To All Cincinnati Hills SAY Soccer Coaches:

A big thank you for volunteering your time and expertise to coach a team this Spring 2012 Season! Below are a few important announcements and updates every coach needs to be aware of.

1) Important Coaching Documents To Review: (Located at the bottom of this page)

We have posted the following important documents in PDF format at the bottom of this page for your review. Please make sure you download these documents and read carefully.

- 2012 coach guidelines and expectations
- Spring 2012 points of emphasis (includes the new small-sided playing format)
- Parent-spectator guidelines and agreement

2) Spring 2012 Coaching Clinic (all levels)

Coaching clinics will be posted here during the first week of March. Please check back.

3) Coaching Requirements:

All coaches (Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches) are required to be SAY certified in order to coach a Cincinnati Hills SAY soccer team. If you have not been certified by your District and unable to attend a Cincinnati Hills SAY Soccer clinic, please see your District President as soon as possible.

Certifications that are accepted are:

a) USSF "F","E","D" license or any National License (www.osysa.com)
or (www.ussf.com for "A","B","C" national courses)

b) NSCAA State, Regional, National Diplomas or the NSCAA National Youth
Diploma (www.nscaa.com)

c) USYSA National Youth License (www.ussf.com)

d) The FA online Psychology for Soccer Course (www.thefa.com)

e) Cincinnati Hills SAY In-House Certification

Please forward a copy of your license or diploma to:

James Ferguson
President
Cincinnati Hills SAY
jh.ferguson@yahoo.com

4) Coach Expectations and Guidelines:

You are taking on an important role within our organization. As such, it is important that you understand the overall philosophy of our league in addition to our expectations set out below as well as the CHSS official "rules of conduct".

a) Our Philosophy:

Cincinnati Hills SAY is a recreational soccer league. Our goal is to create a fun, enjoyable and rewarding experience for all participants (coaches, players, referees and spectators) with a focus on skill development (physical and mental), healthy competition, fair play and good sportsmanship. All participants are expected to exhibit professional and respectful behavior to ensure a positive and memorable experience for everyone.

b) Coaching Expectations:

• You are the teams’ #1 mentor and are in a unique position to create a great soccer experience for your players and parents. As such, it is important that all our coaches provide positive instruction and encouragement to all players where they can learn the great game from both a physical (skills) and mental (focus, attitude, teamwork, sportsmanship) perspective. It is also important to maintain an open and friendly dialogue with your parents where you can address issues as they arise.

• All coaches are encouraged to have a parent meeting at their first practice.

- Introduce yourself, your assistant coach and review your overall philosophy and expectations
- Review PARENT/SPECTATOR AGREEMENT FORM (SAY Area philosophy) and have at least ONE PARENT PER FAMILY SIGN IT (see link below to download a copy)
- Review the practice and game schedules (reinforce the need to arrive on time)
- Review what is required for the right equipment (soccer ball, water bottle, shin guards and uniform)

• Understand the laws of the game and our Code of Conduct. At the Wings and above level, it is critical that you clearly understand the laws covering off-sides, handling (hand balls), fouls and misconduct.

• Encourage good sportsmanship from your players and parents. Demonstrate it via your own conduct.

• Greet the other coach and praise the efforts of players on both teams.

• Shouting and/or yelling at players or officials is not permitted. Abusive/aggressive language to anyone will not be tolerated and will result in a caution (yellow card). Positive instruction only.

• Referee calls are not to be questioned during game time. Any questions or clarifications may be addressed respectfully between quarters or at the end of the game.

• You are responsible for the conduct of spectators rooting for your team. If there are any spectator issues, referees are instructed to work through the coach to bring these to resolution.

c) Important Policy Reminders:

• All coaches are required to be SAY certified (attending a clinic at each playing level) and need to complete the volunteer risk assessment form on-line at cincinnatihillssaysoccer.org.

