So you want to become a coach in AYSO Region 418? That's great! Thank you for your interest. Coaching in AYSO is a fun and incredibly rewarding experience.
In order to become a coach in our Region, you must follow the steps set forth below.
There are 3 steps to becoming a coach in AYSO Region 418:
(1) Volunteer Registration;
(2) Safe Haven Certification; and
(3) Coach Certification Training.
Only after all of these steps are completed will you be assigned to a coaching position with one or our teams.
Volunteer Registration
The first step is VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION, which is SEPARATE FROM PLAYER REGISTRATION. In other words, even if you have completed registration for your child, you must still complete the separate volunteer registration. ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST RE-REGISTER EVERY YEAR! NO EXCEPTIONS! Volunteer registration is a two-step process. First, go to www.eayso.org, sign up, and follow the instructions to complete your documentation online. After you have completed the online registration, you move on to the second step, which is emailing or faxing a copy of your drivers license and then forwarding it to our Region's Child & Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA), Barb Passman, at cvpa@ayso418.org, or via fax to 312-264-0151. AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN FULLY REGISTERED, you will need to obtain your AYSO ID from www.eAYSO.org and then begin the coach certification process. You will need your AYSO ID to complete the remaining steps to becoming a coach. If you are having trouble obtaining your AYSO ID, please contact the CVPA, Barb Passman, at the email address listed above.
Safe Haven Certification
Once you have your AYSO ID (see above), you can complete the second step, which is SAFE HAVEN CERTIFICATION. Safe Haven Certification is required of all AYSO volunteers, and will teach you, as a coach, how to coach the AYSO way, which focuses on teaching soccer to children in a fun, positive way in order to build them up as soccer players AND people. Getting your Safe Haven Certification is a simple process, which can be completed ONLINE. Simply go to http://www.aysotraining.org, and follow the instructions to complete your Safe Haven Certification. You will be prompted for your AYSO ID. After completing the Safe Haven Certification, MAKE SURE YOU SAVE A COPY OF YOUR COMPLETION CERTIFICATE, whether on paper or electronically. Your AYSO record should automatically be updated to show your Safe Haven Certification, but if it somehow fails to update, you will need the actual certificate in order to show completion.
Coach Certification Training
Once your have your Safe Haven Certificate, you can proceed to the final step to becoming a coach, which is Coach Certification Training. Coach Certification Training is made up of both online and in-person courses which train you on how to coach soccer to young kids. Currently, for all levels, Coach Certification Training requires an in-person, on-field session. In addition, for the Under-8 (U8) and Under-10 (U10) age divisions, there is also an online component to Coach Certification Training. To find out when and where you can take a Coach Certification course, please see our Coach Training page. Please note that courses are NOT offered year-round, and are primarily offered in the Spring and Fall.
For coaches in the U8 and U10 age divisions, you can complete the online component of your Coach Certification Training by going to http://www.aysotraining.org, and following the instructions. Again, MAKE SURE YOU SAVE A COPY OF YOUR COMPLETION CERTIFICATE, whether on paper or electronically. Your AYSO record should automatically be updated to show your U8 or U10 online coach certification, but if it somehow fails to update, you will need the actual certificate in order to show completion.
That's it! Once you've completed all of these steps, be sure to check out our Coach Resources page for lots of great materials to take your coaching education even further. There are links to things like training games, coach handbooks/manuals and more.
Best of luck!
