Coach Handbook

 

Thank You For Volunteering!

Our sports programs depend on volunteers as coaches and your support is needed! 

You will experience the joy of seeing players learn and develop self confidence, learn teamwork, participate in games and thoroughly enjoy playing youth sports.

As a volunteer coach with ASA you can help further the Mission of ASA to be the place Where Kids Come to Play!

At ASA coaching is a privilege and not a right. All coaches should read and  know our Vision & Mission Statement as well as our Core Values and Behaviors. In addition, coaches must read and adhere to the ASA Uniform Code of Conduct. 

ASA Vision & Mission Statement

ASA Core Values & Behaviors

ASA Uniform Code of Conduct

As a co-sponsored organization of the City of Allen, we are required to provide a coach certification process for all coaches in all sports. There are several steps to the coach certification process outlined below. This is the basic ASA coach registration and certification process. Some sports programs require additional training and/or certifications. Please check the individual sport webpage for information on any additional coaching requirements.

 

 

Registration

Coaches must be 21-years-old to coach in any ASA sports program.

All coaches must register online every season for every sport they will be coaching.

Returning coaches can log in to their Sportspilot family account and register at the link below. 
New coaches who do not have a Sportspilot family account can create a family account at the same link below. Once the family account is set up they can register to coach.
 
 
By registering to coach you are agreeing to submit a criminal background check to be run by ClearStar, Inc.at the cost of $5, plus any applicable credit card processing fees. Background checks must be run every 12 months for each registered head coach/assistant coach/manager. 
 

Child Abuse Prevention Training

As an organization we require every volunteer to complete a national criminal background check every 12 months. We also require all coaches to complete an online child abuse prevention training course through Safeguard From Abuse -  https://safeguardfromabuse.digitalchalk.com every TWO (2) years.

Why is Child Abuse Prevention Training important?

Many believe that child sexual abuse can’t happen in their organization, or that no one they know could be an abuser. This illusion of safety is often found in schools, camps and many other child-serving organizations.

This illusion is dangerous to both the organization and the children it serves. Sexual abusers find those places where the barriers of protection are lowest, where people are more trusting and where fewer barriers exist between service applicants and children.

In our culture, barriers to entry tend to be lower in child-serving organizations. We want to ‘raise the bar’, and the first step is to better understand the problem.  When volunteers and staff members learn the facts, they are better able to protect children in their care.

Child Abuse Prevention Training is key in equipping staff members and volunteers to better understand the risk of child sexual abuse. Typically, our beliefs are shaped by our personal experience, the experiences of our friends and family and the media. For most of us, sexual abuse of children is not a reality we want to confront, so many of us choose to remain uninformed. Media coverage is incomplete, leaving us with an inaccurate picture of the scope, breadth or shape of child sexual abuse.

To better protect children in our programs, we must realize that the problem is significant and growing, and that abusers have no visual profile. We must be able to recognize predators behaviorally. This Child Abuse Prevention Training equips employees and volunteers with the 'eyes to see' the grooming process of an abuser and key indicators of child sexual abuse.

Why are children at risk in youth sports?

Young athletes are taught to trust the coach, an adult in a position of authority. The right coach can have an incredibly positive impact on a child’s life—teaching and modeling sportsmanship, competition and teamwork. The wrong coach can cause serious damage.

Unfortunately, a growing number of sexual predators are using youth sports to gain access to children.

This training is the single most important step an organization can take to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. When staff members and volunteers are equipped with the ‘eyes to see’ the grooming process of an abuser and key indicators of child sexual abuse, we are better able to protect children in our care.

What do I need to do if I’m an ASA coach or plan to coach?

All registered coaches, head and assistant, must complete the 90-minute online training course before getting approved to coach for the upcoming spring season. The training will be good for TWO (2) years from the date of completion.

Exceptions:

  • Current ASA Soccer coaches must complete US for SafeSport child abuse prevention training and are not required to complete the Safeguard From Abuse training.
  • Tackle football coaches from the previous fall season who have completed the USA Football tackle certification training, which includes the US for SafeSport child abuse prevention training, are not required to complete the Safeguard From Abuse training.

*ASA keeps training records for all coaches and will notify coaches each season if they are required to complete the training.

To complete the training at no cost, please follow the instructions below:

Access Safeguard From Abuse training at:  https://safeguardfromabuse.digitalchalk.com

  1. Select CREATE ACCOUNT
  2. Complete the sign-up form
  3. Enter ALLEN SPORTS ASSOCIATION as the name of your organization and the following Registration Code: ASAATX
  4. Click on your course play button to begin training

 

Concussion Training

As part of our co-sponsorship agreement with the City of Allen, our coaches are required to follow the City of Allen Parks and Recreation Department Concussion Policy. 

