AYSO 815 - 10U Spring Season Plan

Head Coach: Chip LaFleur Assistant Coaches: Adam Cook, Patrick Reilly Roster (9): Kylen Allen, Landon Cook, Oliver Hancock, Leif LaFleur, Gabriel Lin, Oren Powers, Declan Reilly, Jacob Sundberg, Kason Ungrey Flex / play-up: Kason’s younger brother (8U) — can play up at 10U when he’s available. Confirm name. Schedule: Practices Tue & Thu evenings, Games Saturday

Where we are (Sun 4/26): Week 1 done. Game 1 vs Bonthuis is in the books. What we saw confirmed what we expected: the team clumps around the ball, Gabriel does too much of the work himself, and we don’t put any pressure on the opponent’s half. The rest of the season is built around fixing those three things — every week, every drill threads them. Patrick and Declan are still out Tuesdays through the first week of May (4/28 and 5/5); they’re at Thursdays and Saturdays.

Practice times going forward: Tuesdays 5:45–6:45 PM, Thursdays 5:30–6:30 PM. Both at Douglas Walker Park Field D (North on Tue, South on Thu).

Three priorities driving the rest of the season:

1. Ball mastery. Every kid gets enough touches that the ball stops being the enemy. First touch, carrying under light pressure, simple turns, both feet. If their feet work, half the other problems get easier on their own.
2. Spacing (anti-clumping). Stop the swarm. Teach zones, lanes, and the idea that “your job is to be where the ball isn’t yet.” This is positional, not formational — they don’t need to draw a 2-3-1 from memory, they need to feel where they belong.
3. Aggressive forward play. Keep the ball in the opponent’s half. Press when we lose it. Shoot when we see the goal. Defenders push up when we have the ball; forwards chase when we don’t.

These three are how we judge every drill, every small-sided game, and every game-day call from here through May 30.

1. Season Vision

Fall was tough — short roster, stretched thin on the sidelines. With a fuller group this spring, we have the bodies to actually build a team. The job now is to turn these kids into a group that:

1. Has fun and wants to come back. AYSO first principle. Every kid should enjoy Tuesday and Thursday.
2. Plays with structure. Not formations on a chalkboard — just “I know where I am, where my teammates are, and what my job is right now.”
3. Competes hard and plays clean. Effort on defense, respect for teammates, opponents, and refs.

Success isn’t win-loss. Success is:

• Every kid improves at least one concrete skill.
• The team starts breaking out of “swarm ball” and holding shape for stretches.
• Every player ends the season loving soccer more than they started.
• Parents are positive. Coaches are aligned. Saturday’s the best part of the week.

If we hit those, wins will come — and if they don’t, we still did the job.

2. Coaching Philosophy

We coach to AYSO’s Six Philosophies. Keep these visible - tape them inside your coaching clipboard:

1. Everyone Plays
2. Balanced Teams
3. Open Registration
4. Positive Coaching
5. Good Sportsmanship
6. Player Development

Practical translation for this team:

• Equal playing time. Not “mostly equal.” Track it on paper.
• Coach effort and decisions, not outcomes. “Great run” > “great goal.” “Good read” > “good save.”
• Volume up for energy, not frustration. Keep it positive on the field.
• Positions are assignments, not cages. Kids rotate every game. They’ll try every spot by midseason.
• Mistakes are the curriculum. If a kid tries a pass and loses it, that’s a win — they’re learning to make decisions.

3. Player Snapshot & Coaching Notes

Quick-reference so the three of us are working from the same sheet. Keep this off the parent channel.

First couple of practices: each of us takes two players to watch closely and fill in. Compare notes after.

4. Coaching Staff Roles

We’re three volunteers with different strengths. Rough roles help us avoid stepping on each other so the kids get a consistent experience. None of this is rigid — if something’s not working, we adjust.

4.1 Chip — Head Coach

Focus: overall plan, lineups, tone on the sideline.

• Drafts the weekly plan and shares it Sunday night-ish.
• Leads the scrimmage/game-application block at practice.
• Makes lineup and substitution calls on Saturdays.
• Quick check-in with Adam and Patrick after each practice — what worked, what’s next.

4.2 Adam — Technical Skills Lead

Focus: technical block, drill quality, equipment.

