Interstate Soccer Club

United League

Coaches Handbook

Soccer Coach Job Description

Creating an environment that promotes the philosophy of the Interstate Soccer Club~ United League starts with good coaching. It is the ISC belief that this program is only as good as its coaches. If every coach adheres to the rules and regulations, this program will be successful. Your sportsmanship and teamwork should be a role model to every child. Please remember this is a RECREATIONAL league. The number one thing you can do for your players is to praise them over and over. Never harshly criticize them or the opposing team. Correct mistakes in a positive fashion. We want children to come back season after season.

Responsibilities

· Your number ONE responsibility is dedication to your team by promoting ISC goals of sportsmanship, teamwork, skill development, and the promotion of fair play. Set a good example!

· It is your responsibility to play all children in each game.

· You must be at all practice sessions and games unless you arrange in advance to have an assistant coach present when it is impossible for you to be there.

· Have fun and communicate any suggestions for program improvement to the ISC.

· Attend every coach’s meeting. We feel coaches’ meetings are important to relate experiences, solve problems, and to discuss the program.

· Always maintain a proper coaching manner during the games and use yourself as a model of sportsmanship and fair play any time you represent ISC.

· Respect other coaches, players, and the referee’s decisions.

Your leadership is the single most important factor in the youth soccer leagues. Its success, as well as the personal experiences of each participant, rests in your hands. You can make this league fun for yourself and, more importantly, for your players.

Coaching Requirements

· There are 3 compliance items that are required by either State or Federal law to be completed prior to volunteer participation within the Iowa Soccer Association. Without completion volunteers can be stopped from participation. All the compliance courses can be completed within the USSF Learning Center.

· The Concussion Certificate is obtained by completing the Intro to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments Course Within the USSF Learning Center

· Volunteers should complete these courses as quickly as possible following registration. After volunteers are rostered to a team, the Sports Connect system will check with the USSF Learning Center for course completions for 7 consecutive days. If results are found, they will automatically be uploaded to volunteers Sports Connect Profile.

· If volunteers do not complete the courses within 7 days of being rostered to a team, they will need to click the 'Get Learning Center Updates' button which can be located within your My Account page in the Sports Connect Association platform. Club registrars as well as the ISA state office also have access to the 'Get learning Center Updates' button for all of their volunteers.

· Access the USSF Learning center here: https://learning.ussoccer.com then click the Safe Soccer tab

Required Compliance:

· SafeSport Certification (Can be obtained within the USSF Learning Center)

· Concussion Certification (Within the USSF Learning Center by taking the Intro to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments Course)

· Completed and approved Background Check. This is automatically run once you register and may take up to 10 business days to return results.

o No charge for the coaches and no action required by you

League Information

· Games are scheduled on Monday, Tuesday and/or Thursday.

· All boys and girls must register and have fees paid to be eligible.

· Players will be assigned to a team by area of town whenever the ratio of coaches to players allows.

o During registration, you may submit a coach or teammate request, but we CANNOT guarantee these requests

· Practice is scheduled by mutual agreement of coaches and players’ families. At least one practice time per week is suggested. For the younger teams, we suggest one or two practices only at the beginning of the season. This gives sufficient time for players to learn the game without overburdening busy family schedules and helps to place an emphasis on having fun. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A RECREATIONAL LEAGUE!

· ISC will furnish team shirts and officials. Coaches should encourage each player to bring his/her soccer ball to each practice session and to work on skills individually, at home, on days when there is no scheduled practice.

· SHIN GUARDS ARE REQUIRED!

League Communication

The United League uses the Stack Team App during each season.  This app will be used for:

· Individual team communication

· Leaguewide communication

· League schedules

· Instructions for downloading the app can be found on our website listed below

Other forms of league communication

· Facebook: Interstate Soccer Club

· Website: Interstatesoccerclub.com/recreational

Make up Games

ISC will try to reschedule games for bad weather situations. When possible, game status will be determined by 3:00pm. If there are any questions regarding the weather, please keep an eye out on communication from the methods listed above.  We try to schedule 8 games and guarantee that 7 will be played.

Additional League Information

· Each team is responsible to make sure that the sideline area is left litter free after each game. Please have the players take home their jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles, etc. at the end of each game. Please ask your team to do their part in keeping our facilities clean!

· NO DOGS ALLOWED at the Dible Soccer Complex, 1300 River View Dr, South Sioux City, NE. Should someone bring a dog or any other type of pet, they will be asked to keep it in their vehicle or take it home.

· Some teams cover a larger geographical area than others. Please try to find a practice area convenient to the largest number of players on the team. Generally, schools and parks in the immediate area are good practice spots.

· If you plan to use a school playground for practices, please clear the use of this field with the principal of the school.

· Coaches, at your first practice please let your players know about your policy on missing games and practices, as well as behavior.

United League Jerseys

Each player will be required to purchase a set of jerseys (1 blue home and 1 orange away) for $15.  Jerseys belong to each player and will be used from season to season until replacements are needed (outgrow, lose, etc).  Players that need replacements before or during the season will need to contact the United League to purchase replacements.

