Becoming a Coach
Coaching children is a very rewarding experience. And coaching your own child's team can be one of the most rewarding experiences of all! Coaches are pivotal to having children get the AYSO experience. If Regions don't have enough coaches, registration is scaled back, and kids who want to play in AYSO are turned away.
Do you have little or no experience with soccer? No problem! AYSO will teach you based on the age level you are coaching. Unique age-appropriate coach training is one of AYSO's specialties. If you plan to be at your child's soccer practices and games, you'll also have time to be your child's coach.
To become an AYSO coach, you must be certified in the age level you are coaching. Certification takes three easy steps. First, fill out a volunteer form. Then either attend a short Safe Haven™ course in person or online. Lastly, you must attend a brief age-specific coaching course. It's only a few hours.
Coaches are essential to the game. They teach children soccer skills and help develop a healthy, positive attitude, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Coaching is a rewarding experience because you have the opportunity to build a child's self-esteem, help them learn new skills and just have a lot of fun.
Contact your Region's Coach Administrator or Regional Commissioner if you are ready to become a coach.
I don't know anything about soccer. Can I still help coach?
Yes! AYSO provides training and materials. Being a coach involves skills you probably already have in addition to specific soccer knowledge. If you are uncertain, try being an assistant coach. Your Region's Coach Administrator will be happy to try to match you up with somebody with a little more experience.
Certification
Coaches, both head and assistant, are one of the main ambassadors of our program. They have the most direct contact and influence over the players throughout the course of a season. It is for that very reason we make sure that ALL coaches are age-appropriately trained to meet the challenges of working with children of various ages. As an organization we need to ensure that coaches are continually enriching the lives of those children they interact with during the course of a season.
Below is a matrix for divisions and coaching course requirements.
U6 – U6 Coaching Course
U8 – U8 Coaching Course
U10 – U10 Coaching Course
U12 – U12 Coaching Course
U14 – Intermediate Coaching Course
U16 – Advanced Coaching Course
U19 – Advanced Coaching Course
AYSO offers coach training for every age group. The various levels are as follows and each one has its own course: U-6, U-8, U-10, U-12, Intermediate, Advanced and National.
What are the requirements and time involved with the various coach certifications?
AYSO's U-6, U-8, U-10, and U-12 courses are all considered “stand-alone” courses, meaning that you may take any one of them without having taken any prior courses. The U-12 course then becomes the prerequisite for taking the Intermediate course, which is the prerequisite for taking the Advanced course, which is the prerequisite for taking the National course. Course times are as follows
U-6 Coach - 2 hours
U-8 Coach - 2 hours
U-10 Coach - 3 hours
U-12 Coach - 5 hours
Intermediate Coach - 15 hours
Advanced Coach - 18 hours
National Coach - 56+ hours