• Gets to the field a few minutes before start and sets up cones/stations when he can.
• Runs the 20-minute technical block Tue & Thu.
• Supports the warm-up and scrimmage blocks.
• Quick debrief with Chip and Patrick after practice.

4.3 Patrick — Warmup and Small-sided Game Lead

Focus: warm-up/cool-down, supporting less-confident players, game-day logistics.

• Leads the opening 20-min block at each practice: dynamic warm-up into quick games with the ball.
• Brings game ideas that move quickly and involve everyone on the team.
• Keeps the games moving fast - if it doesn’t land we move on to the next.
• Keep an eye on Declan during practice, stays reasonably close without crowding, runs modified confidence-building touches with him when it helps.

Tuesdays while Patrick is out (through the first week of May): Patrick and Declan are missing Tuesday practices only — they’re at Thursdays and Saturdays. Tuesday coverage:

• Block 1 (warm-up + quick games) moves to Chip, with Adam supporting.
• New-kid check-ins split between Chip and Adam.
• Thursdays and game days: normal roles, full staff.

4.4 Staff Rhythm

Rough cadence — we don’t need to hit every one of these every week, but this is the shape.

• Sunday-ish: Chip sends the week’s plan to Adam and Patrick.
• Before practice when we can: quick huddle — who’s focused on whom, anything from last time worth flagging.
• After practice: quick debrief, a few minutes.
• Friday: Chip emails Saturday lineup/sub plan.
• After Saturday games: brief huddle: one thing that worked, one to fix.

5. Season Schedule & Arc - 6 Weeks

Spring runs April 21 - May 30. Six weeks, six games, one bye (Memorial Day weekend). All practices at Douglas Walker Park - Field D (North on Tue, South on Thu). One away game on May 9.

Schedule

Arc

Tuesday = introduce. Thursday = reinforce + prep for Saturday. Every week is built around one of the three priorities as the anchor, with the other two threaded in. Adjust if the team is ahead or behind — don’t just grind through the plan.

Weather & Cancellations

Play is rain-or-shine. AYSO weather rules:

• Thunder/lightning: clear the field immediately. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning strike before returning. If strikes continue, practice or game is canceled.
• Flooded or unplayable field: canceled (like 4/16).
• Light rain: we play.

Last-minute cancellations come from me in the team channel. Adam and Patrick - if you hear thunder before I do, clear the kids to shelter and we reassess.

6. Weekly Practice Template (60 min - three 20-minute blocks)

Practices are 60 minutes, broken into three clean 20-min blocks. Same structure every time so kids know what’s coming (fewer listening problems) and coaches can run it on autopilot.

Listening system: When you need attention, raise a hand and say “Scorpions!” Kids take a knee and stop talking. Bring the kids in so they start to build this discipline.

7. Week-by-Week Practice Plans

Each week has Tuesday (introduce) and Thursday (reinforce + pre-game). Timings inside the technical and small-sided blocks are suggestions - adapt to the kids in front of you.

Each week below is the summary of what we’re teaching. Full execution scripts (drill setup, demo language, what each coach is doing minute-by-minute) live in the standalone Tuesday and Thursday plan files for that week. Update those files as we go.

Week 1 — Team Culture + Ball Mastery — done

Saturday 4/25 vs Bonthuis: in the books. Confirmed our three-priority focus.

Week 2 — Ball Mastery + Position Intro (4/28, 4/30 → 5/2 vs Russell)

Anchor: Ball mastery — first touch and carrying the ball. Threaded: Position intro (every kid learns what their position name means and where they live), light forward pressure (“when you’ve got the ball, look up the field first”).

Saturday deliverable: Cleaner first touches than Game 1. Every kid can name their position out loud and point to where they belong. At least one possession where the ball is carried out of pressure instead of kicked away.

Tuesday 4/28 (Chip + Adam — Patrick out)

• Warm-up: stuck-in-the-mud with a ball + gate dribble. Touches first, listening calls woven in.
• Technical: three stations — toe taps + sole rolls / cone weave with one move at the end / receive-and-turn (ball played in, first touch away from imaginary defender, dribble out).
• Small-sided: 3v3 to four corner goals — forces head-up, can’t just hammer one direction.
• Scrimmage: 4v4 with the “two-touch minimum” rule (you have to touch the ball at least twice before you pass or shoot). Slows the panic-kick.
• Position intro: 5 min before scrimmage — chalk-talk on a flat patch with cones laid out as the 2-3-1. Each kid stands in a position. Name it. Trade. Repeat.
• Cool down: “What’s your position called?” go-round. If a kid blanks, teammates help — not the coach.

