I Want to be a Better Soccer Coach

For the last many years I've been coaching soccer. Started right after Bethany in 1998 and haven't really stopped since. I've coached a lot of different teams at a lot of different age groups...and I LOVE it! Often I only feel like a mediocre coach and I've always wanted to get better and improve my coaching ability.

Then a couple years ago I decided I wanted to pursue the next level of coaching - my Provincial B License. I started to work with some other coaches and we did practice sessions with players. The problem was I never fully dedicated myself to making it a priority and never went to take the exam as I was never ready.

Well, that has all changed. I forgot to mention it in my list of New Year's Resolutions, but it really isn't a resolution...it's more of a goal. By the end of this year I want to have my Provincial B License for soccer.

Now it's great to have a goal, but this time I also have a plan to back it up. I, along with 3 other coaches, are in a mentorship program with the Eastside Soccer Technical Director. He is going to work with us from now until October and prepare us for the Provincial B License. And he's not making it easy! I am going to have to perform 40 training sessions (above and beyond the 2 training sessions I do each week with my current team) before October 1st. They will be with all sorts of age groups and all sorts of skill levels and genders. The Technical Director will be at each one and will basically treat each one as a test, just like they will at the Provincial B License exam. He is also making us write a written exam to prepare us too!

Now I could go the easy route and just attend the Provincial B License in October on my own with the knowledge I currently have. But these 40 training sessions will definately help prepare me so that it is second nature to me. That way I will lower the nervousness I'll feel on exam day and can be confident in my abilities.

Tonight we had our first meeting and now I need to plan out when I want to do all my sessions for the next 3 months. So stay tuned as I keep you updated on my progress!