• It's FUN.
• It's a great break from work.
• It makes you feel good.
• It's a great way to put something back into the community.

The rewards come in the form of watching the kids have fun at a game or practice, watching their individual skills and teamwork improve, and there is also a great sense of accomplishment when you reach the end of a season and look back and see how far the team has come.

Coaches have to put in a lot of work during the course of the season: 2 practices per week, plus a game on Saturday, plus preparation time for each practice, plus general administrative work. Over the course of an 11 week season this is well over 50 hours of work. While there are other volunteer positions that require more time, coaching provides the greatest opportunity for you to have fun!

And for those who have "serious" jobs, there is no better way to regain your perspective than to watch a bunch of 7 year olds at practice.

What Kind Of People Coach?

There are generally three types of coaches:

• Socially Oriented

The social coach wants to go out and have a good time. If the kids want to have fun at practice (and not work on dribbling for 40 minutes), that's no problem. The social coach enjoys meeting the parents on Saturday morning. This may be the case for some parent coaches who did not grow up playing soccer.

The task oriented coach is looking to see players develop their soccer skills over the course of a season. Many who have played soccer as kids and/or adults, tend to be somewhat task oriented, since they have the skills that they want to share.

The goal oriented coach wants to see results. Sometimes this means winning on the score board, but it can often mean that the coach wants to see the team show some level of improvement as a team.

Of course, most coaches have some degree of the three characteristics listed above, but if you have no soccer skills and just want to be a social coach, attending a coaching clinic will help you gain enough knowledge to get by. If you already have the soccer skills, but are scared of working with a group of kids, we will give you some ideas about running a practice and having fun.

How Old Do I Have To Be?

I don't have the upper and lower limits on hand, but we have some fairly "senior" coaches who are still out there working with the kids, and we have a good number of "youth" coaches (under the age of 18). High school age coaches often provide terrific role models for the young players, and these coaches have typically grown up playing the game.

We do require that an adult (or at least someone over 18) be at every game and practice, but we strongly encourage youth coaches. (Rumor has it that AYSO coaching looks really good on your transcript.)

How Do I Become A Coach?

If you have a child that is already on a team which has a coach, just let the coach know that you are interested in coaching and would like to help. Most of our coaches will be delighted to use you.

If you are interested in coaching, you can request a coach volunteer form from the Director of Players/Coaches. This will get you into the coaching database, and you will be added to the list. It is important that you fill in the form completely, and if check the birth date of the child you wish to coach so that you can mark the appropriate division.

Administration

• Task Oriented
• Goal Oriented

By the way, if you would like to find out more about the way Region 159 runs, you could volunteer . Most of you are probably aware that the volunteers put in a lot of work to make sure that the divisions are run smoothly, and they can always use help.