Coaches are asked to follow the City of Allen's policy as outlined below:

The City of Allen Parks and Recreation Department Concussion Policy

The City of Allen’s Concussion Policy defines the process for identifying and treating concussions, as well as reducing serious health risks related to head injuries sustained in City-sponsored events. This policy shall be enforced for all youth and adult athletic programs sponsored or coordinated by the department and/or occurring on City park property.

Concussion Overview

According to the CDC, a concussion is a traumatic brain injury typically caused by bump, blow, or jolt to the head or impact to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.

  • Concussions may chemically change the brain by stretching or damaging brain cells
  • Effects of a concussion can be serious
  • Athletes who have had a previous concussion have a higher chance of getting another concussion; repeat concussions may lead to more severe symptoms and longer recovery
  • Children are more at risk for long term effects from concussions due to their brains still being in development
  • Most concussion injuries in sports are caused by player-to-player contact

Preventing Head Injuries

In order to prevent head injuries and concussions:

  • Foster an environment and enforce rules that limit the risk of impact to the head
  • Talk to athletes and their families about head injuries and review common signs and symptoms
  • Encourage concussion reporting – remind athletes that you expect them to report blows, bumps, or jolts to their head
  • Regularly check and inspect equipment and facilities for hazards before play
  • Post CDC Heads Up concussion awareness and prevention posters at facilities
  • Make CDC Heads Up information available to participants and parents each sports season

In addition, any Parks and Recreation staff, including full-time, part-time and seasonal/temporary, as well as department volunteers, that work in a recreation facility or with athletics programming, are required to complete a free CDC Heads Up Online Concussion Training annually.

Youth sports associations, leagues, and other organizations conducting athletic programming in partnership with the City must:

  • Provide to the City annually a copy of their concussion protocol (which meets or exceeds the standards detailed here), as well as display it on their website
  • Staff, coaches, and volunteers will complete training as required by their association/league’s concussion protocol
  • If no concussion protocol exits, or if protocol does not include concussion training, association/league staff and volunteers must complete a free CDC Heads Up Online Concussion Training annually

Identifying Concussions

Athletes who experience or exhibit one or more of the signs or symptoms listed below after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head/body may have a concussion.

Signs observed by coaches, parents, or teammates:

  • Appears dazed, stunned or confused
  • Forgetfulness
  • Clumsy movements
  • Slow to respond to questions
  • Mood, behavior or personality changes
  • Inability to recall events prior to the hit or fall or Inability to recall events after the hit or fall

Symptoms reported by athlete:

  • Headache or “pressure” feeling in the head
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Balance problems or dizziness
  • Double or blurry vision
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy
  • Concentration problems, memory problems, or confusion
  • Just not “feeling right” or feeling “down”

 Call 911 immediately if athlete displays signs of a more serious brain injury:

  • Loss of consciousness (passing out) even for a moment
  • A headache that gets worse and does not go away
  • Significant nausea or repeated vomiting
  • Unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation
  • Drowsiness or inability to wake up
  • Slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination,
  • Convulsions or seizures (shaking or twitching)

Suspected Concussion

An individual with a suspected concussion needs to see a medical provider right away.

  • Remove athlete from play immediately. Keep an athlete with a possible head injury out of play until he or she is cleared by a healthcare provider. Only a medical professional should assess a concussion. When in doubt, sit them out.
  • Notify a minor’s parent/guardian.
  • Be prepared to share the following information with a medical provider:
    • Any medications, including prescriptions or over-the-counter medicines, the injured athlete is taking
    • Cause of injury
    • Any loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out) and duration
    • Any memory loss immediately following the injury
    • Any seizures immediately following the injury
    • Number of previous concussions, if applicable

Returning to Play

Recovery from a concussion may take weeks or months. An athlete should follow all steps advised by their medical professional, but if symptoms are still present 4-6 weeks after the incident, he or she should return to a medical professional for evaluation.

An athlete should only return to sports participation (including practices and games) with the approval of and under the supervision of their health care provider.

More Information

For more information regarding head injuries and concussions, visit the CDC Heads Up website or review their Concussion Information Sheet.

 

Team Invitation Code

This process was created in an effort to let parents register directly to their team instead of having to wait for the ASA staff to move everyone manually. Some sports do not use the Team Invitation Code process. Those sports include: Inline Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer and Track.

In order to get the team code the Head Coach MUST register online for the current season, This is especially important for the head coach because they are the ones who will be sent the Team Invitation Code.