Head Injury

Prompted by advances in what is understood about head injuries and the USSF, Iowa Soccer has instituted new rules for games played in Iowa. Players suspected of having sustained a head and / or neck injury will need to leave the game and must be reviewed by a medical professional (NOT JUST THEIR COACH UNLESS SAID COACH IS ALSO MEDICALLY CREDENTIALED). Part of the rules effort also affects HEADING by players; please refer to the Division Specific Rules below. Please remember the safety of the players far exceeds the need to win any game.

Division Specific Rules

Ø Micro 6U COED teams

o Ball Size: 3

o Teams play 4 v 4, NO GOALKEEPER (coaches are to be on the field with the players)

o No referees (coaches from both teams will help ref and guide players from both teams)

o PLAYERS MAY NOT HEAD BALLS DURING GAMES OR PRACTICE

o Teams may practice 1 time per week for the first several weeks of the season to help children become familiarized with the team, the sport, & to grasp the basic understanding of the rules

§ Another recommendation is a small 15-20 min practice before games

o There are to be no positions and coaches should encourage the kids to go up to try to score as well as come back on defense

o The main emphasis for the 6U division should be on the children having fun, getting out and exercising as well as learning the sport of soccer.

o No offsides

o (4) 8-minute quarters

Ø All 8U teams

o Ball Size: 3

o Teams play 4 v 4 NO GOALKEEPER (coaches are to be on the field with the players for at least the first half of the season)

o No referees (coaches from both teams will help ref and guide players from both teams)

o PLAYERS MAY NOT HEAD BALLS DURING GAMES OR PRACTICE

o Teams should practice 1 time per week for the first several weeks of the season to help children become familiarized with the team, the sport, & to grasp the basic understanding of the rules

§ Another recommendation is a small 15-20 min practice before games

o There are to be no positions and coaches should encourage the kids to go up to try to score as well as come back on defense.

o You can start to teach and encourage the use of attacking as well as defense but NO GOALKEEPERS. A child playing defense does NOT stand in front of the goal.

o No Offsides

o (4) 8-minute quarters

Ø All 10U teams

o Ball Size: 4

o Beginning with this age group, coaches should not be on the field

§ Teams should be positioned on the sideline together as a team

o Teams play 7 v 7 (6 field players + goalkeeper)

o Teams should try to practice 1 time per week working on more technical skills

o PLAYERS MAY NOT HEAD BALLS DURING GAMES OR PRACTICE

o Coaches should be teaching the differences between offense as well as defense & encouraging children to play ALL positions.

o Offsides WILL BE CALLED

o THERE WILL BE NO PUNTING BY THE GOALKEEPER.

§ There is a dotted line halfway between the half line and the goal box. The defensive team MUST retreat behind this dotted line. The goalkeeper then must either play the ball out by throwing it, or by placing it on the ground and passing it to a teammate that is by the goal box.

§ Once the ball is played by the goalkeeper (whether thrown or set down), the defending team can cross the dotted line and try to win the ball back

o (2) 25-minute halves

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Special Considerations for handling heading at 10U and below

· A Player deliberately (but errantly) heads the ball into his/her own goal. The Referee shall allow the goal and must remind the player and the coach that he/she must not head the ball intentionally. Restart play with a Kick-off. (This is exception #1 to no Advantage.)

· A Player deliberately heads the ball in a defensive maneuver, but the ball goes immediately to an attacker who easily kicks the ball into the goal and scores. The Referee shall allow the goal and must remind the player and the coach that he/she must not head the ball intentionally. Restart play with a Kick-off. (This is exception #2 to no Advantage.)

· A Player repeatedly plays the ball with his/her head deliberately. This is NOT to be considered Persistent Infringement (Misconduct). Avoid showing Yellow Cards to players at 10U and below. The Referee shall encourage the coach to substitute for this player who is not playing in accordance with the 10U Rules of Competition. Restart play with an INDIRECT FREE KICK.

· A Player denies an opponent a goal or a goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately heading the ball. This is NOT to be considered DENYING A GOAL OR GOAL SCORING OPPORTUNITY (Misconduct) per the LAWS OF THE GAME. Avoid showing Red Cards to players at 10U and below. The Referee shall encourage the coach to substitute for this player who is not playing in accordance with the 10U Rules of Competition. Restart play with an INDIRECT FREE KICK for the attacking team. _____________________________________________________________________

Ø All 12U teams

o Ball Size: 4

o Teams play 9 v 9

o Teams should try to practice 1 time per week working on both technical and tactical skills

o PLAYERS MAY HEAD BALLS DURING GAMES; COACHES SHOULD LIMIT HEADING DURING PRACTICE TO NO MORE THE 15 – 20 TIMES PER WEEK

o Offside will be called when clearly apparent to the REF, play to the whistle.

