Coaching Summits Promote Education Statewide
This year, the Technical Department launched the Coaching Summit Program to promote the importance of Coaching Education in Washington. Through the new program, Technical Director Gary White has presented to over 1,000 coaches at Associations and Clubs across the state in the past five months.
The summits, which have been very successful, highlight a variety of coaching topics geared to assist coaches at every level of the game. Summits to date have covered topics such as modern trends in the game and future projections, managing halftime, field sessions on possession, attacking the ball and game-day management.
One of the most popular sessions thus far is game-day and half-time management, through which White focuses on recognizing and managing game-day crises, structuring half-time effectively, and the importance of team strategies and expectations.
In addition to pre-planned seminars, White can custom-design programs to fit the needs of individual clubs, associations and districts.
Groups that have already held Coaching Summits have also found that they are beneficial for boosting Association/Club camaraderie. They serve as a wonderful opportunity for coaches to collaborate in a group setting while utilizing the resources Washington Youth Soccer has to offer on modern and relevant methods of developing the game.
Washington Youth Soccer is constantly looking for ways to give our coaches opportunities to further their education, and the Summits are just one example.
“We are extremely enthusiastic at the response that we have received from our Coaching Summit program,” White says. “Continued coaching development and education is imperative to the growth of the game in Washington.”
After the Technical Department visited local club Seattle United this summer, Director of Coaching Jimmy McAlister said, “I would like….to thank the state for providing Gary White as a resource for our first annual Seattle United soccer coaching summit. Gary was the highlight of the weekend; we are truly lucky to have such a great resource in our state. They say that it's tough to teach an old dog new tricks, but I think that Tommy Jenkins and I learned some new things this weekend that will help our kids in the future. Thanks for helping make our first annual Seattle United coaching summit a smashing success.”
The Technical Department wants to bring this opportunity to your Club or Association! For more information, and to request a Summit, please contact Technical Administrator Kimberly Grant at kimberly@WashingtonYouthSoccer.org
To learn more about the Coaching Summit program, please visit the Technical Zone section of our website, WashingtonYouthSoccer.org.