Green Bay Strikers Soccer Club

Our purpose is to increase our youth's enjoyment of recreational soccer by improving the quality and consistency of our coaching.

Coaching your child and his/her team is fun and rewarding! Coaching gives you the opportunity to teach skills, teamwork and sportsmanship and reap the benefits of personal enjoyment and appreciation from your players. It's a great way to contribute to the community!

In addition to all of the benefits you'll receive from coaching, we also offer a $10.00 discount off of the child's registration fee whose team coach. It's our way of recognizing all of our coaches for their commitment of time and effort.

We invite everyone to give coaching a try. It doesn't matter if you haven't played or coached soccer before! We have a support group with plenty of help and experience ready to assist. In addition, we have a strong, required training program that will prepare you for this important role.

Our program depends on volunteers like you to be successful. If you are willing to give it a try please call The Answer Line and leave a message that includes your name and address and we will send you the information you need to register. Sign up on your own or with a friend - your children will automatically be on the same team. (Limit 2 coaches per team).

In 1994, our club voluntarily required formal training to improve the quality and consistency of our coaching. The response has been overwhelmingly positive! SAY National now requires coaches' training. All first year coaches MUST participate in formal training. All other coaches MUST participate in training every other year. Annual training is encouraged! We are excited about our training program that includes one hour of general information and two hours of age specific breakout sessions. This enables any coach to take any of the sessions and get all of the information they need. This year, we will also introduce a new training program for experienced coaches. More details at registration! Pre-registration is a must! Space is limited! Please mark your calendars now! All sessions will be held at Edison Middle School gym.

Training sessions for 2010 will be held in the gym at Edison Middle School on the following dates:

If you have any questions, please call the answer line at 490-7266 and leave your name, phone number and a brief message.

Our Coaches Training sessions are open to members of other area soccer clubs as well. If you are interested in attending our training, please let us know. As space is limited, call the Answer Line or send us an email to reserve your seat today.

If you are interested, our coaches may also attend the Referee Training. To reserve your spot contact us either via the Answer Line or email. For more information on when the training will be held see our Referee section.

Most youth sports programs have instituted a screening process for volunteers. While our state does not currently have laws requiring this procedure, SAY National as well as The Green Bay Strikers want to be proactive. We understand that this process may make some people uneasy but SAY National has come up with a program taht is the least intrusive of those that were reviewed.

Coaches are asked to fill out an additional form when they register. It simply asks for a previous address (if you have lived at your current address less than 5 years) and a yes/no question concerning any possible criminal history or history of violence. It also includes a standard disclaimer verifying the truthfulness of the information given. Only our Volunteer Screener will review these forms. Any "yes" answers will automatically be forwarded to Choice Point (our volunteer screening agency). We are aware that this is a very sensitive issue. But, as always, our primary concern is the protection of our players as well as our coaches.

Please call The Answer Line at 490-7266 if you have any comments, questions or concerns. We want to hear from you! Please don't wait until the end of the soccer season. We may be able to help! If requested, all calls and contacts will be kept confidential. The Green Bay Strikers are dedicated to ensuring that each and every soccer participant has a safe and enjoyable soccer season.

When coaching U-8 (6-7 year olds) teams, one coach from each team is allowed on the field to help instruct the players. Things change when you move up to U-10 (8-9 year olds) where you have referees and are not allowed on the field. To ease this transition, we will allow one coach from each team to be on the field for only the first three weeks of the season. All coaches must stay between the 18-yard lines and remain neutral on infractions.

Since 1996, our 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 year olds have played "short-sided soccer". This means that teams play with fewer players on smaller fields. 5 year olds play with five players on the field (no goalie), 6-7 year olds play with six players including a goalie and 8-9 year olds play with nine players including a goalie.

Short-sided soccer is designed to help young children enjoy and understand the game of soccer a little better. It provides them with a great environment in which to develop their fundamental skills and maximize their participation in the game. Rules are simplified and coaches act as "facilitators". The more time young players have with the ball, the more fun they have and the faster they learn.

Games can be postponed and/or cancelled due to weather. The decision to cancel a game for ages 8-18 is made at the field at game time by the referee. In case of 5=7 year olds where there are no referees, the coaches will decide at the field at game time whether the game should be cancelled. Cancelled games for ages 12+ will be rescheduled. All others will not.