For Coaches

Information

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 (U06 - U08) 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 yet with your knowledge of the game, we offer plenty of training programs and support to make your experience a success!

If you have questions not answered on this web site, please feel free to contact our Coach Administrator at coachadmin@ayso45.org.

For those of you who have signed up to be a coach, you need to do the following to be ready:

  • Attend the Coaches Meeting.
  • Attend one of more of the training sessions that are offered at the Coaches Meeting and in August.   These sessions are offered at various levels.   Check our web site in the summer for specific dates, times and locations.
  • Complete the Coach Volunteer Registration instructions below, including Safe Haven training if you have not yet taken it.
  • Volunteering to be a Coach and want someone special to be your assistant?  See the FAQ question on how to do this.
  • Volunteer registration,  see the volunteer registration information below.

Coach Volunteer Registration


Volunteer registration is required every season, even for returning coach volunteers.

AYSO National has switched to online registration for all AYSO volunteers.   Please follow these following steps to ensure that you are properly registered and protected as a coach.

  • Go to www.eayso.com to register as a volunteer.   The instructions for logging in as a new user and registering should be clear.  If you have registered in prior years, your information will already be in the database.     Be sure to verify that all of it is correct and current, especially your email address!  


  • Register only yourself in eAYSO.   Please do not register your children as players in eAYSO!   Region 45 uses only WebYouthSoccer, http://r45.webyouthsoccer.com, for all player registrations.


  • Once you have entered the required information online, print your completed AYSO volunteer form.   Bring two copies of the printed form, along with a photo id, to your first Coach training clinic, or Coaches Meeting.     These requirements are mandated by AYSO National for everybody's protection.

Safe Haven

AYSO Safe Haven training is an absolute requirement for all coaches. If you have not previously taken the training and do not take it this year, you cannot coach.   Basic Safe Haven training is good for life.

>>> To take Safe Haven training now, click this link: Safe Haven Class

Please note that you must complete your eAYSO volunteer registration before you take Safe Haven, and you must complete Safe Haven before you can take any coach training clinic.

Around July, the division coodinators for the team age groups will begin calling the prospective coaches to confirm and to work out details about practice days and fields. Teams are assigned in early August.


Training Clinics

Region 45 tries to offer a number of clinics for new and experienced coaches alike.  See the Coach Training page for dates, times, places and more info.


Coaches Meeting

A meeting for all coaches will be held at the start of the season and at mid season.
For a quick review, here is a PDF copy of some of the training material handed out in previous years.


Practice Fields

The City of Mountain View has established a hotline number, 650-903-6416, which has updated information about field closures at Mountain View park locations, including many of the fields we use: Cooper, Huff, Bubb, Landels, Slater, Whisman, Stevenson, Crittenden, and Castro. Please note that unless specified otherwise, this information pertains to PRACTICES ONLY. If you practice at one of these locations, please check the hotline before your practice to find out the latest information. Please honor any signs of field closure even if it means losing a practice.  Sometimes, the fields are closed suddenly before we are notified and we need you to honor that closure. 
At all locations, please avoid worn areas to limit damage to the turf, and use good judgment. If the players are getting muddy, it may be time to shift the practice to a less exposed area of the field. Note that many of our fields show bare areas after repeated use, particularly in front of the goals, which are easily torn up by cleats. Please practice away from these areas, and DON'T USE THE GOAL AREAS FOR PRACTICES. Use cones to mark off practice areas which avoid the worn spots.

The AYSO 45 message phone, 650-964-2976, will have information about weekend game cancellations due to bad weather or poor field conditions. In some cases, matches may be played in the rain, but they may be abandoned even in the absence of rain if playing would result in excess field wear. Please keep in mind that player safety is the responsibility of the referee, and that ultimately, it's the referees decision as to whether a match should be abandoned.


Mentoring Program

Region 45 provides mentoring assistance for new coaches.   If you would like an experienced coach to help you get started, or if you are experienced and would like to assist a new coach get started, please fill out the form on the mentoring page.

Game Card Procedures 

Before each game, the coach must give the referees an AYSO game card (Lineup Form).  These cards should be printed from WebYouthSoccer and filled out befor each game.  Region 45 has adopted some simple standards for filling out this card. This will help streamline the substitution process and simplify record-keeping after the game.

Be sure to observe the following points when you complete your game card:

  1. Make sure your team number, colors and coaches names are correct.
  2. List the players numerically by jersey number.
  3. List the players full names legibly, last name first.
  4. List all players on the roster, even if some are absent or unable to play.
  5. Do not mark any boxes to indicate when players will be participating orstaying out.
  6. Fill in the date, time and location of the game.

You should tell the referee which players, if any, are absent or otherwise unable to play.  Also, tell the referee which players will be sitting out during the first period of play.  The referee will make the appropriate notations on the card.  Please do not mark them ahead of time.

Make a substitution plan on a separate sheet of paper in advance.  You may not have time once you are at the playing field to copy the Lineup Card to a separate sheet.

The referees will enter the game cards into WebYouthSoccer the week after each game.


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. See the Accident Reporting page for information.


Email list

A key means of communication with coaches during the season is email.  Region 45 maintains an email list which allows mail to be sent to every coach on the list.

To join the list, please send an email with no message from your personal email account to

join-ayso45-coaches@majordomo.sandisk.com

To leave the list, send email from the same personal email account to

leave-ayso45-coaches@majordomo.sandisk.com