Welcome to the Coaches Section of the CYS website. First off, thanks for volunteering your time to coach youth soccer in Cambridge! We at CYS truly appreciate your efforts.
We realize that coaching youth soccer can be a daunting endeavor for new coaches. It can also be frustrating at times even for the more seasoned coaches. However, coaching soccer can be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.
The objective of the Coaches Section of the CYS website is to provide another avenue for CYS to support our coaches. It is a centralized location where you might be able to find useful resources and information (e.g., lesson plans, links to coaching websites, coaching courses, FAQs) to help you in your coaching.
Coaching Resources
Start here to build your soccer knowledge and plans for the whole season.
Massachusetts Coaching Credentials (SafeSport, Concussion, CORI)
CYS Safety Plan
Overview of the “Play-Practice-Play” model from U.S. Soccer
Cambridge Youth Soccer League Guides
CYS Coaching "Quick Start" guide
Premier League Coaching Guide
Champions League 3/4 Coaching Guide
City League 5/6 Coaching Guide
CCFC Coaches Handbook
CYS Coaches Manual (U8-U14 Grades 1-8th, September 2007)
CYS Game rules
Practice Schedule with permits
Mass Youth Session Plans
Mass Youth Soccer offers session plans for 6U (Pre-K/Kinder), U8 (1st/2nd Grade), 10U (3rd/4th Grade), 12U (5th/6th Grade), 14U (7th/8th Grade)
All Mass Youth Soccer Session plans follow US Soccer Grassroots Play-Practice-Play Methodology. U.S. Soccer developed and implemented the Play-Practice-Play methodology at the Grassroots level. Researched and developed by technical leaders, this player-centered approach allows coaches of all levels to help create training environments to fulfill the two basic needs of players of all ages: to have fun and to develop! The game of soccer is very unpredictable and free-flowing. It’s constantly changing between the moments of attacking, defending, and both transitional moments in between. Each of the three phases of Play-Practice-Play replicates those moments and are easy for the coach to implement. The environment provides players with what they like and with what they need to analyze the game, make decisions, be creative with their own solutions, and to ultimately become independent, critical thinkers.
US Youth Soccer
US Youth Soccer Coaching Resources (including Lesson Plans, Rules of the Game, information for First-Time Coaches, etc.)