Thank you for your interest in coaching with AYSO 780!

Coaching children is a very rewarding experience. And coaching your own child's team can be one of the most rewarding experiences of all! Coaches are pivotal to having children get the AYSO experience. If Regions don't have enough coaches, registration is scaled back and kids who want to play in AYSO are turned away.

Do you have little or no experience with soccer? No problem! AYSO will teach you, based on the age level you are coaching. Unique age-appropriate coach training is one of AYSO's specialties. If you plan to be at your child's soccer practices and games, you'll also have time to be your child's coach.

To become an AYSO coach, you must be certified in the age level you are coaching. Certification takes three easy steps. First, fill out a volunteer form. Then either attend a short Safe Haven™ course in person or online. Lastly, you must attend a brief age-specific coaching course. It's only a few hours. We also have brand new Coaching Manuals that help you with training plans and activities for the age you are coaching. 

Coaches are essential to the game. They teach children soccer skills and help develop a healthy, positive attitude, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Coaching is a rewarding experience because you have the opportunity to build a child's self-esteem, help them learn new skills and just have a lot of fun.

We're very grateful to you for volunteering to coach in our program, and we hope this guide helps.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to [email protected]

To access the training you'll need, take the following steps:

• Log in to ayso780.org (the button in the top-right of this page)
• In the left sidebar, you'll see "Volunteer" and when you click that, you'll see "Find Volunteer Roles" pop up in the middle, or at the bottom, of the page.
• 
• Register yourself for the role you'd like to fill.
  •  NOTE: If you are trying to sign your spouse/partner or over-18 year old teenager up for a volunteering role, make sure that they are connected to your account as an "Additional Account Holder", which can be done in the Settings section of your login portal, under the "gear" icon, and looks like this:
  • 
• After you've registered, the "graduation cap" with the AYSOU link, and the AYSOU button on the top-right of your Account Settings page, will appear. Click on that link to be taken to the online AYSOU learning platform, and the first classes you'll need to take will appear at the top.
• Remember to "register" for the classes so that they appear under "my learning" whenever you log back into the system, and so that they're transmitted to AYSO when completed.
• If you do an in-person training, remember to use the same email when you sign in, in person, as the email you used to log in to your AYSO 780 account.

FOR OTHER IMPORTANT LINKS, INCLUDING WHERE TO SIGN UP FOR FINGERPRINTING, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

Goalkeeper Punts

Official AYSO Rules State:
1. For 8U to 10U, the goalkeeper shall not punt nor drop kick the ball. 
2. An indirect kick will be awarded to the opposing team at the spot of the offense if a goalkeeper for 8U to 10U deliberately punts the ball during a match. 
3. An indirect free kick awarded to the attacking team inside the opposing team’s goal area must be taken on the goal area line at the point nearest to where the goalkeeper punted the ball.

For Keany Mesa AYSO this means that only 12U & 14U goalkeepers are allowed to punt/drop kick the ball.

Heading the Ball

Official AYSO Rules State:
1. Consistent with the US Soccer mandates on heading the ball, heading is banned for all division players 12U and below in both practices and matches. Heading for players in 14U is limited to a maximum of thirty (30) minutes per week with no more than 15-20 headers, per player. There is no restriction on heading in matches.
2. An indirect free kick will be awarded to the opposing team if a player age 10 or younger, deliberately touches the ball with his/her head during a match.
a. The indirect free kick is to be taken from the place where the player touched the ball with their head.
b. An indirect free kick awarded to the attacking team inside the opposing team’s goal area, must be taken on the goal area line at the point nearest to where the player touched the ball with their head.
3. Neither cautions nor send-offs shall be issued for persistent infringement or denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity related to the heading infractions.

For Keany Mesa AYSO this means that only 14U players may head the ball. All forms of heading for 8U, 10U, and 12U are banned during all AYSO activities.

Throw-ins

Official AYSO Rules State:
1. For 6U, the throw-in is replaced with the pass-in. Opposing players must be at least two yards from the ball until it is kicked. 
2. For 8U, each Region shall have the discretion to use either throw-ins or pass-ins to restart play.
3. Training of throw-in technique may begin at 8U and up.

Keany Mesa AYSO will use throw-ins for 10U and above.

Build-out Line 10U

Official AYSO Rules State:
1. The build-out line shall be placed across the field equidistant between the top of the penalty area and the halfway line.
2. The opposing team must move behind the build-out line for a goal kick or when the goalkeeper has possession.
3. The goalkeeper or the player taking the goal kick or distributing the ball from the goal area, does not have to wait for the opposing players to move behind the build-out line to put the ball into  play. When the ball is put into play from the goalkeeper or from the goal kick, it may be played on either side of the build-out  line. After the ball is put into play, the opposing team may cross the build-out line and play may resume as normal. Law 16 is not altered or modified. The ball is in play from a goal kick after the ball is kicked and leaves the penalty area.
4. The build-out line shall be used as the line to determine offside. Players cannot be penalized for an offside offense between the halfway line and the build-out line.

Keany Mesa AYSO will utilize the build-out line for both 10U.

The AYSO "Yellow Book"
The Big Book of AYSO Rules and Procedures

• 4U Playground Manual
• 5U Coach Manual (use 6U Coach Manual)
• 6U Coach Manual
• 7U Coach Manual (use 8U Coach Manual)
• 8U Coach Manual
• 10U Coach Manual
• 12U Coach Manual
• Intermediate Coach Manual
• Advanced Coach Manual