Website Manager

American Youth Soccer Organization Providing world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives.

Pacifica AYSO 157

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. All training cost are covered by the Region. 

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.

Coach Job Description

Coaching Commitment

6U commitment:

No weekday practice

  • 1hr on Saturdays

8U commitment:

1hr during the weekday of your choice for practice

  • 1hr on Saturdays

10U commitment:

1hr 2x during the weekdays of your choice

  • 1.5 hours on Saturdays

12U-18U commitment:

1.5hr 2x during the weekdays of your choice

  • 1.5 hours on Saturdays


    Certification Requirements:
  •  Safe Haven (online)
  •  CDC Concussion (online)
  •  Sudden Cardiac Arrest (online)
  •  SafeSport (annual/online)
  •  Division appropriate training (classroom & field)
  •  10U-up should take the basic referee course
  •  Livescan for anyone coaching multiple teams or 10U + up
     

Avoiding Blowouts



The AYSO mission is about participation, player development, and good sportsmanship. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere in which players can enjoy the game for its own sake without an undue emphasis on winning or losing (i.e. fun and development over winning).

Accordingly, Blow Out games are contrary to the objectives of AYSO, and Coaches are expected to prevent games from becoming extremely one sided.  Please avoid blow outs at all costs.  Blow outs are a failure of Coach to plan ahead and to manage the game.  Don't let a blow out destroy the experiences of our players.

Any game with a 5 goal differential is considered a blow out.

The game is most fun and instructive for everyone when it is a challenge.  The closer the ending score the more fun the game and the better the learning experience for the players.  With the right management strategies, an otherwise lopsided, boring game can be managed to be close, without asking players to hold back.  The coaches need to keep all players engaged. 

The Coach of a stronger team needs to raise the challenge higher for scoring a goal, more than simply putting the ball in the net.  The Coach of the team with the goal advantage should take steps to make the game more even...this is known as "pulling back."

These steps should include one or more of the following:  

  1. Rotate player positions on the dominating team to assign goal-scorers to positions on defense or goalie (or sub them out for a quarter).
  2. Pick a player or two that has never scored and tell the team that only those players are allowed to score.
  3. Require 5 passes in a row prior to any shot on goal.
  4. Announce that everyone must touch the ball before the first goal is scored (can be consecutively but doesn’t have to be).
  5. Have the team play back to their own goal keeper at least once prior to going forward.
  6. Any shot taken must be from outside the penalty box (outside the 18).
  7. All shots must come from using the weak foot.

You are encouraged to take these steps prior to reaching a five-goal lead.  Coaches should quietly share the information with their team - not yell instructions across the field.

The idea behind the restrictions relating to blow outs is that the trailing team does not feel defeated and the dominating team is forced to challenge themselves, allowing growth for stronger players when playing against weaker teams.

Any coach that consistently blows out other teams, with no effort to avoid the blow out, may face game suspension due to a lack of supporting one the six core AYSO philosophies--Good Sportsmanship.

Thank you for volunteering, being a part of the AYSO community, and helping us develop great people according to the 6 core AYSO philosophies.

6U-12U Coach Training

Check out the calendar tab for training dates or log into AYSOU. 

How can I register for Coach Training?

Go to:  Your account > Volunteer > AYSOU

Then navigate to:

  • "My Courses"

  • "Instructor Led Courses"

  • "Coach Instructor Led Courses"

  • then select the age course you need

  • then select the date of the class,

  • find local classes and Register.






VOLUNTEER

It's About What's Good for the Kids

AYSO is a volunteer-run organization. Coaches, referees and administrators are volunteers. Over 220,000 parents, neighbors, relatives and friends lend their time and talents so that each child gets a terrific AYSO experience.

AYSO’s volunteer foundation ensures that it’s all about what’s good for kids. It also makes AYSO very affordable. AYSO operates in a business manner, but volunteers ensure its “profits” are happy, healthy kids playing a sport they can enjoy for life.

AYSO has developed special training that helps parents who may have little or no soccer experience quickly gain the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need to be effective coaches and referees. It also has unique administrative and management training. This ensures that each community program:

· Abides by the AYSO philosophies
· Offers a great AYSO experience
· Continues to grow, offering the AYSO opportunity to more children

It only takes a few hours to become qualified as an introductory-level coach or referee. But if you’re not able to commit even that much time, there are many small jobs you can help with. Even a couple of hours each season are an important contribution to your team and Region!

AYSO training doesn’t stop as long as you’re having fun. Referees, coaches and administrators have clinics, workshops and other advanced training available to advance their skills.

Making a Difference in Children’s Lives

                                                                     

A coach can be the most influential person in a child’s life. In AYSO, Positive Coaching is a fundamental philosophy because of the crucial role that a coach has. Coaching in AYSO is a chance to spend quality time with your own child but you’ll also provide an important role model for all the children on your team. In fact, the joy of coaching is so meaningful, that many AYSO coaches continue coaching long after their own children have moved on from AYSO. Soccer knowledge is a plus, but AYSO provides training and materials so that even a soccer novice can coach effectively by starting in the younger age divisions. Being a coach involves skills you probably already have in addition to specific soccer knowledge. If you are uncertain, try being an assistant coach. The Region's Coach Administrator will be happy to try to match you up with somebody with a little more experience.

National Partners

AYSO Region 157 Thanks Our Sponsors for their continued support!!

Contact Us

Pacifica AYSO 157

PO Box 615 
PACIFICA, California 94044

Email Us: [email protected]
Copyright © 2024 Region 157  |  Privacy Statement |  Terms Of Use |  License Agreement |  Children's Privacy Policy  Login