General Expectations:

  • Conduct yourself in a professional manner while representing the club in training, games, and in communications with your team and parents. Personify our club’s EPIC values.
  • Complete SafeSport Training and behave in an appropriate manner when around minors. Physical contact with players should be limited to things like handshakes, fist bumps, high fives, and soccer-related contact.
  • Strive to align your coaching style, training sessions, and vocabulary to match the club’s philosophies and curriculum.
  • Attend all club-wide events and team events for your teams, when possible.
  • Work together with the club’s directors and your PA to create a positive and safe learning environment for all players.
  • Coaches should always strive to foster a love of the game and encourage players to give back to the game and community.
  • Speak to players in an appropriate way. Do not use profanity, put a player down, or yell at them.
  • Hold a parent meeting at least once or twice per season, preferably after a game where there is high attendance.
  • Show good sportsmanship to the opposing team, its coaches and parents, and the referees. Expect the same from players and parents.
  • Only discuss a player with that player’s parents or other coaches, not with other players or parents.
  • Return all parent communications within 24 hours or escalate to a director.
  • Do not use or possess any illegal substance or become involved in illegal activity of any kind. Use of alcohol or tobacco products of any kind during training sessions or games is prohibited.
  • Do not interact with players via text, email, phone, or on any social media. One-to-one coach-to-player interaction should be via parents or as an interruptible side discussion within a group setting such as during training or games.
  • Do not post any negative comments about the Club or any other soccer club on social media.
  • Do not give a player a ride to a game or a training; do not allow a player to be alone with you in your car; do not put yourself in a one-to-one situation with a player at the end of training or games. Avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
  • Cincy SC coaches should be active and engaged in the official email and text groups for their teams. These lists should be used for Cincy SC-related communications only and not used for solicitation of any kind. Do not use additional communication tools such as TeamSnap, a Facebook group, or a group text without permission from the Director of Communications.

Training Expectations:

  • Prepare a session plan in advance, but be prepared to adjust based on the circumstances (field space, equipment, # players, etc.).
  • Follow the club curriculum to the best of your ability, adding your coaching personality to make better.
  • Arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of your training session to set up.
  • Strive to lead training sessions that are fun, engaging, challenging, and focused on a particular topic.
  • Wear grey coaching shirt, black or navy shorts, cleats. You can also wear warm ups.
  • If you can’t attend a training session, it’s your responsibility to find coverage.

Game Expectations:

  • Follow the curriculum’s in-game objective based on what you’ve worked on in training. Measure success against that objective.
  • Wear a club polo or zip up jacket for games.
  • Ensure all players are given a fair amount of playing time. Allow players to experiment with different positions.
  • Encourage players to try things they’ve been working on in training. Be positive.
  • Show respect toward referees, opposing players, coaches, and fans. Do not harass, abuse, or berate a referee for any reason.
  • Avoid confrontation with a parent immediately following a game – wait 24 hours to allow any emotions to calm down.

Contracts & Profiles:

  • Coaches must complete a “volunteer” registration and profile in Demosphere each year
  • Coaches should complete all federal- and state-mandated training, including Concussion Awareness, Lindsay’s Law (sudden cardiac arrest), and Safe Sport. These are all tracked through Demosphere.
  • Coaches should complete their setup in Gusto, our payroll system.
  • Coaches must provide a photo and background information for the club website.
  • Coaches must review and virtually sign their contract each year.