There are many benefits to being a member of United Soccer Coaches, but I believe most high school coaches do not take full advantage of honors that are offered by United Soccer Coaches. Coaches are aware of the All-America and All-Region honors but there are many more honors that players, coaches or teams can earn. To earn some of the honors the coach will need to go through their state coach’s association but there are other honors that the high school coach can complete on behalf of their players or team.
All information about the honors can be found on the association’s website; here is a link that will take you directly to the high school honors, https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/awards/high-school-awards/. To be eligible for an award the coach must be a member of United Soccer Coaches. Coaches can register directly through the United Soccer Coaches website, make sure you indicate you are a high school coach so your state receives credit as membership helps determine the amount of certain awards a state receives which is based upon state membership numbers. You should check with your state coaches association to see if they have entered into a partnership agreement with United Soccer Coaches; if they a partnership you can receive a discount on your membership dues.
There are only a few honors that will generally come through your state coaches association to United Soccer Coaches. Your state coaches association will either enter this information for you or they will ask you to do and they will approve your nomination once you completed the required form. Here are honors that generally require state approval:
- All-Region/All-America
- The form is found on the United Soccer Coaches website and simply complete the form. All-Region/All-America selections are determined by state membership. United Soccer Coaches will let your state association know how many selections you receive. The form is the same for All-Region and All-America you simply check the boxes that apply. If your player is All-America, they are also All-Region so make sure you check the All-Region box as well.
- Assistant Coach of the Year
- United Soccer Coaches names Regional Assistant Coaches of the Year and from the Regional list one coach will be named National Assistant Coach of the Year. Every state can nominate two individuals for consideration for Regional COY; one on the girl’s side and one on the boy’s side. Many times, the state will ask the coach to complete the form because if asks for historical information.
- Private/Parochial Coach of the Year
- Each state has the opportunity to nominate a girl’s and boy’s coach for this honor. A regional winner is first determined then the national winner is named.
- Small School Coach of the Year/Large School Coach of the Year
- Each state has the opportunity to nominate a girl’s and boy’s coach for each honor. It is up to the state to determine if the coach is considered small or large school. Regional winners are first determined then a national winner is named.
The following awards can be completed coach and does not require state approval. It is the following awards that many high school coaches need to take advantage of. Many of these awards are not based upon program success but it is a method to give your players or program recognition.
- Senior Excellence Award
- United Soccer Coaches will recognize 3 girls and 3 boys from each school. The coach determines who should receive the award and the coach simply completes the form. United Soccer Coaches will send you certificates that you can present to your players.
- Team Academic Award
- This is an award that makes school districts very proud, our athletes are student/athletes and this award demonstrates that designation.
- The confusing component of this award for some is that the coach needs to wait until their entire academic year has ended. The coach’s 2020-21 team is nominated once their school year ended and the nomination starts in August leading into the next school year.
- In order to win this award, a coaches varsity team needs to maintain at least 3.25 GPA for the entire academic year. Coaches complete the form and list all their varsity players, the school guidance counselors can complete the GPA section, and a school administrator signs the form. Mail in the form with an official team roster. The United Soccer Coaches will send you a certificate and letter congratulating your team on their accomplishment.
- Coach of Significance
- Each state receives a Coach of Significance each year. Any coach can complete the form on behalf of another coach or the coach can nominate themselves. This is a newer award that states need to take advantage of.
- This award is intended to recognize a member coach for character and using soccer to teach life lessons.
- States can have multiple nominations and the United Soccer Coaches High School Advocacy group will select a winner per state.
- Coaching Milestones
- This is a great opportunity for a coach to be recognized for their success on the field.
- Coaches complete this award and will receive a certificate for wins during their career. United Soccer Coaches honors 100, 200, 300, etc wins.
- Scholar All-America
- Coaches can complete this form to nominate any senior(s) maintained at least a 3.75 GPA throughout their high school career. There is no predetermined amount based upon state membership. Complete the form and a committee from United Soccer Coaches will determine the winner. Those selected typically have earned soccer honors on at least the state level during their career.
- United Soccer Coaches will select Scholar All-Region selections and from the All-Region selections, Scholar All-Americans will be selected.
- Coaches can complete this form to nominate any senior(s) maintained at least a 3.75 GPA throughout their high school career. There is no predetermined amount based upon state membership. Complete the form and a committee from United Soccer Coaches will determine the winner. Those selected typically have earned soccer honors on at least the state level during their career.
- High School Player of the Week
- To nominate a player for consideration the coach enters the player’s statistics in MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week. The coach can contact MaxPreps at coachsupport@maxpreps.com to create an account.
The following awards can be completed by the coach and reveal the true essence of what high school sports are all about which is sportsmanship. United Soccer Coaches honors teams that demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship throughout the season. The award is tiered and is a great reward to recognize a team for their sportsmanship.
- Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award
- There is a minimum game requirement that needs to be met in order to qualify for this award. The United Soccer Coaches website will outline the minimum number of games needed.
- A team cannot receive any Red Cards during the season.
- A Yellow Card Percentage (YCP) cannot exceed 50%. (total yellow cards received ÷ regular and postseason games played)
- Award Levels:
- Platinum YCP = 0%
- Gold YCP = 10% or less
- Silver YCP = 30% or less
- Bronze YCP = 50% or less
- There is a minimum game requirement that needs to be met in order to qualify for this award. The United Soccer Coaches website will outline the minimum number of games needed.
- Team Pinnacle Award
- This is a new award and combines outstanding sportsmanship with academic achievement. Coaches complete this award and this award is like the Team Academic Award as the coach must wait until their academic year is completed.
- Recipients must have been awarded the Team Academic Award, earned a Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, and achieved a team winning percentage of .750% or higher. The winners are announced in October.
- This is a new award and combines outstanding sportsmanship with academic achievement. Coaches complete this award and this award is like the Team Academic Award as the coach must wait until their academic year is completed.
The final award and the most prestigious award a high school coach can receive is the Robert W. Robinson Award. There is one winner per year nationally and a coach can be nominated by any member of the United Soccer Coaches. This is long term service award given to a coach that has made outstanding contributions to high school on the local, state, and national level.
The United Soccer Coaches does an outstanding job of recognizing more than just outstanding soccer players. It is an honor to earn awards based upon one’s play or how their team did during the year but it is also an honor to be recognized for doing things right. Only a handful of teams are going to win a state championship but all teams can play with honor and should be honored for that. Coaches should be and are honored for outstanding contributions made to high school soccer even if they did not win a state championship. Soccer is a sport that any individual can play and those individuals should have an opportunity to be honored. Please take full advantage of your United Soccer Coaches membership by nominating players or teams for consideration of all the honors United Soccer Coaches offer high school programs.
Sincerely,
John Johnson
Wadsworth High School, Ohio
United Soccer Coaches Advocacy Committee
NFHS Region II Representative
Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Board Member