COACHES INFORMATION CENTER

Enthusiastic and committed leaders are needed to oversee our Recreational teams on a seasonal basis (Fall and/or Spring), either as a Head Coach or as an Assistant Coach. While most of our volunteer coaches are parents coaching their child’s team, anyone can also volunteer to give back to the game and to their community.

Questions on becoming a coach:

• Minis (Pre-School, Pre-K, and Rec 1 (Grades K-2): contact Mackayla Brodie at  mack.brodie@loudounsoccer.com
• Rec 2 (Grades 3-6), Challenge 1 and 2 (Grades 3-6), Classic (Grades 7-8), and High School (Grades 9-12): contact Karen Corpe at karen.corpe@loudounsoccer.com

This page serves a hub for current Rec coaches. Please visit it often for information relevant to the current and upcoming seasons.

REC COACHES CONTACTS

CREDITS FOR REC HEAD COACHES

Volunteer Information - Head Coaches receive credits for future seasons!

Are you interested in coaching a youth soccer team?

• Parents of registered players: If you would like to coach your own child. It’s a simple as clicking the volunteer link at the time you register your child. 
• Non-Parent Volunteers. If you are a High School Student, family member, or just an adult that would like to volunteer, click here.
• All volunteers: Loudoun Soccer runs a KidSafe background check on every coach, assistant coach and volunteer in our organization. This background check is not run on anyone under the age of 18. The KidSafe form pops up during your online registration. Your background check is valid for 1 year.
• Once registered: After you are registered and as the season gets close you will be contacted by a club representative – for many this will be a volunteer Age Group Coordinator. This is the person that will assign you to a team and answer any questions you may have during the season.
• Once assigned to a team: you will receive information on how to complete Abuse Prevention Awareness training (see below re: SafeSport)

Make sure to keep your eye on our website for pre-season coaching clinics and meetings. Details are available below.

For Spring 2024 - individuals who serve as a Head Coach to a Rec team who successfully complete the full season will receive a 50% credit of their child's program fee toward a future season or program.

PRACTICE SCHEDULES

PRE-SEASON COACH MEETINGS

All head coaches are expected to attend a pre-season coaches clinic, which includes the following:

1. administrative overview

2. equipment distribution

3. coaches instructional session

Coaches attending should dress to participate in on-field sessions (athletic clothing). Assistant coaches are welcome to attend. Coach clinics are scheduled prior to the start of the season.

SAFESPORT TRAINING

On February 14, 2018 the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017” (S.534) was passed by Congress, requiring youth sports organizations to implement the following steps toward preventing sexual abuse of minors:

• Mandatory Reporting: any adult — board member, employee, coach (paid or volunteer, head or assistant), team administrator/manager, or other volunteers — interacting with an amateur athlete in the program has a duty to report abuse and/or suspected abuse within a 24-hour period of awareness. EVERY adult is a mandatory reporter.
• Prevention Training: consistent training must be offered and provided to all adult members who are in regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors, and educational training for children to better understand appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior, both in terms of adult-to-child and child-to-child interaction;
• Prevention Policies: all youth sport organizations must establish reasonable procedures to limit one-on-one interactions between an amateur athlete who is a minor (under the age of 18) and an adult who is not their parent/guardian; anti-retaliation policies; and other relevant policies.

As a member of Virginia Youth Soccer Association and US Youth Soccer, Loudoun Soccer will enforce these steps for all of its programs, which extend efforts and policies already in place prior to the passing of this legislation.

All coaches (head coaches, assistant coaches, etc.) MUST complete annual SafeSport training. This is a mandatory requirement.

Visit https://safesporttrained.org and use the following for the enrollment key: YC3E-6P5G-YYIL-CS2M. Be sure to use the same email for your SafeSport as you did for your PlayMetrics account.

PRE-SEASON POLICY/ FORMAT/ RULES/ PRESENTATIONS/ ABRIDGED RULES

Coaches should review the presentation on key policies and their Saturday game or session day format to better understand its structure, and the coaches' responsibilities throughout the season, and before, during, and after each event.
For your convenience, a PDF format is available in the Club Resources folder in your Coach account

Coaches Grades K-12 are encouraged to print a copy of the abridged rules related to their age group to carry with them to all games, as a reminder of important policies but also to resolve any disputes or confusion between coaches and referees

CONCUSSION INFORMATION

Below you can find everything you need to know about the Club’s Concussion Management, Education and Reporting protocols, as mandated by the Virginia Youth Soccer Association, to achieve the following objectives:

1. Reduce concussion risks for participants;
2. Increase awareness among coaches and families of concussion risks and effects, and proper management of concussion; and
3. Comply with Virginia State Laws regarding policies and procedures for concussion management in youth athletes.

View this  document for more information. Download concussion reporting forms at the documents and forms section at the bottom of this page.

Coaches may take the CDC's Head's Up concussion training through their Sports Connect account.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Weather conditions may vary widely throughout the County. In the absence of specific guidance from the Club regarding field status, consult our Weather Policy. 

CANCELLATIONS & RESCHEDULES

Practices and games may be cancelled for a variety of reasons, primarily due to inclement weather or unplayable field conditions. Additional details can be found on our Field Status and Closures page.

Cancellations due to inclement weather and/or closed fields is communicated by email, social media, and in the future a new text service (the club is no longer utilizing rainedout.com). Be sure your mobile number is up to date in your account, and you've opted into the alert service.

