Coaching Priorities
The following are the priorities for coaches. The Weston Soccer Board considers them to be completely complementary, not mutually exclusive.
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Player development (skill development, the sense of contributing to a team, the expectation of good sportsmanship)
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Ensuring the children have fun and a very positive soccer experience
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Winning
The most important thing for coaches to focus on are the dual goals promoting player development and sportsmanship, while ensuring the kids are having a lot of fun. Coaches should always keep in mind that kids play soccer to have fun. If it is not fun, they will generally not continue with soccer. Kids have fun by enjoying their teammates and getting positive feedback and encouragement from their coaches.
Coaching Responsibilities
The coach conducts practices to promote skill development and tactical game awareness, while instilling a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. At games the coach assigns players to positions, manages substitutions, and provides sideline instruction and encouragement.
Coaches should meet with players and their parents once before the season begins to discuss commitment and procedures.
Coaches should set an example of on-field decorum and good sportsmanship at all times.
Coaches should not have to waste their time (or that of other players) disciplining unruly or uncooperative children. Coaches must speak to parents immediately in order to remedy the problem. If the situation persists, coaches have the right to reduce playing time or require a misbehaving child to sit out a game. In extreme cases, the matter may be brought to the Age Director, and if still unresolved, before the Parental Input Committee.
Coaches must address parents that display inappropriate behavior (abusing referees, criticizing players, criticizing coaching decisions, shouting instructions at players). In extreme cases, a parent may be asked not to attend subsequent games (and practices) if, after the coach has spoken with the offending parent and the appropriate Age Director, the parent behavior is still problematic.
Coaches are responsible for the children’s safety. Coaches must bring their medical release forms to practices and games. A coach or an assigned adult must remain at the field after practices and games until all children are picked up by their parents.
Coaches should know the rules of the game and should expand their knowledge of soccer by attending coaching clinics.
Coaches should ensure that all children on the team are learning soccer, developing a sense of contributing to a team effort and having a positive experience.
Weston Soccer Board Playing Time Philosophy
The rationale that underlies the playing time policies set forth is that all children deserve the opportunity to develop their skills and feeling for the game. It is impossible to predict how children will develop. Consequently, it is imperative that we strive to give all children an equal chance to develop, particularly at the younger ages. Generating a win by using widely disparate playing time allotments, in no way compensates for the damage that is caused to a child who is victimized by the system and turns away from soccer as a result.
The goal is to ensure as many children are playing and enjoying the game as possible. Ironically, winning in the short term by utilizing unbalanced substitution patterns is detrimental to winning in the long term. Equitable playing time promotes more player development and results in a much stronger, more balanced team, that is more capable of winning in the future.
Coaches should endeavor to rotate all children through all positions, including goal, to ensure each child can fully appreciate the game of soccer. This also prevents typecasting players too early in their development.
Caveats;
If a coach has an attitude or commitment problem with a child that is detrimental to the team as a whole, the coach must speak with the parent(s) or guardian in an effort to remedy the problem. If the problem persists, a coach has the discretion to reduce playing time to less than the defined minimum amount. The reduction in playing time should be commensurate with the degree of the problem. Note that lack of skill is not an attitude or commitment problem.
Goalies should play no more than one half in goal unless consented to by the player and a parent or guardian. Playing one half in goal is not considered playing half the game. The goalie must receive at least the prorated minimum amount of field time the half they are not in the goal. We encourage coaches to overweight field playing time for goalies when they are not in goal.
These are the guidelines for the season as a whole. There may be more variation in a specific game due to uncontrollable circumstances such as an inability to substitute or a coach losing track of time.
Minimum playing time requirements for 4th grade and above
It is the policy of the Weston Soccer Club to give substantially equal playing time to all players regardless of skill level. This policy recognizes the developmental mission of the Club, and applies to all players who attend practice regularly and display a positive attitude.
Our volunteer coaches have limited options for dealing with disruptive or dangerous behavior. Should such a situation arise, we ask our coaches to talk with the player, and should that fail, the player’s parents. If this does not remedy the situation, playing time can be reduced. Coaches should communicate to the player, the parents, and the age director that such a decision has been made in a further attempt to change undesirable behavior.
Coaches should keep in mind that a weaker player on the team could be one of the stronger players on a lower team, and that player should not be penalized in playing time because of where the dividing line falls. Parents should recognize that due to limits on when substitutions are made, this may not occur in every game, but should over the course of the season.
Time spent playing goalkeeper should not be counted as field playing time. In situations where players don’t play in goal voluntarily, an effort should be made to get them equal time in the field. Goalkeepers that play part of the game in goal should receive at least their prorated amount of time in the field when they are not serving as goalkeeper.
Paid Coaches
All teams utilizing a professional, non-parent coach during the BAYS season (excluding clinics and assisted practices arranged by the Weston Soccer Club) must comply with the following policy:
In general
1. Any team utilizing a professional coach must notify in advance the Weston Soccer Club’s Player Development Director.
2. Utilizing a professional coach at more than 3 regular practices during a single BAYS season requires prior approval from the Soccer Board Professional Coaches Subcommittee.
3. Financial arrangements are strictly between the parents and the professional coach.
Using a paid coach in lieu of a parent coach
The Weston Soccer Club mandates the use of parental volunteers, rather than paid coaches, to coach the standard BAYS practices (twice per week) and games. In the case where no suitable volunteer coach can be found, a team that wishes to use a paid coach must present the matter to the Soccer Board Professional Coaches Subcommittee for approval. The placement of players on any team is made without regard to a team’s use of a paid coach.
Using a paid coach during a regular practice
The Weston Soccer Club, as part of its player development program, customarily hires professional coaches to conduct clinics and/or work with parent coaches and their teams during a few regularly scheduled practices. Parent coaches are encouraged to attend all clinics and are expected to attend assisted practices (which should be rescheduled if a time conflict exists). Any team may hire a professional coach to assist the BAYS coach in up to 3 regularly scheduled practices (not counting assisted practices that are arranged by the Weston Soccer Club), provided that no family should be required to share the cost.
Using a paid coach during an additional practice
From time to time teams may utilize the services of professional coaches and/or indoor facilities to augment the standard BAYS two practices per week with additional clinics, activities or games, either during the season or off season. The participation of members of the team in such activities is strictly optional, as they are not considered part of the core Weston Soccer Club program. While such opportunities may be offered to the players of the team initiating the activity first, the Weston Soccer Club encourages such activities to be offered to members of other teams if the activity can absorb additional capacity and there is a reasonable skill set match.
