The SFYS mission is to support youth soccer and leadership through sport.

To ensure that SFYS can deliver on its mission, and support each individual within the league, we have some recommended tools:

SFYS @ Home.

The SFYS @ Home program is designed to encourage players to lead their own training, with their parents participation. As a coach, we want you to share the program with the players, and hold a team talk around WHY it can be important and helpful for them to take it on. 

Then, you can use those who take it on to lead and demonstrate the benefits to the rest of the team. The whole team can and will be pulling all together with team leaders showing how much home training helps.

SFYS Junior Coaches.

For coaches of players that are 16 and up, SFYS has a Junior Coaching program. The program provides theoretical training through the US Soccer Grassroots licensing, and mentorship with program director, Lee Dunne. The program will also include on-field experience with younger players through SFYS player clinics. The program is designed to provide older players an opportunity to get involved in Soccer in new ways. Previous participants have been partnered with teams and have gone on to coach teams within the SFYS house leagues. 

Team Captain(s).

Whilst the captain(s) role in youth soccer is different to a professional’s, players should still be exposed to being a team captain. You could have one, or three each week.

Players can earn the title, or they take it in turns. Hold a team chat and decide together. If players earn the title, create a list for HOW they can achieve it.

Then, create roles and responsibilities for the captain(s):

• Pre-game coin toss / greet the opponents
• Team warm-up?
• Team talk?
• Lead the team cheer
• Encourage others in a specific way

Training

The SFYS curriculum is predominantly focused on using small-sided games. Players will come to practice and be challenged to make decisions frequently. There will be restrictions and rewards that will encourage teamwork and highlight the need for leaders within each phase of practice and team. Weekly training is set up for coaches to focus on the players, and not the activity, allowing for more meaningful connections with players.

Mentorship

Pairing players to help each other along the way is an amazing way to help them become accountable for each other, and to start leading themselves and a friend. They have a common purpose to keep working together. SFYS @ Home can be tied into mentorship too, and regularly practicing players can help not-so-active teammates. The same approach can be used with players across different age groups if you have more than one team that you are working with.

info@sfyouthsoccer.com | 415-504-8131
@SFYouthSoccer
@Leedunnesoccer