For US soccer clubs

Youth soccer coaching for US clubs and volunteer coaches

Full soccer practice sessions filmed being coached, from U5 to elite, plus season plans and club-wide accounts. Built for rec and competitive clubs, parent volunteers and directors of coaching.

In short: The Coaching Manual gives every coach at your club proven practice sessions they can watch being coached, then run with their own team. Volunteer coaches get support between US Soccer license courses, and directors of coaching get one standard across rec and competitive teams. Clubs from $1,250 a year; individual coaches can start free.

Built for how US clubs work

  • Parent volunteers in rec. Most rec coaches are parents with no time to plan. Every session is ready to run, with set-up, timings and coaching points, and a video showing how it's coached.
  • Competitive and travel teams. More depth for older and stronger players: positional play, pressing, playing out from the back and individual technical work.
  • Directors of coaching. Share a curriculum and season plans across every team, and see which coaches are using what.
  • Small-sided to 11v11. Sessions are organised by age group, from the youngest players through 7v7 and 9v9 to the full game.
  • Fall and spring seasons. Season plans fit your own calendar.

Support between license courses

US Soccer's grassroots licenses and the D license give coaches a foundation in a few days. Most of a coach's development happens afterwards, week to week with their own team, often with nobody to watch or ask. That's the gap we're built for: expert coaches to watch, copy and learn from every week, between one course and the next.

Every session is filmed being coached, so you see the set-up and hear when and how the coach steps in. It's the quickest way to pick up the part a written plan can't show you: the delivery.

"I've been in soccer here in the States for 35 years, at rec programmes, college programmes, high-level club programmes and high school programmes, and not one has ever put me through a training programme. If you want to be the best at something, you're going to need someone to teach you how to do it. That's what The Coaching Manual is for us."

Jamie Killeen, Northern New Hampshire Soccer Club

Everything your coaches need, in one place

  • Every age and level: from first sessions for U5s, through every age group in between, to academy and adult soccer, including sessions filmed with the Southampton FC and Rangers FC academies.
  • Every format: full team sessions, small-group sessions and 1-1 sessions.
  • Individual technical practice players can work on in their own time.
  • Strength and conditioning, including content from James Parr, former S&C lead at Manchester United's Academy, and from Southampton FC.
  • Season plans that fit your own season dates, so a coach always knows what's next.

Who we work with

We've been building coach education for 15 years, and coaches at 2,000+ clubs use The Coaching Manual, across the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

  • Almaden FC in California is one of the clubs on Nexus, our club development programme.
  • Our content partners include the PFA, the Arsenal Foundation and the Manchester United Foundation, with S&C content from Southampton FC.

Pricing

BasicFree

Free sessions and warm-ups, no card needed.

Standard$48 a year

The full session library, with no ads.

Premium$84 a year

Adds season plans and the session design tools.

ClubFrom $1,250 a year

Premium for every coach, with club and licence management, shared season plans and usage reporting.

Prices in US dollars. Full details on our pricing page.

Questions clubs ask

What's the best soccer coaching app for a US youth club?

It depends what you need. If you want every coach, from rec volunteers to competitive coaches, working from proven sessions they can watch being coached, The Coaching Manual is built for that. For registration and payments you'd use a club admin system alongside it. See our honest comparison of coaching apps.

Do you have practice plans for rec soccer volunteers?

Yes. Sessions are ready to run, organised by age group, with set-up, timings and coaching points, and each one is filmed being coached so a parent volunteer can see exactly how to deliver it.

Do the sessions work for small-sided games like 7v7 and 9v9?

Yes. Sessions are organised by age group, from the youngest players through the small-sided formats to 11v11, and coaches can adapt them to their numbers and space.

How does it help coaches between US Soccer license courses?

Courses give you a foundation; most learning happens week to week with your own team. Watching experienced coaches deliver sessions, trying them yourself and reflecting is one of the most practical ways to keep developing.

How much does The Coaching Manual cost for a US club?

Club accounts start from $1,250 a year. Individual coaches can start on the free Basic plan, with Standard at $48 and Premium at $84 a year. See our pricing page.

Raise the standard of coaching across your club

Try some free sessions, or talk to us about a club account for every coach.