Coaching at HPSA
We hope you had a restful Spring Break. This time of year is always hectic, and we want to work together to finish the season strong. With that said, we are rolling out development plans for coaches and players to help them be successful. Coaches are our most important asset, and we want you to be:
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- Trained to perform your role to your best ability,
- Informed about our expectations,
- Evaluated against your training and our expectations,
- Provided feedback based on your performance.
- Provided resources to help you perform your job.
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Academy Player Evaluations and Parent-Coach Conferences
COMPLETION DUE 4/18
Coaches of academy-aged players (10U and younger) are required to complete a Player Evaluation Form and hold a 5-10 minute parent-coach conference for each player by April 18. Please recommend HPSA’s supplemental training programs when you think players can benefit from those offerings. The player evaluation process for 11U and older players is under review.
Coach and Team Schedules
Weekly Planning and Problem Solving
Planning
HPSA coaches are responsible for reviewing their game schedules before practice on Mondays to determine conflicts for the upcoming weekend. Where conflicts occur, coaches need to communicate that to a Director of Coaching prior to practice on Monday and plan a meeting time to discuss conflicts.
Team Managers
Team Managers are responsible for contacting parents on Mondays to make sure they input attendance information. By Wednesdays, coaches and team managers should have the necessary information to meet and discuss the upcoming game plan. Coaches will tell team managers who will coach the game, and team managers will explain availability. Together, they will determine next steps, if any.
HP Soccer Academy Culture
A common misconception surrounds the concept of “covering games” for other coaches. Teams do not belong to Head Coaches, but rather to HPSA. At HP Soccer Academy, teams do not operate as silos, but rather have support available to them at all times. The HP Soccer Academy culture relies on personal accountability as well as a team mentality, and HPSA Leadership is determined to help coaches be successful within their team and within the club.
Older Material Below
Resources
Resources available to help coaches be successful at HP Soccer Academy including the following:
- Registrar
- Directors of Coaching
- Team Managers
- HPSA App
Registrar
The HPSA Registrar is tasked with many of the responsibilities that coaches and team managers perform at a typical soccer club, including collecting dues and forms, submitting league and tournament registrations and paperwork, and meeting league deadlines. League communication at HP Soccer Academy is restricted to the Registrar as the club’s single point of contact with leagues.
Directors of Coaching
Directors of Coaching are in charge of building and guiding the HP Soccer Academy coaching team. They are responsible for the overall performance environment including team formation, league and tournament planning, coach hiring, training and evaluatng.
Team Manager
At HPSA, Team Managers bridge the gap between coaches and parents to help create and maintain positive environment within the team. Team Manager roles are not determined by “whatever the coach needs them to be”, but support the club and the team. Their role is clearly outlined in the Team Manager Guide. Choosing a Team Manager is a decision that involves the coach and the club, and there are many factors to consider. Each team must have at least one Team Manager, and that means if an age group has multiple team divisions, then each division needs a Team Manager.
Communication Policies
Parent Concerns: Bottom UP Chain of Communication
- Parents > 2. TM > 3. Coach > 4. Admin/DOC > 5. Club Leadership
Event Planning: Top Down Chain of Communication
“We” decisions, not “they” decisions.
- DOCs decide team coaches and all events: leagues, tournaments*, and practices.
- Admin coordinates with coaches to pick team managers and trains both coaches and team managers on platform use.
- Docs communicate decisions to all coaches.
- Admin communicates decisions to all TMs.
- Platforms are updated: website, app, and any social media.
- Club wide communication goes out-email, text etc.
Early Planning Policies
HPSA employs a Registrar who is responsible for many of the responsibilities of coaches and team managers within a typical soccer club, such as collecting dues and forms, submitting league and tournament registrations and paperwork, and meeting league deadlines.
Advanced Notice
Players want to participate. Please provide ample notice prior to the event for HPSA to get organized and notify families as well as for families to have time to plan. HPSA has a 90-day minimum notification policy.
Events. Most events occur during the same time every year, such as Signing Day on July 1.
Select Tournaments. When planning to attend the Disney Tournament during Christmas break, teams need at least a year advanced notice.
