COACH INFO

WELCOME, COACH VOLUNTEERS!!

As an all-volunteer organization, AYSO depends entirely on parent volunteers to act as coaches and referees. We are always looking for people who are interested in coaching their kids in soccer!

Many of our first-year coaches in the younger divisions (U4 – 8U and even 10U) have never coached or necessarily even played soccer before but yet have a very successful year. For those of you who are considering coaching your child but do not feel comfortable with your knowledge of the game, we offer plenty of Training Clinics and support to make your experience a success!

The Coaches section of our website outlines the process you must follow to become a fully qualified AYSO coach and provides some background information specific to coaches about how we prepare for and run our Fall soccer program.

Somers AYSO assigns a parent-volunteer “Division Director” to manage each age/gender division, starting shortly after the spring registration process through the end of the Fall season. Your Division Director will begin to contact coach volunteers after the spring registration events and will be your primary point of contact with the AYSO organization. In addition, for questions relating specifically to your coaching credentials and certifications, please contact our Coach Administrator at

Getting Started

You may have attended one of our walk-in registration events and put your name down as a coach volunteer. That means we know you want to coach in a particular age division, but it doesn’t count as formal registration. You still need to formally register as a volunteer through our website. Formal registration is critical because that process will put you into the national AYSO system, allowing AYSO to complete mandatory background checks and other requirements to ensure our kids are protected. Once that process is complete, we will know how to find you and will include you in all coach-related communications as we prepare for the Fall season.

If you did not sign up as a coach at our walk-in registration event, please complete the formal registration process and then email indicating the age and gender division you want to coach. Be sure you are signing up for the correct age division for your child.

Once you have registered as a volunteer coach, the Somers AYSO Division Director for your age group will be in touch with you via email with regular updates as we move through team formation, assignments of coaches to teams, coach certifications/training and other preparations for the season.

CHECKLIST- WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

To be an AYSO coach, you need to do the following:

Register as an AYSO volunteer at AYSO95.org Click on the “Register Now” link at the top right of the home page. This includes returning coaches because registration expires at the end of each year.
Take AYSO Safe Haven and concussion awareness training for Coaches. This is a one-time requirement, so if you have already taken these courses you need not do so again unless instructed by your Division Director.
Attend the Mandatory Coaches Meeting.
Complete the age-Division Specific Coach Training and Certification for your age group – go to the Coach Training page for instructions.

Mandatory Coaches Meeting

We hold a Mandatory Coaches Meetings at the beginning of every season. The primary purpose of the meeting is to ensure all coaches understand the process leading up to the season kickoff, including coach training and certification requirements.

ACCIDENT REPORTING

If a player or registered adult volunteer (such as a Coach or Assistant Coach) becomes injured during practice or a game, the injury must be reported. Please contact our Regional Safety Director at

The AYSO Incident Report Form is available here. Incident Report Forms should be completed by any Coach, Referee or Regional Board Member witnessing any serious incident involving, but not limited to:

Injuries
Threats of bodily harm
Fighting whether or not a serious injury occurs
Property damage
Hospitalization of a participant
Law enforcement summoned
Service or notification of a pending lawsuit

Regional Board Members, Coaches, and Referees should submit Incident Report Forms to the Regional Safety Director, who in turn, should call the AYSO National Office Risk Management/Insurance Department at 800-872-2976. The Regional Safety Director must also send a copy of each Incident Report to the AYSO National Office.