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Region 151 Coach Resource Page
Travis Braden, Regional coach Administrator
627-4666 (home)
629-5859 (work)
travis_braden@mgoblue.com

October 31, 2005

Region 151 Coaches:

The Fall 2005 season has come to an end and I hope it was a successful one for you and your team(s). I had the opportunity to meet and observe many of you and for the most part I was impressed with the knowledge, skill, and attitude of our region’s coaches. Here’s a brief rundown of my thoughts on this past season-

1. For the most part teams were organized, warmed up, and ready to play at the scheduled time. Special kudos to the U6 and U8 coaches where one late start can disrupt a whole day’s worth of games. Coaches need to be commended for having their teams ready to go on time.
2. It was evident that for the most part coaches are teaching and coaching at an appropriate age level. Whether this is a result of attending a clinic, reading the AYSO coach manual, or simply being a good coach I feel that for the most part our players are being taught at their level of play. Skills and tactics I observed at the U6, U8, and U12 level were very consistent with AYSO guidelines. Kudos to our coaches for not overwhelming players, especially younger players, with difficult strategy and tactics beyond their level of comprehension and ability.
3. Many coaches wore and took pride in wearing AYSO shirts and caps. I appreciate this as it displays a certain level of “professionalism” during games. Please keep this up and if you don’t have a shirt and/or cap let me know. 
4. While not perfect, the attitude of our U8 coaches towards our youth referees was, for the most part, positive. Kudos to those coaches who realized these referee are nothing more than 10 year old kids refereeing for the first time.
5. We as coaches need to remember that we are not “traffic cops”. Too many times I observed coaches constantly walking the length of the sideline directing every single aspect of play. Please, coaches, remember that coaching occurs during practice, not games. We as coaches need to remind ourselves to remain pretty much in the same spot and observe the game. This, unfortunately, was the exception rather than the rule, especially at the U8 level. 
6. That being said, the above also refers to parents as well. As a rule (and in accordance with AYSO guidelines) one coach, and at the most two, should be the only one relaying instructions to the players on the field. I’m not exaggerating when I say I on occasion observed no less than six parents all offering different instruction to the players on the field. This again was the rule, rather than the exception, at the U8 level. Please, coaches, address this during your parents’ meeting prior to the spring season.

7. There were some incidents involving coaches, parents, and referees. Please, coaches, remind yourselves and your parents that it’s just a game and the referees are oftentimes not much older than the players. Let’s please conduct ourselves accordingly. 

All that being said, the Region 151 Board has already established dates for the Spring 2006 season.

-Coach meeting will be held Wednesday March 08

-Teams may begin practicing the week of March 13

-Coach training will be offered in late February and early March. The plan is for the Region to certify its own coach instructors over the winter so that coach trainings can be held within the region. Regardless, I will make available training all the way through the Intermediate level.

-First games are scheduled for March 25, with the season ending on May 13. There will be no games on April 15 (Easter).

-Summer Tournament Team tryouts will be held the week of April 25 and the week of May 02.

-Spring registration continues through February 15.

-Registration for fall 2006/Spring 2007 will be held April 29 and May 13. 9AM-2PM both days at Friendship. Medals for all players will also be available for pickup those dates and times.

I’ll conclude by offering my sincere gratitude and appreciation for a job well done. Thank you for providing such a positive and fun soccer experience for our players. Please contact me at any time with feedback, questions, comments, or concerns. Have a great winter and holiday season and I’ll see you in the spring.

 
Travis Braden
AYSO Region 151 Coach Administrator
627-4666 (h) 629-5859 (w)
Arsenal Forever

travis_braden@mgoblue.com.

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Last updated on October 31, 2005