AYSO National Coaching Program
- The AYSO Coaching Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education. AYSO is the only youth soccer program that has attained this accreditation. AYSO's coach training program is truly world class!
- Proper training is vital so AYSO coaches can deliver the AYSO program properly. Parents and Players are counting on Coaches to be trained!
- All AYSO Coaches must complete AYSO's Safe Haven, be registered as a volunteer an be authorized by their Region to be a coach for their team. Additionally:
- U6 Coaches must complete the U6 Coach Course (2 hours) (instructor led preferred, online as a backup option).
- U8 Coaches must complete the U8 Coach Course (2 hours) (instructor led preferred, online as a backup option).
- U10 Coaches must complete the U10 Coach Course (3 hours) (instructor led preferred, online as a backup, online also requires instructor lead U10 Field Training).
- U12 Coaches must complete the U12 Coach Course (6 hrs).
- U14 Coaches must complete U12 (6 hours) and the Intermediate Coach Course (15 hours). It is best to coach at least one season between U12 and Intermediate.
- U16 & U19 Coaches must complete U12 (6 hours), Intermediate (15 hours), and the Advanced Coach Course (18 hours). It is best to coach at least one season between Intermediate and Advanced.
- The National Coach Course is currently not being offered.
- Please also see the AYSO Course Catalog (pdf)
- Coaching is a privilege. AYSO Regions must choose coaches carefully to ensure a high quality AYSO soccer experience.
- Coaches and Referees are the face of AYSO to parents, players, and spectators. They must be AYSO role models and fulfill all duties as described in the AYSO Coach and AYSO Referee job descriptions respectively. For additional information, see AYSO's Volunteer page.
- In AYSO, Coaches and Referees are teammates who work together to ensure a safe, fair, and fun AYSO player development experience for all players and parents.
Return to Play Materials
Currently most cities are only allowing limited practice/conditioning sessions. Many of these sessions involve individual drills and not small sided activities. As a result, AYSO has created the following lesson plans to help coaches with training grid setups and ideas for drills.
https://www.aysovolunteers.org/coaching-activities/
What should this look like? See below for a great video from AYSO Section 7:
What are some other places I can learn new drills for these individual training sessions? Below are some useful places for content but are fee based. There are also lots of free videos on Youtube. Remember to plan your session in advance! Get those players lots of touches!
The Coaching Manual
Coerver Drills
Coerver Colorado
Lastly, please stay safe! Practice social distancing, wear a mask when you can't socially distance, wash your hands and avoid crowds when possible! You are a huge part of our family and we need you healthy so when we're able to get back to normal, we are all healthy and ready to do so!
Section 6 Coaching staff
Section Coach Administrator: Marla Dolnick-Humphries