I’ve never played soccer. Can I still coach?
Yes! Many of our coaches have never played soccer, but they got involved to help their children. You don’t need a lot of knowledge to coach in the youngest divisions – just an interest in helping your children and their friends to have fun.

We’ll give you the help you need to get started, and tips and resources to grow your understanding and skill.

How do I register to coach?
The link to register to coach is the same as the link to register players. The more coaches that register and complete safety, the more players we can get out on the fields, register today!

Do I need a license to coach?
No. Our policy requires coaches to acquire a State Certificate at the first reasonable opportunity after initial assignment. But you are not required to hold a license to start coaching.

For full details see the Coach License & Certification section of our Policies document. You can find links to class information on the New Jersey Youth Soccer website.

What is the time commitment for coaching U4 or U5?
U4 & U5 games are always played on Saturday mornings, and there are no separate practices, so it’s only about 90 minutes per week – a few minutes before and after the game, the hour for the game itself, and time to communicate with parents.

What is the time commitment for other divisions?
Teams in divisions U7 and older should hold one practice each week, generally early evening Monday to Thursday, in addition to the game on Friday evening or Saturday.

You can decide with your coaching partner  when and where to practice – your choice primarily depends on the coaches’ own availability, but if you can be flexible you can also try to find a time that’s convenient for most families. Generally practice should be 45 to 60 minutes for Under 7, and around 60 minutes for the older divisions.

We’ll provide a list of available practice locations. Games are one hour, except for divisions playing round-robin, which play two 30-minute games in a 90-minute period.

Can I start as an assistant coach?
Yes. We don’t ask you to take on more responsibility than you feel ready for - unless we are short on head coaches in the division. But we look to avoid this whenever possible. When you register you can let us know your preference.

Can I choose my coaching partner?
Yes. We do sometimes have conflicting partnership requests, and it’s always best if you name each other as your preferred partners.

Can I coach with my spouse?
Yes, but we generally try to avoid having a head coach and assistant coach from the same family, as it leaves the team without a coach if you go away for a family weekend. But we can assign one of you as the “extra assistant” – a third coach on the team.

Will my own child be on my team?
Yes – this always happens automatically, so you don’t need to request it.  Unless you choose to coach in a different division.

I’ll coach in an older division if you’ll move my child up.
Sorry – we can’t do that.

I can’t make Friday evening games. Can I still coach?
If your child is under 5 years old you won’t have any Friday games, as all games in U4 and U5 are played on Saturday mornings. But regardless of your situation, if you have a scheduling request let us know before we produce the schedules, and we’ll try to work around it.

We can’t promise to give you everything you ask for, and there are some situations that just won’t work – for example, since U4 & U5 games are on Saturday mornings you can’t coach in those divisions if you can’t ever make a Saturday game. But we’ll do our best to help.

I’m coaching two teams. Can you avoid scheduling my games at the same time?
Generally yes – our scheduling process is aware of multi-team coaches, and tries to avoid conflicts. Sometimes they’re unavoidable, but they’re pretty rare.

What are the Safety requirements?
Visit our Coaches Safety Requirements page for details on the four safety requirements: Fingerprint Background Check, SafeSport and Heads-Up Concussion Training

How can I get a coaching license?
You can find information about State Certificate classes on the NJYS Coaching Education page.

How old do I have to be to coach?
Our policies require a head coach to be at least 21, and an assistant coach to be 18.  But if you’re not yet 18 and you want to help out with coaching, let us know – we can assign you to a team as a youth coach, and many coaches are glad of some regular extra help. We have a Youth Trainer program for teens age 13 to 17 who can be assigned like an extra assistant. 

How do I sign up?
When you register your child, you can also register a volunteer. You can attach your volunteer registration to one or more player if you wish to coach more than one division. 

Please register as soon as you’ve decided to coach (or even if you’re not sure!) – until you do that our assigners can’t see your name, and you won’t be on any coaching mail lists.