Who needs to be certified?

Every coach and assistant coach. If there are multiple assistants then all must be certified in order to work with the players during practice. Certification means having completed and passed the appropriate courses: Age appropriate coach course, Safe Haven, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Concussion Awareness, and SafeSport.  We also require a yearly background check and a LiveScan fingerprinting but don't worry, we cover the costs. If you are from another AYSO region your certifications should automatically crossover.

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. 

What is the time commitment of being an AYSO coach? Assistant coach?

Coaches run two weekday practices and a game on Saturday. Coaching in AYSO is all about teaching and encouraging kids, and having a lot of fun. Parents will help with the team's organization tasks. 

I coached  6U last year, do I need to re-certify for 8U?

Yes. If you coached 6U last year then you need to be certified for 8U as this is a new divisional group. You have the option of doing online or at an in-person clinic. Dates can be found in AYSOU under Training Event.

 What happens if I'm on vacation and cannot attend a clinic?

There are several offered by neighboring regions that you may attend. Clinics hosted by Regions 32 and 65 can be found on AYSOU.org. If you plan on attending a clinic outside our Area, please let the coach administrator or your divisional director know.

I did my 10U course online last year, isn't that good enough?

Area G requires an online course AND a field portion to be considered fully certified as a 10U coach. 

How can coaches get the "Coach Manual"?

Coaching manuals for each division are available to view or download in PDF form via AYSOU.  

Where do we practice?

Ralph M. Lewis is our main facility for practices and games. We can only use these fields during our permitted times.  Our Upper Division teams and some of our special program teams may play outside this facility.

 Still have questions? 

For anything not covered here, contact the coach administrator at: [email protected].