Games may be canceled due to unplayable field conditions and/or inclement weather. In the absence of communication from the club about these situations, the responsibility for determining whether a match is played is that of the referee. COACHES DO NOT CANCEL GAMES DUE TO WEATHER.

Head coaches with multiple teams will have their game schedules de-conflicted. In the event a conflict exists, notify your program manager immediately to allow as much time as possible to reschedule.

Rescheduling due to any other reason is very difficult, given the number of factors (field space and availability, the length of the season, other peoples' schedules, etc.). In the event a Head coach is unavailable, they should first check with their Assistant coach about leading the team in their absence.

In the event a game must be rescheduled, the requesting Head coach should contact their program manager as soon as possible (at least one week's notice) with specific details:

* Original date of the game
* Original time of the game
* Original location of the game
* Opponent's team name
* Reason for changing the game
* Available days/times to make up the game

GAME DAY POLICY REMINDERS

Location of Players, Coaches, and Spectators:

1.Teams (coaches and players)

The two teams will be positioned on one side of the field and all spectators will be located on the opposite side of the field across from their team. All coaches and substitutes must stay within their Technical Areas. All spectators must stay between the top of the penalty area, and at least three (3) yards behind the touchline. No one will be permitted behind the goal line.

2. Spectators:
Spectators must remain behind designated lines at the playing fields during game play, and may not stand at the ends of the field. Team players and Coaches must be on one side of the playing field and the spectators must be located on the opposite side. Only registered and approved adults may be on the team sideline.

3. Coaches on the Field:
Only during Mini Soccer (Kindergarten and younger) are coaches allowed on the field to help instruct the players. It is up to the referee to place the ball on the goal kick mark or in place for a corner kick.

Referee Reminders:

There is ZERO TOLERANCE toward referee abuse. To read more about the state of officiating in youth sports, and to help improve it, read the following articles:

“Verbal abuse from parents, coaches is causing a referee shortage in youth sports” (from Washington Post)

Referees – Be Part of the Solution (article from Red Fanzine May 2017)

"Competitive Balance" Rule (methods to avoid blow-out results):

Even though Age Group Coordinators make every attempt to balance the relative strength of teams in a particular age group, there are frequently cases where relatively weak teams play games against considerably stronger teams. Running up the score by a margin greater than five goals lessens the enjoyment of the game for the opposing team, and in an effort to promote good sportsmanship, Loudoun Soccer prohibits its coaches from “blowing-out” other teams in all age groups.
 
While Loudoun Soccer recognizes it is hard to keep the stronger team engaged in the game, it is much more important that they learn good sportsmanship. Please note that only at the Grades 1-4 age groups are more players added on the field when a “blow-out” occurs (see Law 3 Paragraph F in the Loudoun Soccer Modifications to FIFA Laws of the Game).

Advice to Loudoun Soccer Coaches:

There are several methods that coaches of stronger teams can employ when it appears that the game score is getting out of hand before the goal differential is 4:

• Have all players exclusively use their “weaker foot” for passing, ball control, and shooting
  
•  Designate players who have not yet scored goals as the only ones who are allowed to shoot (other players have to feed them the ball).
  
•  Place stronger players in primarily defensive positions and encourage them to pass to the weaker players.
  
•  Set special conditions for their players before they are allowed to score (i.e., complete three to five passes before shooting).
  
•  Limit the number of players in your offensive half of the field.

Referee Actions:

Referees have been instructed to remind coaches of the “competitive balance” rule so they can make every attempt to prevent the situation from worsening. If a coach refuses to correct the problem then the Referee will note that fact in the Referee Game Report. The Referee Game Report will be submitted within 48 hours so that the assignors can contact the appropriate league officials who will take the necessary corrective action against the offending coach. During a potential “competitive balance” situation in Grades 1-4 matches, Referees will use the procedures in Law 3, Paragraph F to attempt to mitigate the “Blow-out.” Actions taken by a coach to avoid the blow out will still be a matter of record in the Referee’s game report. All Grades 5-8 and U16-U19 teams are expected to manage competitive imbalances. While enforcement is only possible on Loudoun fields, it is expected that all teams carry the spirit of good sportsmanship with them as they match with teams outside of Loudoun County.

Goals Must be Secured!



No games in the 7v7, 9v9, and 11v11 formats are to take place if a goal is not anchored or secured with sand bags.. Do not ever pressure a young referee into playing a game under these unsafe conditions. If you show up to a field where goals need securing, send a parent for a few bags of sand and put them on the back of the goal. Under no circumstances should parents stand on the goal to hold it down. You could also keep a hammer in your coach’s bag. Sometimes the goals are jarred loose during mowing. There is usually a piece of rebar that can be hammered back down to secure the goal.

Please remember this rule is to keep all of our players safe. We never want to have a child hurt or killed by a falling goal. If a game is cancelled due to the goals not being secured we will reschedule your game for a later date and time.

END OF SEASON TEAM AWARDS

Participation awards are provided by Loudoun Soccer for players Grades 2 and younger. Awards will be organized by team, and are provided to each coach during the season to be distributed by the coach to the players at the end of the season.

Coaches of teams 3rd grade and older are provided card stock, and are encouraged to award each player an individual player an end-of-season certificate, recognizing them for a specific accomplishment or quality.

Coaches of 2nd grade and younger teams may also issue certificates in addition to their participation medals.

Coaches are welcome to select awards from the following list, or may recognize players positively using their own category:

DOCUMENTS & FORMS