Cancelling Referees
• Team Information
• Club Staff Roles
• Reference Materials for Coaches including Practice Plans and Activities

Getting Started as a Coach for the Season

Thanks for volunteering.  Our club cannot be successful without the over 200 parents who volunteer each season.  There are a few things you still need to do to start coaching.

1. If you did not register to volunteer as a coach or assistant during your player's registration, you will need to do so now. To check your status, from the Registration section of this website, log into your family's AdminSports (the CCYS regsitration software) as a returning user.  Once logged in at blue Family Information screen, click on the Volunteer button under your name to officially register or to check your coach record. Update the phone numbers and email address to be sure that we have the correct email for you.  This is where we send all important coach information.
2. Register for a CORI background check on the Mass Youth Soccer website
3. Double check that your Coach Registration has the proper email address and phone number.  This will ensure that all important club-related communication reaches you.  (see how to in step #1 above).
4. Prepare for the season by:
   1. Signing up for a coach licensing course, G, F or higher*. Click here to go to Mass Youth's Soccer Coaching Events Schedule to find the desired course and to register.
   2. Reviewing rules of soccer.

Coach Licensing

Overview

CCYS participates in US Soccer coach licensing courses which are given by our parent organization, Mass Youth Soccer.  Coach licensing starts with the initial or introductory 4-hour "G" course when starting out as a coach with our club.  The G course helps to teach the mindset of the players which aids the coach in a better understanding of the "audience" that he is coaching.  It also gives the coach player skills sets that they can use to conduct practices. After the G, the next course in the series is the 8-hour F course course which gives the coach a more indepth training for skill development and can be taken right after obtaining the G course. Coaches may continue their training by completing the remaining courses E through A.  Each course doubles in length of class time from the one just prior to it.  Course taken after the F usually require a least a season of coaching before taking the next Coach licensing course.

Coach Licensing with CCYS

CCYS requires that all coaches new to the club receive at least a G level license in order to coach no matter what past soccer experience a coach may have.  New coaches should receive a "G" course which is the introductory course that allows coaches to come away being able to plan practices with the ease.  In-Town coaches should obtain a "G" coach license.  Starting with Grade 2, it is highly recommended that coaches obtain the next level "F" license.  The Travel program requires coaches to obtain both the G and F licenses to coach. If you decide to coach several seasons with the club, it is recommended that you continue your licensing and obtain the next level of coach licensing (G to A progression) each year.  CCYS will reimburse a coach for USYouth Soccer sanctioned course.  Please contact your program's director to obtain approval of courses not offered locally before attending the course.

Local Coach Licensing and How to Register

CCYS offers local G courses each season and in the Spring an F is usually offered as well.  Check the Soccer News page under the Coaches section to see what courses are planned for the current season.  Pre-registration is required and can be done directly from the Mass Youth Soccer Coaching Events Schedule.  This schedule lists not only CCYS hosted courses but others in our area as well.  CCYS will reimburse you the course fee.  Email your Certificate of Course Completion typically received about four weeks after the course is completed along with your address to our treasurer and we will send you a check.

If registering for the course very close to the date, you may be directed to contact the course host directly to register.  You will havve to pay for the course in person during course check in.  Be sure you are an CCYS affiliated coach before attending or you will be charged the non-member fee.  Check with your program's registrar (Fiona for Travel and Nancy for In-Town) to confirm your membership status with CCYS.

Practices

In-Town program coaches from Kindergarten to Grade 6 are strongly urged to host practices once per week.  Travel program coaches conduct practices twice per week including player clinics.  Practice times are set by coaches after teams are formed just before the season begins.  Times are usually set up after the coach talks with team members and find a time convenient for members of his/her team.  CCYS does not refund registration fees for a player's inability to meet team practice times.

Guidelines for good practices:

• The coach smiles frequently and encourages with positive comments, catching players doing things right.
• Every player has a ball at his or her feet.
• No players stand in line, ever. They're always doing something with the ball or moving to a ball.
• The kids are having fun. The coach has organized games that teach skills. There are no "rote" drills.
• The practice includes a "live game" scrimmage for at least 15 minutes (30 minutes for older kids).
• The kids go home tired

Practice fields

CCYS does not have a field reservations system.  Rather, we give coaches fields and guidelines for who should use those fields and let them arrange amongst each other how the fields are shared.  During practices, you need only 1/2 a field to practice on.  If there is another team practicing, invite them to scrimmage with your team at the end of your practice.  Note, make-up games take priorty over practices.  Please consult the Field Reservations list (add link here) for an updated listing of fields and make-up games.

In-Town Practices Fields - Fall 2009
Travel Practice Fields - Fall 2009

Games

Soccer is supposed to be a game in which the coach is quiet during the game. At all age groups, we endorse coaches calling directions to players occasionally. We do not endorse constant directing or haranguing of players on the field. Players need to learn to make their own decisions on the field. If a coach needs to correct a mistake, we expect the coach to take the player out of the game and speak to the player about the issue.