• Coaches are not permitted to add any player to his/her team that is not officially listed on his/her roster. Violation of this policy will automatically lead to game forfeiture, a one game suspension for the coach and possible CHSS SAY Area season or permanent expulsion.

• Coaches are required to have a copy of the team roster, signed medical forms and parent agreements on their possession at ALL games and practices. Random roster checks are conducted by the referees. Failure to present your roster for the roster check will result in an automatic game forfeit.

• There must be at least two adults present (at least one certified coach) at every practice.

• A maximum of three coaches are permitted on the sidelines at any time.

• A minimum of one certified coach MUST be present at a game and/or practice.

• Coaches are not permitted on the field during game time without permission from the referee.

• Coaches must stay between the half-way line and 18 yard line (outside of the penalty box) during game time

• Each player MUST play a minimum of half the game (2 quarters).

• Substitutions should be placed at the center line and should only enter the field when the referee signals.

• Players with casts of any type will not be permitted to play. Also, players with earrings will be asked to take them off. Band aids placed over newly pierced ears (with earrings in place) are not permitted.

• Coaches are not permitted to reschedule soccer games. Games can only be rescheduled by the District Soccer organizations due to the following reasons:

- Weather
- A team does not have the minimum # of players required to field a team due to a school sanctioned activity
- A team does not have the minimum # of players required to field a team due to a religious event

For any game that cannot be played due to a school-sanctioned activity or religious event, the coach MUST notify their District Soccer Organization and the coach of the other team. The District Soccer Organizations will be responsible for re-scheduling the game.

• Weather: Lightning OR thunder requires that everyone leave the field immediately and wait 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder or flash of lightning. Fields with lightning detectors…MUST wait until the device sounds.

5) Volunteer Release/Risk Management Forms:

All coaches are required to complete a volunteer release/risk management form prior to coaching a team. The form needs to be completed and sent to your District prior to your first practice. The form can also be completed on-line in the “Risk Management” section of the cincinnatihillssaysoccer.org website or a hard copy can be obtained from your District President.

6) “Times Two” Policy:

Please be aware of the “Times Two Policy” that needs to be adhered to by all coaches. The official SAY USA policy is listed below:

All SAY Areas must establish and implement a policy to ensure that no less than two adults are present at any team function. Failure to implement the “Times Two” policy may adversely impact an SAYArea’s liability insurance coverage. Team functions include, but are not limited to, games, practices, picnics, etc. The adults present can be a combination of coaches, parents, board members, etc, and it is suggested that the adults not be related. While the focus of this policy is the child, it also provides protection for the volunteers as well in the event of misunderstandings. Under no circumstances should the activity take place if only one adult is present. It is recommended that SAYAreas and Districts review their policy on car-pooling. SAY recommends that volunteers not provide transportation for non-family members.

7) Team Rosters and Medical Release Forms:

A copy of your official team roster and all medical release forms (signed by the parents of your players) MUST be kept with you are all practices and games. Random roster checks may be conducted by the Districts and the emergency contact information/release is critical should an injury to a player occur. Failure to present your official team's roster will result in an automatic game forfeit.

8) Player Participation: (Roster and Solicitation)

Please note that coaches are NOT permitted to allow any player to participate in either practices or games who is not listed on your official team roster. This is an important insurance liability issue and must be strictly enforced by all coaches. Borrowing of players from other teams is not permitted.

Below is the revised policy addressing this issue in the code of conduct that has been added to the rules of conduct within the coaches section:

Coaches are not permitted to add players to their roster without District approval and/or allow any player to play for his/her team who is not a sanctioned player on his/her roster at any time. Any coach found to be in violation of this policy will forfeit his/her game at which a non-sectioned player was playing for his/her team and receive an automatic 1-game suspension. On a second infraction, the coach will be terminated from coaching in the Cincinnati Hills Soccer SAY organization

9) Policies, Procedures and Code of Conduct:

Please make sure that you, your players and parents are familiar with the policies, procedures and rules of conduct. You can review these in the "About Us" section of this website.