Coaching Excellence Program

The AYSO 1455 region’s Coaching Excellence Program’s mission is to: Promote AYSO through amazing coaches.

Players and parents biggest and most lasting impression of AYSO soccer is most directly influenced by the coach. Thus, we want to encourage coaches to work on their own development and provide recognition/reward to those that do.

To facilitate this, we are focused on two areas:

A skills path for coaches to follow to increase their experience
Coaching resources which focus on facilitating best practices within our region

Skills Path

Level	Responsibilities	Requirements (cumulative)	Rewards/Recognition (cumulative)
Coach	Coach or assist team(s)	Safe Haven certification Concussion awareness certification Age-appropriate coach certification	Volunteer status Coach jersey
Senior Coach	Pair up with new coaches as needed for mentorship Fill in as a substitute coach if needed	Be a head or assistant coach in the upcoming season. Have completed at least two in-person AYSO Coach Training courses with at least one at 10U or higher. Have completed at least two seasons as a Head Coach in two different divisions. (Divisions are based on required training. Thus, 5U & 6U are considered one division and 7U & 8U are considered one division.) Have completed the Summary Laws of the Game online training course at aysou.org. Have completed Regional Referee certification (must be in-person training class). Have RCA and staff approval.	Senior Coach Shirt – red 1/4 zip lightweight long-sleeve performance tee with the region logo and “Senior Coach” on the left chest. This will be awarded once when a coach attains senior status. Senior Coach Ball Bag – a nice heavy-duty ball bag with backpack straps for comfortable easy transport and an outer zip pocket for document and equipment storage. This will be awarded once when a coach attains senior status. Seniority on uniform selection – extra points for our uniform selection lottery prior to each season. Seniority on practice time selection – greater chance of getting preferred time slot. All Star coach consideration – when coaching 10U/12U/14U.
Master Coach	Pair up with new coaches as needed for mentorship Fill in as a substitute coach if needed Participate in regional coaches meetings and coaching clinics	Be a head or assistant coach in the upcoming season. Have completed every coach training course up to and including Intermediate. Any course 12U and higher must be done in-person and three of your total courses completed must be in-person. The remaining courses may be taken online. (For example, if you have completed 10U, 12U and Intermediate training in-person, you may do 6U and 8U online.) Have completed at least three seasons as a Head Coach in three different divisions. (Divisions are based on required training. Thus, 5U & 6U are considered one division and 7U & 8U are considered one division.) Have completed the Summary Laws of the Game online training course at aysou.org. Have completed Regional Referee certification (must be in-person training class). Have refereed (center) three games at 10U or higher. Have RCA and staff approval.	Master Coach Jacket – red full zip medium weight performance jacket, perfect for wearing during chilly training sessions and games, with the region logo and “Master Coach” on the left chest. This will be awarded once, when a coach attains master status. Higher seniority on uniform selection – extra points for our uniform selection lottery prior to each season. Higher seniority on practice time selection – greater chance of getting preferred time slot. AYSO The Coaching Manual subscription.
Coaching Staff	Deliver formal coach training Organize coaching / player clinics Create and maintain regional coaching best practices	Advanced Coach certification Coach Trainer certification Invitation by RCA

To apply for a Senior Coach or Master Coach designation, please start by completing an application:

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For questions about the Coaching Excellence Program, please email both rca@ayso1455.org and arca-development@ayso1455.org