Invest in the Process

All US youth soccer clubs owe a debt of gratitude to their full-time and parent coaching staff. Youth soccer clubs are only as good as their coaching staffs, full-time coaches and parent volunteer coaches.

Club directors acknowledge the importance and role of coaches when speaking about player development. Parent coaches are, often times, directly responsible for the recognition the youth soccer club receives upon teams winning local tournaments, state cups, or regional/national championships. When club directors are asked about what type of coaching education program his or her club implements, the answer is usually silence. Some club directors will boast of an extensive coaching education program that consists of only reimbursing their coaches upon successful completion of a USSF or NSCAA coaching course.

Similar to academia, professional development for coaches and teachers, delivered by the organization to which they are employed, is usually an afterthought. If professional development is even on the radar of club directors, it is usually placed on the back burner because the club director coaches the best team/teams in the club or functions as a club administrator, and there are not enough hours in the day to plan a meaningful coaching education program.

If one examines the best coaching education programs in the world among clubs and/or national federations there are several commonalities between them.

• Includes theory and practical information (this is something incorporated by the USSF and the
  NSCAA)
• Organization views the player/coach relationship holistically
• Small coach to mentor ratio
• Allows coaches to go off on their own and then return to the larger group to ask questions and share experiences at another date - this is done periodically throughout the program
• Club provides a mentor for individual coach or small group of coaches
• Integrates technology to improve learning and coach reflection
• Program resembles give and take between club director and coach where both parties improve
• Coach/parent volunteer feels club director has his or her best interests in mind 

When clubs provide this level of coaching education for their full-time staff and parent 

coaches/volunteers, then yes, they can and should promote their coaching education program. All youth clubs will explain to their constituents that they believe in player development but until their focus shifts toward coach development, youth soccer clubs and their directors’ actions do not align with their words.