Dr. Dina Gentile

Youth Soccer Insight: Mentoring Assistant Coaches

The end of the season is a great time to evaluate and reflect upon the positive and negative outcomes of a program. One area of focus that seems to be overlooked is the concept of assistant coach mentoring. In many cases, assistant coaches decide to join the coaching ranks because they feel they lack the coaching expertise or prowess to be the head coach or they lack the time to devote to the head coach position.

In either case, the key is that we have assistant coaches who are willing to commit to our players and to our program as a whole. In return we could offer a mentoring system to further develop the interests and talents of these volunteer coaches. In essence, when administrators and head coaches create a mentoring program what in turn happens is that a pathway develops which allows these assistant coaches to move into head coaching positions.

Head Coach and Communicator

As I have become a more seasoned coach, I have appreciated the role of any and all assistance coaches. My greatest challenge was to create open and appropriate lines of communication with all the coaches who worked with me. Communication between head and assistant coaches is probably one of the easiest tools we can develop in order to enhance team building and develop, at the coaching level, a sense of camaraderie. From practice plans to day of game responsibilities, assistant coaches should have the opportunity to provide input and suggestions, while also being in touch with the specific details and plans for the season and for the individual practice sessions.  When head coaches spend time asking for insight and perspectives from their coaching staff, they empower others and give others a chance to feel worthy and important.

Often assistant coaches feel disconnected with the team or players because they have little understanding of what the head coach is looking to execute at practice or during games. Sometimes assistant coaches would rather just do the behind the scenes administrative work in order to avoid developing their coaching toolbox on the field. 

The head coach in those situations must become a mentor. A mentor can be any person who can give advice, direction, or guidance. We have mentors in our personal and professional lives, and it is important for youth sport associations to consider the creation of mentoring building activities for coaches in order to assist in developing more effective and confident volunteers in our programs.

Assistant coaches possess a wide variety of skill sets. At the start of the season, head coaches can simply ask what role the assistant coach wants to play for the team, while also allowing for these assistants to grow and develop as soccer instructors throughout the season.  Soccer players understand quickly the roles that parent-volunteers play on their team.

Players know what to expect from the coaches as well. In order to foster an environment where all coaches are highly respected and also appreciated by the entire team we need to display a high level of cohesive to our athletes. 

As head coaches we can create positive instructional environments by simply including assistant coaches in the planning and delivery of the soccer content we are presenting/sharing with the team (in practice and for games).

When assistant coaches do not know the elements or flow of a practice plan, they will not be able to effectively contribute to the instruction and coaching of the team. When assistant coaches do not have insight regarding the game day roster and substitutes, they will not adequately help manage the sidelines and the team.

Assistant coaches sign on to be part of a team as volunteers, and it is the duty of the head coach to allow them to become involved, to lead, to teach, and to motivate the team.  Communicating plans and philosophy are courtesies that are easy to extend to our coaching staffs.

15 Minutes

A rule of thumb a coach can adopt is to spend just an additional fifteen minutes with their assistant coaches.  Ideally, practice plans can be emailed to the coaching staff well before the practice session. As we are all juggling multiple tasks, we can also accomplish connecting with our coaches before the scheduled practice sessions right on the field. Fifteen minutes before the practice, coaches can meet to review the content of the session.

At this meeting, coaches can designate the specific instructional roles they will all play during the practice from the explanation of activities to organizing the cones to handling the pinnie distribution. All of the roles and responsibilities can be reviewed so once practice starts the focus is on teaching and moving the practice along in a seamless and unified process.

Sometimes, head coaches need to play a prominent role throughout the practice because the assistant coach has some concerns with their level of soccer-specific knowledge. That is fine, but there are many roles that our coaches can play that have little to do with soccer knowledge and so much to do with being a positive influence through reinforcements of good play and creating teams of 4 or 5 when we play small sided games.

Finding roles for our coaches allows the players to value all of the volunteers. We always want our players to feel comfortable with our assistant coaches because there may be a day when the head coach has a conflict during a game or practice.

By creating a system of mentoring and inclusion, we automatically create a better team environment for our athletes.

 Tips for head coaches: how to mentoring assistant coaches:

1. Share the practice plans and game day plans with the assistant coaches
2. Ask for input after each session and game (What worked? What do we need to improve?)
3. Decide how you will actively involve assistant coaches in the instruction at each practice, regardless of the talent level and soccer knowledge those volunteers possess
4. Attend coaching clinics or classes with your assistant coaches (be a team)
5. Allow the assist coach to address the team at various points during practice and games (pre game talks, cheers, practice structure)
6. Never exclude the assistant coach from any team activities on or off the field

Does it take time to explain our theories and practices plans to another person? Sure, but what we accomplish in the end is creating a lasting legacy that will become routine in our coaching program whereby all coaches share and become mentors. 

Related Article: The Psychology of Trophies in Youth Soccer and Dr. Dina's Coliumn

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SoccerNation News is proud to welcome Dr. Dina Gentile as our newest contributing writer. Dr. Gentile is a Professor of Sport Management at Endicott College. A volunteer youth coach herself, Dr. Gentile understands from both practical and theorectical experience what happens on the soccer field.

Gentile has also coached the Endicott College Soccer Team for 11 years. Gentile is the owner/director of Precision Soccer, LLC, which operates camps, clinics, and coach education training throughout the year. She is a former All-American and Academic All-American at Adelphi University. Gentile has been inducted into the Adelphi University and Endicott College Halls of Fame. She is the Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten Coordinator for Beverly Youth Soccer Association. This season she is the proud coach of her daughters 1st Grade team in the Wilmington Youth Soccer Association. Gentile is also a Soccer Ambassador for Korrio.