AYSO Region 207 Soccer

AYSO REGION 207

COACH

HANDBOOK

2008-2009

 revised April 2009

P.O. Box 49433
Wichita, KS 67201

316-992-8860

MESSAGE TO ALL COACHES

Welcome to AYSO Region 207. We thank you for volunteering your time and service to our program.  It is important that you understand and implement the AYSO philosophy, for it is you who will have the most contact with, and affect our young players the most.  Remember that we are playing the game for fun, and for the fun of the children. While you should encourage the very best performance out of your team, never lose sight of the fact that it is just a game.  Let the Kids Have Fun. Have a great season and best of luck to your team!

Yours in Soccer,

Mark Johnson

Regional Commissioner

 

 

OTHER LOCAL REGIONS…

ON THE NET…

 

COMMUNICATION…

Coach’s Emails:

Region 207 Newsletters will be emailed to either the coach or a parent, to be distributed to the players. This is our best way to get information out to our players and families, so please check your emails.  If you have any information you would like in the newsletter, contact the newsletter editor.  You may want to ask a parent receive the email each week for you and distribute newsletters to player’s families. This will free you to concentrate on coaching.

New Players:

The registrar will continue to add new players to existing teams all season (remember, open enrollment). You will receive updated rosters and new player sheets by mail, or email. You can email the registrar about corrections or additions to your team roster (such as team colors, team name, jersey numbers, adding an assistant coach or team parent, etc.). AYSO requires a completed signed registration form for all players and volunteers. All completed forms & fees should be submitted by mail to our AYSO Region 207 address. Parents may request a certain team, but this is not guaranteed. Please do not accept forms & fees at the games or practices. New players must first be registered by the registrar, then assigned to a team. Players cannot practice or play until they are registered. This is for the protection of the player, coach and AYSO. Refer families with questions to our Region 207 telephone number.

 COACH CLINICS:

The AYSO National Board of Directors has mandated that all AYSO coaches must be certified. In AYSO, certification means a completion of two-part training: soccer player age-specific training (U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, U19 Coaching Classes) and Safe Haven training. For more information about the coach courses offered, talk to your Regional Coach Administrator or look for class dates & times in your newsletter and on our web site.

PRACTICES…Where, When, and How Much?

The location, time & frequency are up to you. It is helpful to have a parent meeting at/before your first practice. If you plan to practice at a local school, you should contact the school principle to okay this. However, there are no "reservations" for fields for practice time. To protect grass on our home fields, please schedule practices at other locations; especially on Fridays when fields are lined for Saturday games.

Please let parents know if you must cancel a practice. Also, please do not leave a practice field or game, until all your players have been picked up. This is a very important safety issue! Ask for involvement from your player’s parents. Make the practices fun & teach parents specific ways they can help with "their" team. At least two adults should be present at any practice. At least one adult should be the same gender as the players. This is a safety precaution and Safe Haven requirement. Many parents who are not (yet) ready to coach may be willing to help with team practices. This is a good way for them to learn the rules and ease into AYSO.

 

WEATHER…

Region 207 has adopted the following policy at Region 207 home fields ONLY: Games will be cancelled if raining and below 50 degrees F, air/wind chill below 32 degrees, rain with lightening, threatening weather. If you are unsure whether your game is cancelled, please call the AYSO phone number 992-8860 or check the web site. When games are canceled, coaches of both teams are responsible for contacting players, deciding whether to make up a missed game & scheduling make-up games. Make-up games are traditionally scheduled for weekdays in place of a practice. Coaches are responsible for notifying players and the opposing coach about cancelations and make-up games.

 

SETTING UP & TAKING DOWN NETS:

Both teams playing the first game of the day on a field are responsible for picking up nets from the equipment trailer and setting them up. The teams playing the last game of the day on a field are responsible for taking down nets and returning them to the equipment trailer. We need everyone’s help with this. Encourage your players' parents to get involved. This is just one of the many ways they can help.  If you are unsure when the last game is, schedules are posted in the equipment trailer.

 

CONCESSION STAND:

The concession stand will operate at our home fields as long as volunteers are available to staff this. Please encourage families to donate some time as a Snack Shack Worker. It’s a fun way to meet new people (and it does get you out of the sun and wind for awhile).

Halftime Snacks/After Game Refreshments:

Coaches can assign players or have the team parent make a snack schedule. Halftime snacks can be oranges (tradition with older soccer players), juice, sport drink or water. Parents of younger players may prefer juice to pop for their child(ren).

Volunteer Opportunities:

Please talk to your parents about the following.

Flex worker  -- helps out when volunteers are needed.

Field workers – helps to stripe and maintain the fields.

Team parent – assist the coach

Welcome to Region 207!

We’re glad to have you join our team!