Frequently asked
questions
How did it come together?
Coach Barry is a lifelong soccer supporter and player. When his son expressed an interest in soccer at 4 years old, Barry was happy to begin his coaching career. In an effort to share the experience with friends, Barry approached nine families with the idea to coach the children at minimal cost. We purchased some basic equipment and split the cost ($20-30) between each family.
The team is thriving and shows up week after week to practice soccer skills, teamwork and have fun! We believe we can support others to do the same.
Go, Yeti United!
What qualifications are needed?
No coaching experience is required. Some experience playing soccer helps, but those with other sporting backgrounds can coach up to 7U’s (under 7’s) to an adequate level. The biggest drivers for success are a willingness to put together a practice, to coordinate, and the energy to make it enjoyable for the children. If you have coached your child’s team elsewhere, you can apply what worked for you. If you have observed your child playing with a coach, you can use some of their ideas. We will provide lesson plans. We will ask that all affiliated coaches complete a background check and a concussion safety course.
How to get a team?
Consider starting with your child’s close group of friends / neighbors or other children they play sports with. Consider the children at daycare, perhaps the teacher can share a sign-up sheet with other parents? If you are willing to coach, share a post on the neighborhood social media pages. Forming a local team is a great way to build a network and community. The more local the families are, the easier it is for everyone to get together each week. We will try to help connect families as they register on our webpage.
How many children?
An ideal number is 6 – 7 players, but 8 – 10 can work. You might need a little extra help as the numbers get bigger. If you are a group of more than 10 families, consider starting two teams. Use geographical proximity / birth year to determine who is a part of each team.
What are the age rules?
US youth soccer uses birth year to determine what age group children should play in. See https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/08/five-things-to-know-about-birth-year-registration. We suggest trying to get children of the same birth year into one team. If the team straddles multiple birth years, that is OK, but if you choose to play in tournaments, please be aware that you may play teams at the older age of your range. If possible, when you schedule games, you might consider splitting into smaller teams based on the birth years.
Can boys and girls be on the same team?
Yes. Co-ed is acceptable for younger ages. As teams get to 7U or 8U, in some tournament play, girls can choose to play on boy teams, but boys cannot play on girl teams.
How often will my team practice?
We suggest once per week for 45 – 60 mins. Pick a time that works well for the group and a grass space that is practical for everyone. You can use cones and pop-up goals to mark the pitch. If your team wants to do more, feel free to do so.
How often will my team play matches?
There is flexibility according to the needs of your team and there is no pressure to play matches every week. Yeti United will connect coaches and help co-ordinate games as desired. Locations can be agreed between teams, cones and pop-up goals can be used for the pitches. The more people that sign up, the more options teams will have to play matches. In addition to coordinating games within the Yeti United network, we will occasionally suggest non-affiliated tournaments that teams may choose to enter. These may incur an additional cost, paid to the tournament organizer.
I want to coach but how will I manage alone?
The families in your group will likely be very willing to offer help and support. This could be as little as moving cones and goals during practice, or as much as taking a training session if you are on vacation. Parental involvement will be necessary to help keep children focused. We have a ‘Player of the Week’ trophy which we give to the child that performed the most beyond their typical level.
Can I do this and play soccer elsewhere?
Yes. We support children playing lots of soccer if they enjoy doing so. We hope that our structure will give more families the opportunity to participate without high costs. What families do beyond that is up to them.
Is there a lot of paperwork?
No. All families will be required to complete a waiver. We’ll keep some basic details on each team, such as: Names, DOBs, location, contact details and preferences for matches.
I want to be a part of this. How can I get involved?
Please sign up via the Contact Us page. We will get in touch and help get you connected with other families if you need help building a team. If you have a team ready to go, or, if you believe that you know enough families to build a team, we can help get you set up with equipment and class plans.