Giving back to youth sports is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself and the children you coach. Even today, I still keep up with my youth coach and we reminisce from time to time, 12 years later I still remember the lessons he taught me in teamwork, becoming an adult, and overcoming challenges. Youth sports coaches might be one of the most influential people a young athlete will have in their lives, and lessons carry on far past sports. As a coach you are entrusted to help kids develop relationships, work as a team, and find a passion for the sport you both love. 

Obtaining a youth coaching license can be a confusing process, as in recent years there have been multiple introductions and background checks in the process. The point of this article is to give you some pointers and help you on your way to giving back to the sport and community. Not only is this a reward way to give back, investing your time into USA Soccer via coaching may also open career opportunities. Soccer is one of the largest growing sports in the country and the opportunities are endless as USA Soccer and the soccer communities continues to grow. 

In the State of California, the D License is the most common license for youth soccer coaches to obtain, as D is the entry level license for youth soccer coaches and through ussoccer.com, you can find a course to help you on your way to obtain one. 

Here is a helpful resource from Cal South that has useful information to help you obtain a license.

The prerequisites before applying for a D License are four online courses, or in person, on 4v4, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 game models. It is really the first step to becoming a pro coach and everyone goes through it. All US Soccer Programs use a mixture of in person, online and on field courses, to ensure coaches are well beyond prepared for their duties. 

Here is a helpful link to USA Soccer information on these game models: USA Soccer.

To obtain you D Licenses, it takes roughly 45-hours, including the game models listed above, and preparatory courses. The courses and preparations focus on US Soccer’s 6 Tasks of a coach. Those six tasks are coaching games, coaching training sessions, managing the performance environment, leading the team, leading the player, and leadership. Expect it to take 4 to 8 weeks to complete all of the courses and training. 

Weekend one will consist of some training methodology and some on field experience, along with Play-Practice-Play methodology. 

The next part in the development period is where you will find the bulk of your book learning. You will have to: 

• Create a two-week plan, based on a training session and game schedules.
• Design a Play-Practice-Play training session during your two-week plan.
• Make a training session in your own environment.

You will also need to design a few more training sessions, including development stages and objectives to be used in your second weekend of training. 

Part of the courses includes practicing with demo youth players on the field and a few other on field coaching experiences. There are no substitutions for the on-field training sections of coaches training, you cant take these online and they must be done in person. 

There are no replacements for on field experience. 

You will be tested in person by an instructor during on field experiences during week two on either 7v7 or 11v11 Play-Practice-Play model with demo youth players.

Depending on how you score you will either receive a Green Light, Yellow Light, or Red Light.

• Green Light- Pass. 
• Yellow Light- 90 day waiting period before retest- additional $150 to retest. 
• Red Light- Fail- you can eventually retake but retest wait times vary. 

These classes can be held over two months, one of which is three days of classes, the other is two days of classes. Depending on where you live, you may have to travel for the classes. The cost to obtain a D License can cost anywhere between $200 to $500. 

California is where things can be a little tricky. Alongside US Soccer regulations and rules, you also have to adhere to the rules of the State of California. In California it is mandatory that all coaches whose teams are in the Cal South Nation Cup, California Regional League and SoCal have a D License. 

Anyone who is ready for a US Youth License will need to read a series of PDFs listed on the US Youth Soccer website, you can find those resources here.

If you are coach, 18 or older, you will legally need to be fingerprinted and cleared by the Department of Justice before you are allowed anywhere near a soccer field with young ones. Getting the scan itself down can cost anywhere between $15-$30 and can take up to 14 business days to process. 

It seems like a lot, but with proper organization you will be well on your way to giving back to this great game, helping develop young minds into great players and athletes all while guiding them to become better people. Not to mention it can also turn into a lucrative opportunity, both monetarily and reward wise. Some coaches will take on multiple teams at multiple levels and make a good living or side hustle while doing so. The opportunities are endless. 

To get started be sure to check out the US Soccer Learning Center for all their courses, prices and requirements.