Hello Coaches and Assistant Coaches,
THANK YOU for volunteering your time and energy this season. I know how big a commitment
this is and I appreciate it, as does the entire board of AYSO Region 232. Everything we do as a
region is to enrich kids' lives by providing a quality youth soccer program, promoting a fun,
family environment, based on AYSO's six philosophies. Everyone from me, to the Regional
Commissioner, to the Team Parent dishing out orange slices is a volunteer. If you want to help
more, just ask how!
Here are the steps for all AYSO Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches:
Step 1 -- Volunteer
Become an AYSO Volunteer by going to www.ayso232.org, the same place you registered your
child. Login to your sportsconnect portal and under My Account, Select VOLUNTEER on the
Left, then Find Volunteer Roles on the Top Right. Choose Head Coach or Assistant Coach in
your child’s division. While you’re at it, consider volunteering to become a referee! (Please be
patient with the syestem, and check your email inbox for verification links periodically. I think it
also works better on a computer rather than a phone.) Information from AYSO for all volunteers
can be found here: https://ayso.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Step 2 -- Background Check
Once you register to volunteer you’ll receive an email from AYSO asking you to submit to a
background check through Sterling Volunteers. Follow the link and instructions to submit this
check. This is paid for by AYSO (unless you volunteer to pay for the cost, which helps out the
regional accounts, which means more money goes to equipment).
In the volunteer menu in AYSO232 look for "Risk Status", check the box, and then click
"Renew and Update in the bottom right corner". After you complete that step, you are not
done. You will receive an email. It will probably go to your spam box. Open it and complete
the required steps. Issues occasionally arise with background checks, so I encourage you to
complete it right away so if any issues do arise, they can be resolved before practice starts!
Step 3 -- Required Certifications and Classes
Every AYSO Volunteer - from Head Coach to Team Parent to Referee - needs three
super-important certifications, all online through the AYSO Learning Library (AYSOU):
● AYSO's Safe Haven
● CDC Concussion Awareness
● SafeSport Act Mandatory Training
To access the courses, go to AYSOU by clicking the ‘AYSOU’ button on the volunteer portal
(directly below the ‘Find Volunteer Roles’ button you previously clicked on). Then click on the
Training Library tab on the left, then Safe Haven and ‘View Courses’. Find and complete your
courses. Once completed, the certificates should show up in your account with a verified status
and a compliant check-mark in a circle.
These three courses are directly for the safety of the children you’ll be working with and are
mandatory). Need any help with background checks or these required courses? Contact our
CVPA (Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate), at
[email protected]Step 4 -- Age Appropriate Coach Training and Certification
If you are going to be a 6U or 8U Head Coach or Assistant Coach, then you’ll need to take an
age appropriate class online. If you are going to be a 10U, 12U or 14U Head Coach or
Assistant Coach you’ll need to take the online course followed by the age appropriate
in-person field session.
These courses, including the field sessions, are mandatory for all Head
Coaches and highly recommended for all Assistant Coaches.
● 6U and 8U coaches need only the online courses
● 10U coaches need the online course followed by a field session that lasts about 90
minutes
● 12U coaches need the online course followed by a combined classroom and field
session that lasts about three hours
● 14U coaches need the intermediate coach online session followed by a field session that
runs over two days (a weekend).
● 16-19U coaches need to have a couple of years of coaching after their intermediate
coach training, then the advanced coach course, which has online and in-person
components (a full day)
You'll want to complete all online training before the in-person certifications can be awarded.
Step 5 -- Attend the Annual Coach Meeting
At this meeting we’ll review some important information you’ll need to be successful, you’ll
meet your town commissioner, and you’ll also receive your roster and uniform box so you can
contact your team families and get the season started!
Be on the lookout for email updates from me as dates, times and locations are set for our Mandatory All Volunteers Meeting, All Coach and Referee in-person certification training, and our Fall Season Field prep meeting.
Thanks for all you do for the kids,
Brandon Kent
Region Soccer Commissioner - Verde Valley Region 232
[email protected]