CCYS depends upon the hundreds of parents who volunteer. We are grateful for your help.
CCYS Coach Presentation Sep 2024
Thank you for volunteering to be a CCYS Coach! We strive to help players develop skills, gain understanding, and cultivate a love of the game. Thus, our primary focus is on player development.
Coaching Philosophy
The primary focus is for every player (and coach) to have fun and to enjoy plating soccer.
We want to develop good young soccer players on the field and good young people off of the field.
If you’re smiling and enthusiastic, the players will respond. If you're gregarious and goofy, even better!
Guidelines for good practices:
Every player should have ample opportunity to work with a ball at their feet at every practice
Avoid having players stand in line. Try to keep them active, preferably doing something with the ball
Use small sided games that teach skills
Highlight 1 v1 and 2 v2 games/sessions
Include a “live game” scrimmage
Be enthusiastic, keep it fun; praise players doing things well
Practices
The InTown teams play on Saturdays, and first and second grades typically practice once per week, midweek.
Travel program typically practices once or twice per week including one practice under the guidance of CCYS Pro Coaches (girls on Mondays – boys on Thursdays)
Coaches set practice times after teams are formed, just before the season begins, doing their best to practice at a time convenient for the majority of team members.
CCYS does not refund registration fees for a player's inability to meet team practice times.
CCYS offers skills clinics that are run by our Pro Coaches that are aimed at individual players rather than team-based practices.
Practice Fields
CCYS does not have a field reservations system for practices for teams using grass fields to practice.
We allow coaches to select non-turf fields from those available to CCYS. If there is another team practicing at the same time, please share the field accordingly. CCHS turf field location and practices times for Pro Coach Travel Practices will be communicated at the Coaches meeting prior to each season.
Please check the schedule for any potential clashes at Ripley School or Emerson field for CCYS planned group practices or events.
Practice Plans
Please refer to the following resources:
Pre-K / K Soccer Party
In-Game Coaching
Soccer is a player's game; for the most part, coaches should be quiet during the game. We endorse coaches occasionally calling directions to players. We do not endorse constant directing or haranguing of players on the field.
Players need to learn to make their own decisions. If a coach needs to correct a mistake, we expect the coach to discuss this with the player when they are substituted, at half time, or at a subsequent practice.
Kindergarten is the only exception to this. Until the children understand the basic idea of the game, coach participation and encouragement on the field can accelerate their learning….like playing in the back yard.
Encourage, praise, support and create an environment where players feel safe to make mistakes!
Lopsided Scores
We ask coaches to make adjustments during games to ensure that the final score is no more than a five-goal differential. We suggest having a code word that players hear and revert to only shooting with their weak foot or have a 10-pass-before-you-shoot rule.
InTown coaches should not be afraid to mix the two teams up and ensure a more balanced game. Scores should not be kept at first or second grade games. Help kids focus on trying hard and having fun, not on who is winning/losing.
If you have concerns about coach decisions, please contact your age director.
Player Positions
Young players should be given every opportunity to play multiple positions for as long as possible, the only exception being if a player is fully focused on becoming a goalkeeper. CCYS’s main focus is on player development. To achieve that goal, players need as many touches as possible in as many tactical situations as possible.
Play in the attacking third of the field has different demands than the middle or defensive third. Center midfield play has different demands than flank play. Forwards differ from defenders. Young players should experience as many different situations as possible to learn the demands, make mistakes, and learn how to correct them.
As a coach, it may be easier to play specific positions. It simplifies substitutions and training. But we cannot predict what position will be best for a player in the future. Players develop in different ways and at different rates - some early, some late - and their interests change. Of course we should put them in situations where they can succeed, but we must also make an effort to get them playing time at every position during each season.
Coach Licensing and Education
CCYS encourages all coaches to develop their coaching skills by participating in sanctioned courses, workshops, and other programs.
US Soccer coaching courses and other educational programs are offered by Mass Youth Soccer.
CCYS reimburses coaches for successfully completing coaching courses. Forward your certificate of course completion along with your registration receipt to CCYS Registrar.
Player Evaluation Forms
Player evaluations by their coaches are an important part of CCYS season-ending activities. They are used by the Age Group Directors to assist with team placement for the following season. It’s important that coaches provide these forms within 2 weeks after the end of the season
The aim of the Coach Evaluation Form is to provide a simple tool that minimizes the time required to complete the form while providing the most relevant information.
