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 halftime 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.

"Shadow thanks Washington Youth Soccer Technical Director Gary White for bringing his educational seminar to Shadow Regional Coordinators and Premier Coaches," says Sean Bushey, Technical Director of Spokane Shadow. "Gary posed situational questions to the coaching staff — from how to play a game one player down, and how to manage a game when early goals are scored by an opponent, to managing incorrect field directions and game times. We thank Gary for sharing his helpful and engaging insights."

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.

“The content of the Game Management course was extremely valuable for any level of youth soccer coach. It was fascinating to learn the many factors and dynamics of an in-game decision that can ultimately alter the course of a match," says Aaron Byers, EYSA/MIYSC Coaching Development host. "The coaches loved how interactive the experience was and we’ll be doing the Summits as frequently as possible. Having a former World Cup coach conduct the Summit was a big attraction for the coaches.”

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.