Providing world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives.

South Lake Tahoe AYSO

Parent Coaches! We Need You!

Parent coaches are critical to the success AYSO Soccer in South Lake Tahoe. We need you! You are the lifeblood for the program.

You might be asking yourself - I don't know how to coach, I 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 matches, you’ll also have time to be your child’s coach.

Contact the Coach Administrator at [email protected] and they will gladly guide you through the process of getting involved. We will train you FREE OF CHARGE.

How to become a South Lake Tahoe AYSO Coach

Step 1- Contact the Coach Administrator at [email protected]

Let them know you are interested in getting involved as a coach. The Coach Administrator will guide you through the process to get certified.

Step 2 - Register as an AYSO Volunteer

All coaches need to register as a volunteer annually. Register online as a volunteer with AYSO at www.ayso282.org follow the links and fill out the volunteer registration form and background check.

Step 3 – Complete Safe Haven, Concussion Awareness, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and Stewards of the Game online courses.

All new coaches must complete

· AYSO’s Safe Haven (Course MT02), 30 minutes

· Concussion Awareness (AYSO Heads Up Concussion Training). 15 minutes

· Sudden Cardiac Arrest Course, 20 minutes

· Stewards of the Game, 20 minutes

The courses can be found here in the Online Courses tab, Safe Haven Folder. https://aysou.org/

Step 3- Complete the Online Course

Introduction to Coaching

Thank you for stepping up to coach!

For some volunteering to coach a youth soccer team is easy and for many others it can be a fearful exercise. Regardless, we hope these few tips will help you get started and like many of the coaches that volunteered in the past years we know you will find the relationships with the families and kids you meet rewarding.

The coaching manual available in the AYSO282.org website is a useful tool.

To get to the manual login and go to “MyAccount”. Clinic “Volunteer” and on the right of your role and certificate click AYSOU. From there go to “Document Library” or “MyTraining”. You will find the training manual there.

In the manual there are training sessions outlined for you. You can use these drills or find your own on-line. You don’t need 50 different drills and you don’t need to teach everything at each practice. You need several good drills and repetition because the more you do a drill the easier it is for the kids to do it. For an 8 week season follow this plan from the coaching manual.

If the kids like a certain drill, keep using it. Vary the speed, opposition, or space, to make the drill more challenging.

You can start each session with ball touches and dribbling as a warm up.

End each practice with 10 minutes of scrimmaging or open play. You don’t need to coach much during this time. Let the kids play and point out good things they do by “freezing play” and having them see what they are doing well.

Although there is so much more to the game of soccer, these drills and plans will get you started. Feel free to change things up and consider what you want the kids to learn over the course of the season.

Team Communication & Management
Start a text string or email with your team parents. Make sure you have both parent’s or guardian’s contact information. For your first communication consider: Hi, My name is coach BLANK. I am the AYSO volunteer coach this season. I’m excited to get started and to meet you all. This week we will practice BLANK time/ date/ location. Make sure your child brings a ball, water, and soccer cleats. I encourage every parent to stay at practice as I may need your help. Please remember I’m a volunteer soccer coach, not a volunteer babysitter. I do want to make sure I meet you and that we are all on the field enjoying soccer. See you soon!
Each week announce your practice schedule and game time. Refer to the coaching manual for how long practices need to last.
Example: Hi, this is coach BLANK. We had a great week of practice and games. This week we practice BLANK time / date / location. BLANK parents are bringing snacks this week. Thanks again!

Practice Schedule and Fields
It’s important to have a place to practice. Please look for an email to coaches that will have a link to schedule / reserve your practice spot. All teams will have access to 1-2 half field locations per week.