Note: Fall Kindergarten (typically the first season) is the only important exception to this. Until the children understand the basic idea of the game, coach participation and encouragement on the field can accelerate their learning.... like playing in the back yard.

Balanced Teams and lopsided scores

We do our best to make balanced teams. Sometimes we get different results. We ask coaches to make adjustments during games to ensure that the final score is no more than a three-goal differential. Sometimes, that result is not achieved. If you have concerns about coach decisions, please email in confidence to Laura France 978-369-8598 with specifics.

Assigning Player Positions

Sometimes we get questions regarding player positions and at what age it becomes appropriate to specialize at one specific position. John Cunningham our coach of player development has put together a brief explanation which is not only the view of our club but of Mass Youth Soccer, US Youth Soccer and US Soccer.
Players should be given every opportunity to play multiple/all positions as long as possible, and begin to think of specializing only after age 14.

Why? Our focus is on player development and to best achieve that, players need as many touches as possible in as many tactical situations as possible. Play in the attacking third of the field has different demands than the middle or back third. Central/center players need to demonstrate varied skills sets from flank players, just as forwards differ from backs. All that being said, a player needs to be put in every one of these situations, to feel the demands, to make mistakes and then be given the opportunity to fix them.

As a coach, (and as a player), it may be easier to be position specific. It simplifies substitutions and training, and limits the demands on the players. It also assumes that a coach can accurately predict what position is best for a player in the future and that's not accurate. Players develop at different paces - some early, some late - and their interests change. Of course we should put them in situations where they can find success, but let's really try to make an effort to get them playing time at every position during each season.

Rescheduling Games and Cancelling Referees

In-Town Games - Cancelling or Postponing

Referees

Starting in Grade 2 we use referees.  Referees are our children, too. They are learning. They need encouragement and support. Please give it to them in the same way you would encourage your own team members and children.  If you experience challenges with a referees, please contact our Referee Coordinator by email or by telephone at 978-808-9609 on game day.

Team Information

CCYS now subscribes to AdminSports new integrated website service, ATLAS.  It allows data from our registration and team information to be accessed directly from this website.  For your team information (including all your children's teams whether you are coaching that team or not, log in.  (Log ins are created when setting up your AdminSports account).  Once logged in go to your account block, i.e. the block where you loged in with AdminSports email address and password will your email address.  The available menu items will be below.

Club Roles

Jobs of a Parent

• Bring your child to the event.
• Take a turn bringing fruit or water for the team during the season
• Talk to your friends.
• Drink coffee. Smile.
• Cheer randomly. Cheer for both teams equally. Smile.
• Take your child home.  Smile.

Jobs of a Coach or Assistant Coach

• Learn and apply activities to help kids learn ball skills and have fun.
• Advise the parents on how to do "Jobs of a Parent"
• Schedule and run practice / play sessions (Grades K and up, one per week) in which you apply the learning activities effectively.
• Manage teams through games (warm up, line up, substitutions, encouragement)

• Cheer for the kids.

Jobs of a Team Manager

• Update (from printed roster) parent phone numbers (daytime, evening, pager), email addresses, physician names and phone numbers
• Assign families to bring water, cups, and cut fruit (orange sections best) or Popsicles (for after games).
• Assist coaches and assistant coaches with scheduling, communication, and feedback

Jobs of the Program Registrar

• Oversee all registration processes
• Oversee and executve team formation related tasks
• Club Membership affiliations
• Volunteer registration/management
• Club-wide communications
• Liaison to prospective and registered families
• Equipment inventory purchase and maintenance

Jobs of an Age Director

• Act as liaison between players/parents and CCYS staff members to:
• Manage team formation
• Recruit coaches
• Desemminate information to coaches as needed
• Resolve issues that may arise during the season

Jobs of a Program Director

Oversee program activities including:

• Support the Age Directors and Club President as needed by:
• Assisting in Team Formation activities as needed
• Resolve issues that may arise among program families, referees or staff
• Attending monthly club meetings
• Develop and execute of program goals

Jobs of the Club President

• Oversee financial and developmental acitivity of the club
• Oversee management of the Club's paid employees, clinicians, referees and other independent contractors
• Oversee management of player and coach development
• Act as club liaison to sports organizations, the Recreation departments and town's public works facilities in Concord and Carlisle

This section details guidelines that coaches should follow.  The resources page includes player training materials and links to coach training materials.  We hope you find it helpful.  If you have questions and would lik assistance, please use our Contacts page to guide you to the best person to contact for your questions.

Reference materials for coaches including player training materials, practice plans by the week and books and tapes can be found the Resources page.