Pre-Game Coaching Responsibilities

To get yourself and your team ready for the game you should ensure everyone arrives well before the match starts. The amount of time needed to prepare for the game will depend on the age and can range from 20 to 90 minutes before kick off. This time is used to get everyone mentally and physically ready to play the game. The following are ideas to help you and your team prepare for the game:

Equipment For The Game

Sometimes this will not be your responsibility if you have an equipment manager but if you do not then you should make sure that each player has the proper equipment.

- Uniforms
- Game Balls
- Corner Flags
- First Aid Kit
- Goal Nets
- Medical Release Forms
- Cell Phone
- Player Passes
- Ice
- Water
- Training Vests
- Cones
- Shoes (Molded for dry conditions, Studs for wet conditions)
- Shin guards
- Coaching Forms (Line-up, Tactical, etc)

Field Inspection

Usually the referees will inspect the field but just in case they do not you or one of the parents should inspect the field for proper field markings, goal nets, and any safety hazards.

Injured Players

You never know who might come to the game hurt or who has gotten healthy prior to the game. You should check the status of your injured players to see if they are fit to play.

Line up

You should come to the game with an idea of your starting lineup, and tactical charts but also be ready to make adjustments if necessary.

Warm-up

The objective of warming up is to prepare your players both physically and mentally for the game. This will help your team:

- Get mentally focused
- Get ready for the pace of the game
- Get a feel for the ball
- Get rid themselves from any nervous energy
- Prevent muscle injuries

Depending on the age of your team you will need anywhere from 10-30 minutes of warm-up. Warm-up should progress from light running and stretching to technical warm-up with the ball to game pace running and more stretching. Some coaches will even play a few minutes of possession so that their players are ready to interact with each other on a game like level.

Pre-Game Talk

While players are getting ready for the game it is a good idea to begin individually talking to players about their specific roles and give them encouragement and advice. Be careful not to overdue it because this will confuse your player and possibly make things worse. Each player responds differently to a pre-game talk so it helps to know if your player needs to be relaxed, calmed down, focused, excited, or given confidence with your talk. You can also talk to the team as a whole about the tactics and strategy of the game such as offensive and defensive shape, set plays, overall intensity, and reminders about the opponents strengths and weaknesses. Again do not overdue it because there is only so much the player will remember.

Greet The Officials

Not always necessary but its a good way to get to know them personally.

Coin Toss

Give your captain instructions whether you will win or lose the coin toss. Take note of weather and field conditions when making your decision. Wind and sun can play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of many games.