In 2004 the Walnut Creek Soccer Club launched a partnership 
with Positive Coaching Alliance. Conducting two very successful
coaches training clinics and a Leadership clinic for the Board of
Directors. The Club continues this partnership by holding
clinics before each Fall season. There are three clinics: Double-Goal Coach I, Double-Goal Coach II, and the Sports Parent Workshop.
Creating a healthy environment where our boys and girls not
only get a chance to play the game of soccer, but learn what it means to "Honor the Game". The Board of Directors for the
Walnut Creek Soccer Club is dedicated to furthering this vision
and we hope you will see its value and partner with us. It's only
through a partnership of coaches, players and parents that this
vision can be adopted and realized in our club.
Reference Material
• Sideline Rules Code of Conduct
• Ten Commandments For Parents of Athletes
• Empowering Conversations - Get ideas about how to talk with your child about his or
her sports experience (even after a tough loss).
• Guidelines for a Coach-Parent Partnership - Check out these PCA tips on how you can best support and work with your child"s coach(es).
Double-Goal Coach I
What is a Double-Goal Coach?
A Double-Goal Coach strives to win and even more importantly, uses sports to teach life lessons through Positive Coaching.
Who can become a Certified Double-Goal Coach?
Any coach, anywhere can become a Certified Double-Goal Coach. Please join us for a workshop where coaches will... Become certified as a Double-Goal Coach; Learn how to work with parents and league leaders to establish and maintain a positive competitive environment inside youth sports; Learn how to help their athletes get the most from the youth sports experience to enjoy an interactive discussion with fellow coaches and a facilitator with extensive coaching experience.
Double-Goal Coach II
Double-Goal Coach II: Culture, Practices and Games
Great coaches intentionally shape their team's culture. In this workshop, PCA discusses specific culture-shaping strategies. The topics of maximizing limited practice time and the art of game coaching are also explored.
This workshop is designed for coaches/team managers who obtained their "Double-Goal Coach" certificate last year.
Sports Parent Workshop
Sports Parent Workshop
This workshop explores the three stages of talent development and allows parents to share their ideas about what they want their children to get out of youth sports. Parents gain insight into the training the coaches are receiving to become "double-goal" coaches (coaches who want to both win AND develop the character of their players). The Positive Coach Mental Model, which includes topics such as Honoring the Game and Filling Athletes" Emotional Tanks are discussed. Empowering Conversations (great after a tough loss) and building a Coach/Parent Partnership
are also featured.
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FOR COACHES AND PARENTS:
CHESHIRE (CONNECTICUT) SOCCER CLUB’S DOS AND DON’TS
Edited by Dan Woog (article courtesy of Soccer America’s Youth Soccer Letter)
DON’TS:
Don’t shout instructions to the player with the ball. The player has enough problems maintaining possession while making quick and difficult decisions about what to do next. He or she must learn to make decisions without your input.
Don’t use phrases as “boot the ball”, “kick it,” or “send it.” First, you violate rule No. 1; second, you encourage panic rather than good decision making, and mindless kicking rather than possession.
Don’t try to control the game from the sidelines. You can’t! A soccer coach is not an active participant in the game. Soccer is played, controlled and ultimately coached by the players on the field. Teach players to “coach” themselves.
Don’t try to teach “aggressiveness.” In soccer, what is perceived as “aggressive play” merely reflects the confidence a player has in his or her own abilities. Teach the skills that generate confidence; encourage players to believe in themselves. If you do, they will play “aggressively.”
Don’t abuse game officials, or show disrespect for opponents. Referees make fewer mistakes than your players; your opponents are not your enemy. Be aware of the example you set for your players.
DOS:
Do offer suggestions to players not currently involved in what is happening on the field. Brief words of advice are helpful to players who have time to consider them (those who are either out of the match or on the field but far from the ball).
Do encourage players to use the skills they are being taught. Encourage – and sometimes push – players to experiment in scrimmages and games. If this approach costs goals, learn to accept temporary setbacks as the price of progress, and recognize them as opportunities to help players improve. Soccer is best learned through trial and error.
Do teach players to coach themselves on the field. By the time they find themselves on a full-size field they will be unable to hear you anyway. Players must learn to assist each other in making hundreds of split-second decisions each game.
Do teach players the game’s skills, and encourage them to hold the ball long enough to make good decisions about what to do next.