Once registered, coaches will receive an email from ClearStar, Inc requesting a background check ($5 fee, plus any applicable credit card processing fees). Once the background check has been completed ASA staff will create the team and send the team invitation code to the head coach. When registering please make sure contact information, specifically email address, is correct. If it is not, the coach will not receive the team invitation code email.

If you have registered and have not received a request for background check from ClearStar, Inc. and it has been MORE THAN 4 days, please contact the ASA office and we can check and see why the email has not been sent. It could mean the email address is not correct in Sportspilot.

Once the required Child Abuse Prevention Training has been completed, coaches will be moved to their team roster.

Log in to your Sportspilot account at the following link:

COACH LOG-IN

Sportspilot Tutorial: Manage Team Roster 

Once you've been placed on your team roster, please be sure to monitor the team roster often during registration. The ASA office staff will not be responsible for moving players over manually so players must register with the team invitation code to get placed on the team roster. If they end up in the draft pool for some reason or another, the head coach must contact the ASA office and let us know so that we can get the player moved to the team before registration closes.

 

Badges

Back in 2020 when the pandemic hit, we chose to pivot and come up with an alternative to plastic coach badges and we ended up partnering with Virtual Badge. These virtual badges worked well for the last 3+ years, but this past fall Virtual Badge lost their funding and went out of business.

Moving into Spring 2024 we will be going back to plastic coach badges for all our sport programs. All coaches (head and assistants) will be required to display their coach badge at games. This means, it should always be displayed around your neck on the sideline, in the dugout, on the field/court or on the bench.

We have made some improvements to how these badges will be created, printed and distributed. Please follow the steps below to make sure you will get your badge in time for the Spring 2024 season.

Only registered coaches who have completed their criminal background check, child abuse prevention training and have uploaded a photo will be issued a coaching badge.

 

BADGE PHOTOS

Every coach must upload a yearbook style, head & shoulders photo to your Sportspilot profile.

  • Photo must be of head and shoulders only.
  • No other person, pet or object should be in view.
  • Plain background preferred.
  • No hats, sunglasses or other headwear, except for religious or cultural reasons.
  • Subject should be seated or standing only.

To submit your photo:

  1. Log in to your Sportspilot registration account.
  2. Click on your name.
  3. Once in your profile, click on button at the top of the page that says “ADD/CHANGE PHOTO”.
  4. Choose “FROM DEVICE” or “FROM CAMERA” and upload or take photo.

*Aspect ratio should be set to “SQUARE”.

 

BADGE DISTIBUTION

All coaches who have completed their criminal background check, child abuse prevention training and have uploaded a photo will have a photo printed by the ASA office staff prior to the current season coaches meeting. Badges will be brought to the coaches meeting so that one representative from the team can pick up the badges for the entire team staff.

Any coach who does not complete any of the required steps above at least 3 days prior to the coaches meeting will not have their badge printed and available for pick up at the coaches meeting. Those coaches will have to come to the ASA office during business hours after they’ve completed all the requirements to pick up their coaching badge prior to the season beginning.

OTHER INFORMATION

  • Soccer badges will be good for one year (Spring/Fall).
  • All other sport badges will be good for three years.
    • Coaches will still need to register and complete any required background check and child abuse prevention training each season.
    • A new badge sticker will be issued annually if all steps have been completed.
  • There will be a $5 charge for lost badges.

 

Student Athlete Mentor

The Student Athlete Mentor program is available to qualified high school & college student athletes who are 15- to 20-years-old. Student Athlete Mentors should be currently playing the sport they will be mentoring in or have a solid background playing the sport for no less than 2 years.  Student Athlete Mentors must apply at the ASA office and be approved to receive a Student Athlete Mentor badge. 

 

  • Mentors should maintain no less than a 2.0 GPA while participating in the program.
  • Badges must be renewed annually.
  • Badges must be worn to all practices & games.
  • Student Athlete Mentors do not hold a position of authority with players or parents of the team. All coaching authority remains with the Head Coach and Assistant Coaches of the team.
  • Mentors should never be left alone with players during practice or games.
  • Mentors may attend practice and help in the dugout during games.
  • Mentors may NOT sit on the bench in a coaching capacity (volleyball/basketball).
  • Mentors may NOT stand in as a base coach on the field (baseball/softball).

 

Student Athlete Mentor Application 

(Must be submitted to the ASA office for approval)


 

Hours of Operation

 
 
Monday-Friday  9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed for lunch: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
 
Office: 972.727.9565


 

Allen Sports Association

950 E. Main Street
Allen, TX 75002
Terms Of UsePrivacy StatementCopyright 2024 by Allen Sports Association
Back To Top