Coaching Soccer for Dummies

How to get a kick out of coaching kids’ soccer

Each year, 6.1 million kids aged 6 to 17 play soccer for more than 25 days a year, and each of their teams needs a coach. In many cases, the coach is a parent or adult volunteer who may not have any previous coaching (or even soccer) experience. This book provides these volunteers with a crash course in soccer and coaching fundamentals. It provides an easy-to-understand overview of soccer rules, positions, and strategies as well as imaginative, enjoyable drills to help kids improve their kicking, dribbling, headers, and play-making.

And, there’s lots of advice on typical coaching challenges, from handling substitutions and playing time to encouraging good sportsmanship and involving parents.

The National Alliance For Youth Sports is America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for children. The Alliance provides a wide range of programs for volunteer coaches, professional and volunteer administrators, officials, parents, and young athletes. Greg Bach (West Palm Beach, FL) is Director of Communications for the National Alliance for Youth Sports