Coaches

The ADM Soccer Club wants to thank you for taking the time to be a club coach!
If you have never been a coach before, it’s truly a fun and rewarding experience! To help you become the best coach you can be, please visit some of the coaching resources on this site. These will serve as a starting point for you on your journey to becoming a successful soccer coach. Much of what you will learn as a coach will come from watching other coaches, local games, reading, research, and continued coaching. If you have any question about being a club coach, please do not hesitate to contact Ryan Luckett, Director of Coaching

Remember…
A successful season is a season, during which, all the players had fun, everyone’s basic soccer skills improved, and their life skills grew.

Code of Ethics for Coaches

• I will treat each player, opposing coach, official,parent and administrator with respect and dignity.
• I will acknowledge in my behavior and language that the ADM Soccer Club exists for the children first and a love of soccer second.
• I will, in all circumstances, teach and model good sportsmanship…winning with grace and losing with dignity.
• I will base playing time decisions on individual player development and learning…not winning.
• I will do my best to learn the fundamental skills, teaching and evaluation techniques and strategies of soccer.
• I will become thoroughly familiar with the rules of soccer and teach them to players and parents.
• I will uphold the authority of officials who are assigned to the contests in which I coach, and I will assist them in every way to conduct fair and impartial competitive contests.
• I will learn the strengths and weaknesses of my players so that I might place them into situations where they have a maximum opportunity to achieve success.
• I will plan and conduct my practices and games so that all players have opportunity to improve their skill level through active participation.
• I will communicate to my players and their parents the rights and responsibilities of individuals on our team.
• I will protect the health and safety of my players by insisting that all of the activities under my control are conducted for their psychological and physiological welfare, rather than for the vicarious interests of adults.

Game Rules

As a young player, one of the most important aspects of soccer is being involved in the game. The Iowa Soccer Association implemented a philosophy that mandates small-sided games for the U6-U12 age groups. The purpose of this is to foster an environment where learning and player development can take place with smaller fields and on-the-field team sizes.

Under U 5/6 (3v3 with no Goalkeeper)
4 8-minute quarters, with 2-minute quarter breaks
No goalie, goal or penalty box, and goal kick is taken from the end line just to the side of the goal (with opposition going back to half line). Throw in will get a couple chances if ball does not go over head or if pick up foot but feet do not have to be fully behind the line, just both touching the ground on or behind the touch line. No Direct Penalty Kicks. Any penalty kicks must be indirect, and touch another player before being scored. If ball is kicked directly into the net, without being touched by another player, the defending team is awarded a goal kick. At this age group coaches should not be on the field of play, so you may need to ask them to move to the sideline.

U 7/8 (4v4 with no Goalkeeper)
4 10-minute quarters, with 2-minute quarter breaks
No goalie, goal or penalty box, and goal kick is taken from the end line just to the side of the goal (with opposition going back to half line). Throw in will get a couple chances if ball does not go over head or if pick up foot but feet do not have to be fully behind the line, just both touching the ground on or behind the touch line. No Direct Penalty Kicks. Any penalty kicks must be indirect, and touch another player before being scored. If ball is kicked directly into the net, without being touched by another player, the defending team is awarded a goal kick. At this age group coaches should not be on the field of play, so you may need to ask them to move to the sideline.

U 9/10 (7v7 with 6 field players and 1 Goalkeeper)
(2) 25-minute halves
Offsides called at this level and above. No 2nd chances on throw ins. No heading. ALL fouls (including heading) are INDIRECT kick (no penalty kicks/direct kicks). Goalie cannot punt the ball. In event of a goalie punt, an indirect kick will be awarded from the penalty line nearest the location of the punt. Opposing team must be at or retreating toward the build out line (1/2 line) on a goal kick.

U11/U12 30-minute halves 9 Vs 9 Heading allowed at this level and above

U13/U14 35-minute halves 11 Vs 11

U16 40-minute halves 11 Vs 11

U19 45-minute halves 11 Vs 11

More Specific Rules

Handballs
A ball that is kicked and hits a player's hand or arm is not a hand ball. This means that the referee must judge whether or not a hand ball is accidental contact or the player handled the ball deliberately to gain an advantage. There is also a situation in which the goalie cannot use his/her hands. This is called the back-pass rule. Goalkeepers cannot pick up a pass that came directly from one of their teammates. In this case, the goalkeeper must use his feet. If the goalie does pick-up the ball it will result in an indirect kick from where he/she touched the ball.

Overtime is not played if the game is tied at the end of regulation time, and the result of the game is recorded as a tie.

Build Out Line (U9/U10 Below)
The ISL Rec Central requires that the opponent “drops off” to the build-out line when the goalkeeper has the ball in his or her hands, and on all goal kicks. The defending team may not release from the half line until the ball has been played. Referees will be instructed to strictly enforce this rule. This rule is designed encourage the development of building play out of the back.
• The build-out line will be the half line!

Completed game
Any game that has started the second half of play is considered a completed game, so if suspended for any reason it will stand as such and not be rescheduled. If the game is suspended prior to the start of the second half, it will be rescheduled and restarted from the beginning.

Substitutions
Substitutions may occur for either team at any stoppage of play, at the direction of the referee. There are no restrictions on the number of substitutions, in keeping with the league rule that players must get 50% playing time in a game.

Referee Authority
From the time the Referee enters the playing field or its vicinity and until the Referee leave the playing field or the next game begins, the Referee will have the authority to caution or send off any player, coach/team official or spectator. This authority extends to before, during and after game play, and the entire vicinity of the game field, including the entire location of the field, the entire park, facility or complex, and parking lots. The Referee is further given the authority to order off the field or its entire vicinity and parking areas any player, coach/team official or spectator who, in the Referee’s judgment, is acting in a manner that is detrimental to the game.

Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
In general, a direct kick comes from a contact foul or hand ball. Everything else is indirect. On a direct kick you can score by kicking the ball directly into the goal. On an indirect kick, the ball must be touched by another player before it can go into the goal.