o (2) 25-minute halves

Ø All 13U teams

o Ball Size: 5

o Teams play 9 v 9

o Teams should try to practice 1 time per week working on both technical and tactical skills

o PLAYERS MAY HEAD BALLS DURING GAMES; COACHES SHOULD LIMIT HEADING DURING PRACTICE TO NO MORE THE 15 – 20 TIMES PER WEEK

o Offside will be called when clearly apparent to the REF, play to the whistle.

o (2) 25-minute halves

Substitutions

Ø 6U – 8U

o Either team may substitute players on any Throw-in

o Either team may substitute players before any Goal Kick

o Either team may substitute players before any Kickoff

o NO SUBSTITUTIONS BEFORE IFK / DFK / PK / Corner Kicks

o Substitute injured players as needed and an equal number of uninjured players may be substituted from opposing team if desired

o Unlimited number of substitutions

Ø 10U – 13U

o Either team may substitute players on any Throw-in

o Either team may substitute players before any Goal Kick

o Either team may substitute players before any Kickoff

o NO SUBSTITUTIONS BEFORE IFK / DFK / PK / Corner Kicks

o Substitute injured players as needed and an equal number of uninjured players may be substituted from opposing team if desired

o Unlimited number of substitutions w/ referee permission

The Referee

The referee, whether a youth or an adult referee, has jurisdiction ten minutes prior to game time until he/she signals the end of the game. The decisions of all referees are final, there will be no protests. The referee can stop the game for infringement of the rules and can suspend or terminate a game whenever he/she deems such stoppage is necessary, such as weather, interference by spectators and/or violent conduct, or repeated infringements of playing rules. Inappropriate behavior or language towards referees, opposing teams / coaches / fans is not acceptable and may result in the person(s) being asked to leave the field.

Spectator Conduct

All coaches, parents and spectators shall remain on the sidelines. No one shall be allowed on the end lines or behind the goals. Everyone except the linesperson is to stay behind the sideline at least 3 feet and out of the way of the linesperson. Coaches are to be on one side of the field, with their teams, opposite of the parents and families - Coaches may not be stationed on opposite sides of the field. It is the coaches’ duty to ask parents to remain on the opposite touch line throughout the game. Coaches must also stay a minimum of 3 feet off the field and shall NOT roam up and down the sideline. A coach may only enter the field of play when summoned by the referee to deal with injuries. Coaches shall be responsible for the conduct of all their players and fans. Please remember this is just a game and everyone needs time to learn how to be the best they can be in soccer.

Coaching Resources

The Iowa Soccer Association offers a variety of websites for coaching resources and lesson plans for practices and to continue your coaching education. To see these resources go to http://www.iowasoccer.org/Coaches and/or email us at unitedleague@interstatesoccerclub.com

Laws of the Game

(Please See Full Laws of the Game at: http://tinyurl.com/2015-2016-LOTG)

Deliberate tripping, pushing, kicking, or handling the ball are personal fouls and will result in a direct free kick*. A direct free kick is a place kick (point of foul) in which a goal can be scored directly. Minor fouls, such as a dangerous play, are penalized by indirect free kicks. A goal cannot be scored on an indirect free kick unless another player touches the ball. If a personal foul (including intentionally handling the ball) is committed within the penalty area, a penalty kick is awarded. A penalty kick is taken from the penalty spot (approx. 10 yards from the goal line). On a penalty kick a goal can be scored directly -only the goalkeeper can defend against a penalty kick.

*8U division – All free kicks are indirect with the exception of penalty kicks.

Goalkeeper

The Goalkeeper is the only player that is allowed to use his/her hands, but only within the penalty area. A goalkeeper who picks up the ball must release it within six seconds. The goalkeeper cannot hold the ball beyond six seconds, or it is a delay of game. There is no limit to the number of steps the goalkeeper may take before releasing the ball. The goalkeeper is not permitted to release the ball and pick it up again. The goalkeeper cannot touch a ball (with his/her hands) that is intentionally kicked back to him/her in the penalty area by a teammate. This means that any ball intentionally directed by a teammate’s foot to a place where the goalkeeper can play it, may not be touched by the keeper’s hands; he/she may play it with any other part of his/her body. An indirect kick will be awarded to the opposing team. If the teammate plays the ball with some part of the body above the waist, then the goalkeeper is allowed to pick up the ball. Also, if the ball comes to the goalkeeper having last been played unintentionally by a teammate’s foot, the goalkeeper may pick the ball up.

Goal Kicks

If the ball is played over the end line by the attacking team, the defending team takes a goal kick. All opposing players must be outside the penalty area when a goal kick is taken.

Corner Kick

A corner kick is awarded to the attacking team if the ball passes completely over the end line, outside the goal posts, after last being touched by the defending team. The corner kick is taken within the quarter circle at the corner nearest the point where the ball crossed the goal line. The corner flag or post must not be removed when taking the corner kick. A goal can be scored directly on a corner kick because it is a direct free kick.

Contact Info Website: interstatesoccerclub.com/recreational

Chris Conley, Director ISC United League

chris@interstatesoccerclub.com

unitedleague@interstatesoccerclub.com

712-281-9990