New Coach Information

It is our job as coaches to help promote the game and our teams...

Checklist for a New High School Head Coach

There are many things about being a coach that you already know. There are also many things that you, as a head coach, will do automatically or be directed to do. The purpose of this checklist is to have you look at some essential things that you may not automatically do.

PRE-SEASON

Start making a complete journal of all the things that you do, and when you do them.
- Get a three ring notebook. Put everything down. Don’t erase or remove anything.
- Don’t neglect this duty. It will pay off big time for next season.
Join the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association (MSHSSCA) and our parent organization, the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association (MSHSCA).
- You get many great benefits including liability insurance coverage.
- Join at www.mshsca.org.
Attend the MSHSSCA coaches Clinic held in early August.
- Meet your fellow soccer coaches and learn about high school soccer in Minnesota.
- Meet your MSHSSCA Section Representative.
- Work to set up possible scrimmages and games for next season.
- Attend sessions run by expert clinicians.
Determine and write down your personal coaching philosophy and your intended policies for team. (playing time, cutting, lettering & etc.)
- Having this information in written form is essential for the next steps.
- Involving your assistant coach in team policies is a good idea.
Meet with your AD to go over your intended policies, and get his/her input to determine your final team policies. Put these final policies in written form.
Get to know and make friends with the AD’s secretary and with the soccer field groundskeeper(s). They hold your coaching life in their hands.
- Many times during the season you will work with the AD’s secretary and not the AD.
- If your field is not ready for game time, what will or can you do?
Work with your AD’s (secretary) to line up workers for your home games.
- Scorekeeper, clock operator, announcer, ball chasers, team statistician, video tapers, photographer
- Determine and distinguish between paid and volunteer jobs. Who pays?
- Determine if you want to use parents in any of these jobs.
Schedule a joint parents – team meeting.
- Introduce the players and have the players introduce their parents.
- Distribute your written team policies, state your personal coaching philosophy and answer questions.
- If you plan to use parents for any of the above jobs, now would be a good time to recruit them.
If you have a local newspaper prepare a press release with stats form, and talk to them about publicity and pictures for your team and players. (See the Media quick link on the MSHSSCA web site home page.)
If you have a local paper, write articles with stats for all your games.
Call in your game scores and stats to the locations noted in the Media quick link on the MSHSSCA web site home page.
Weekly, submit your rankings for the “Top Ten” teams in your Class and Gender.
- See the Media quick link on the MSHSSCA web site home page.
Do your MSHSSCA work with your Section Rep.
- COY and (A)COY nominations, Academic Award submission, All State nominations.
- Follow the listed deadline dates for the above submissions and nominations.
  - - - NEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE SEASON
Set up your post season banquet.
- Work with Team captains and parents on the location and banquet planning.
- Work with AD’s secretary for ordering player awards, letter certificates and any other items.
If you are in a Conference, attend and participate in the end of season meeting.
- Be prepared to participate in the All Conference selection process.
- If you have All State nominees be sure to do your paperwork on time.
Do your MSHSSCA work with your Section Rep.
- Volunteer to work at the State Tournament and the Senior Classic.
- Warter Award nomination.
Attend the State Tournament as much as you possibly can.
- Do so, even if you are not volunteering for the MSHSSCA there.
- This a great place to meet fellow coaches and set up possible scrimmages and games for next season.

- - - POST SEASON (Until the start of next Pre-Season)

Review your Journal. Use it to make plans for next season.
Meet with your AD to work on:
- Schedules for games and scrimmages
- Budgets
- Any other plans

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