In addition, the player evaluation Skills Guide available below contains questions to guide you when you are completing the evaluations.
Equipment Return
InTown
Balls
Kept by coaches at the end of the fall season
Distributed to players at the end of the spring season
Hold onto your team’s mesh bag with remaining balls, cones, discs, first aid kit, etc. You may need the equipment for next season.
Please do not leave equipment bags at the field with Pugg Goals.
If you know you are not coaching the following season, contact CCYS Equipment Manager to arrange equipment return.
Pugg Goals
Returned at the end of every season.
On the last day of the season, please put them in one neat pile at the designated spot, see maps below
CCYS will pick up the same day
If your team is not finishing that day, please contact CCYS Equipment Manager to arrange equipment return
Before returning the PUGG goals, please inspect for damage, and contact CCYS Equipment Manager if they need replacing.
Equipment Dropoff Locations
Ripley – Please bring to CCYS Equipment Shed near baseball dugouts. If there is no one at the shed place on the ground near shed.
Banta – On parking lot side of the fence opening.
Travel
We ask that Travel coaches hold onto their equipment at the end of each season. CCYS assumes many travel coaches will continue to coach in subsequent seasons. If you know you are not coaching the following season, contact CCYS Equipment Manager to arrange equipment return.
Game Rules
| Grade | # Players | Mins per Half | Field Size (yards) | Field Lined | Goal Type | Ball Size | Keeper | Referee | Throw Ins | Headers | Offsides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 3v3 | 10 | 12x15 | No | Pugg | 3 | No | No | No | No | No |
| K | 3v3 | 12 | 14x20 | No | Pugg | 3 | No | No | No | No | No |
| 1 | 4v4 | 15 | 20x30 | No | Pugg | 3 | No | No | No | No | No |
| 2 | 5v5 | 20 | 25x30 | Yes | Fold-a-Goal | 3 | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| 3&4 | 7v7 | 25 | 40x55 | Yes | Kwik Goal: 6.5x12 | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 5&6 | 9v9 | 30 | 50x70 | Yes | Kwik Goal: 6.5x12 | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 7&8 | 11v11 | 35 | 100x130 | Yes | Full Goal: 24x8 | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rescheduling Games
Travel
Get the opposing coach’s contact information from the BAYS schedule
Agree on two possible times for the make-up game
Contact Steve Robinson to confirm the field and referees
When both teams are confirmed, the BAYS schedule will be updated
Allow for 3 days for confirmation of field and referees
InTown
K and Grade 1: contact the opposing coach and work out a new date and time
Grade 2 - 6: Contact Referee Coordinator, Steve Robinson. If the game is cancelled on game day, call Steve on his cell at (978) 394-7926.
TeamSnap
TeamSnap is a sports team management platform designed to manage your team schedule, track player availability, enable real-time team communication, create parent assignments (snack duty), and allow communication among coaches during the season. We highly recommend that Travel coaches use TeamSnap, but it is currently provided only to Travel, and not InTown.
Shortly after roster release, each Travel team will be set up on TeamSnap and populated with the player/family data that was provided at registration. All coaches will receive an email inviting them to join TeamSnap. In addition they will receive an invite for their player, assuming a child is on their team. Once you login, your team will be there. There are a few steps that head coaches must take to begin using your team page:
On your Dashboard, you will see the Roster tab on the top navigation bar.
Once selected, you will see a list of all your players. At each player's name you will see a check mark or a green box labeled as, Invite To Join/Re-Send Invitation.
Families that are linked to your team have a check mark; those with a green box are not connected. Make sure to click this button on every player to get all your families on board.
If you don't see a particular player on your teams page or if you need to update the listed player information, please feel free to edit accordingly.
If you have coaches that have changed or are listed incorrectly, please reach out to make sure they have completed all coaching requirements. Once confirmed, we can adjust accordingly.
Next, customize your page by adding a welcome page note, populating your practice and game schedule, player availability, and assignment schedule. These can all be populated from the blue navigation bar.
The Availability tab is one of the best features of TeamSnap. All your players are listed under each scheduled event.
Ask families to mark their availability. This allows you to have up to date information for game days.
The Assignment tab can be used to assign parent duties.
The Messaging feature on TeamSnap allows you to select all the families/players and send a quick email if practice is rained out or if there is a last minute field change.
An additional TeamSnap getting-started help guide for players and their families is available: Team Snap Help Guide