Academy-Aged Tournaments. Academy-aged players should know in first grade that there are Summer Challenge Tournaments at U11, so they can plan vacations and summer camps accordingly.
Attendance
Player Attendance. Team Managers and coaches coordinate player attendance.
Coaches Attendance. During the school year, HPSA follows the HPISD school calendar. Coach are expected at all HPSA events, and they are on-call during league seasons and tournaments and therefore expected to be available for coverage, even when their teams are not playing. Absense requests must be submitted in writing and approved by all HPSA Directors.
League Requests
Only the HPSA Registrar communicates with leagues.
League Requests – Game Change Requests. League administrators and schedulers require notification of bye week requests and coach conflicts prior to when they begin scheduling. After scheduling is complete, leagues provide a small window of time when they accept change requests for games, which is when the schedule is initially released. Change requests made during an ongoing season result in forfeiture.
League Requests – New Player Registration. League administrators have a defined process for registering players, which includes having signed forms, a birth certificate, a headshot, and international clearance documentation for those to who do not have a US birth certificate. HPSA submits players to leagues to be registered only after it has collected each and every one of these forms and documents as well as the player’s annual dues payment or a payment plan. It takes 5 business days to register a new player in a league, longer when international clearance is involved.
League Requests – Roster Modifications. Leagues have a minimum lead-time requirement for moving already-registered players to another team, which is why HPSA requires coaches to submit these requests by the end of practice on Wednesdays. HPSA will only honor these requests when made by coaches, not team managers.
League Communication. Communications from leagues sent to coaches and team managers are informational only to let you know what is happening. If information you receive leads to questions, contact an HPSA Administrator. Only HPSA Administrators may contact the league. Coaches and Team Managers are never, under any circumstance, allowed to communicate with league officials.
Coach Contracts
Coaching Contracts for 2024-25 are available to sign on the HPSA App and can be found and completed using this guide.
Recruiting
Coaches are to recruit to the club, not to a coach.
Additional Resources
Curriculum
HPSA practice curriculums, homework game reviews from pros
VEO or similar game recordings etc.
In 2008, HPSA was the first Coerver Certified/ Licensed Club in North Texas to included All Coaches being Coerver Certified.
The Coerver clips below are 14 years old, but will give you an idea of excerpts from over a 100 videos.
The Coerver clips:
Intro: https://youtu.be/8ScLHd8so5c
Mastery1: https://youtu.be/oiGYvaQNIEo
Mastery2: https://youtu.be/iqgQKvKRu9A
Receiving and Passing Younger: https://youtu.be/LBZyR-KiCIg
Receiving and Passing Older: https://youtu.be/Kc1HD_20NTI
Moves1: https://youtu.be/AIf5GGaNRlE
YouTube:
How to improve your footwork in soccer | 10 Soccer drills for faster soccer footwork: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQT3MP5Moq8
9 Secrets to IMPROVE YOUR SOCCER SKILLS in 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKdaCuX_X6Q
How To Shoot With Power | Shooting Tutorial For Footballers | The Ultimate Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wHXqTqVPFo
Sample HPSA World Cup Game Reviews by one of our coaches:
Switching the ball: https://youtu.be/0Ifp6s47lAI
Stealing the ball with high pressure line: https://youtu.be/bMXPofG7Lj4
Simple passes: https://youtu.be/AWodrykDdXY
Shielding the ball: https://youtu.be/ewzoJFnwFYE
Possession triangles small: https://youtu.be/OA1gX9RJWuQ
Free Kick making a wall: https://youtu.be/m19D8BHAy6w
Counterattack: https://youtu.be/eT6qERYMefY
Corner kick: https://youtu.be/8Ebzg_-ad8Q
Player Evaluations
RIA install link: http://www.sportsteamsync.com/magicriaapplications33/TSPORT3/WinDesktop/Sports%20Club%20Sync.publish.html
How to do player evaluations:
Scale 10=excellent 5= good 1= needs improvement 0=N/A
Desktop Application: tap the pencil to edit, tap Player Evaluation, fill in, save and go to the next player
Cell: tap your rosters at the bottom of the screen, tap the head of the player to get into their profile, tap the pencil to edit, tap player evaluation, fill in when done scroll back up and tap save. Then go to the next player.