Thursday 4/30 (full staff)

• Warm-up: knockout (King of the Ring) with re-entry — 10 toe-taps to come back in.
• Technical: same three stations as Tuesday, add light pressure on the receive-and-turn (a passive defender steps to them).
• Small-sided: 4v4 to two endline gates — score by dribbling through a gate, not by shooting. Rewards the carry.
• Scrimmage: 5v5, two-touch minimum dropped, but every goal must be preceded by at least one completed pass. Builds the look-up habit.
• Position reinforcement: pre-scrimmage huddle — each kid is told the position they’ll start in for Saturday vs Russell. Name it. Point to it.
• Cool down: Saturday focus — “first touch up the field, not back to your own goal.”

Week 3 — Spacing / Anti-Clumping (5/5, 5/7 → 5/9 AWAY vs Murray)

Anchor: Spacing. Stop the swarm. Threaded: Ball mastery (dribble out of a crowd when it does happen), forward pressure (when shape holds, the back line pushes up).

Saturday deliverable: Visible spacing for stretches of the game. At least one sequence where 3+ Scorpions touch the ball without bunching. Defenders don’t camp on top of the keeper.

Tuesday 5/5 (Chip + Adam — Patrick still out, last Tuesday before he’s back)

• Warm-up: numbers game (line up by team, coach calls a number, that many run on to play to a small goal). Forces them to think about who’s where.
• Technical: three stations — pass-and-move (pass, then sprint to a new cone before the next ball comes) / Y-drill (pass, move, receive, pass again) / 2v1 to a small goal (force the decision: dribble or pass).
• Small-sided: 4v4 in a long, narrow grid (40x15) — kills front-to-back swarming, rewards finding width.
• Scrimmage: 5v5 with the field divided into 3 zones (back / middle / front) painted with cones. Two-kid maximum per zone. Will break down. Reset, reset, reset. Praise every time a kid voluntarily moves out of a crowded zone.
• Cool down: ask the kids — “what does your zone look like when you’re doing it right?”

Thursday 5/7 (full staff)

• Warm-up: 5v2 rondo (5 players keep ball away from 2 in a 10x10 box). The 2 swap with whoever loses the ball. Pure spacing teaching.
• Technical: rondo carryover at one station / pass-and-follow through gates at another / first-defender/second-defender intro at the third (one closes ball, one covers behind — also a spacing concept).
• Small-sided: 4v4 + 2 “neutral” players who always play for whoever has the ball (so it’s effectively 6v4). Forces the team in possession to find space.
• Scrimmage: 5v5, zones still chalked in. Loosen the “two max” rule — but if a coach yells “shape!” everyone has to find their zone within 3 seconds or possession switches.
• Cool down: Saturday focus — “find the spot where nobody else is. Live there.”

Travel note: Saturday 5/9 is the away game at Crestwood Middle School (767 Crestwood). Field 10U A. Kentwood Region 6 - Murray. Earlier load-in needed (9:00 AM kickoff, ~25-min drive).

Week 4 — Aggressive Forward Play (5/12, 5/14 → 5/16 vs Wood)

Anchor: Aggressive forward play. Keep the ball in their half. Shoot when you see it. Threaded: Ball mastery (1v1 attacking dribble), spacing (defenders push up to compress the field).

Saturday deliverable: More shots than any prior game — count them. Defensive line stays in the opponent’s half when we have the ball. At least one moment of high pressure where two Scorpions chase the ball together.

Tuesday 5/12 (full staff back, Patrick + Declan in)

• Warm-up: red light / green light with a ball — high-energy listening reinforcement.
• Technical: three stations — 1v1 attacking a cone gate (get across the line with the ball) / shooting on frame, 6-8 reps each foot from 10 yards / “beat the keeper” (dribble, take a shot inside 15 yards).
• Small-sided: 3v3 to small goals, no keepers — they have to shoot.
• Scrimmage: 5v5 with keepers, “if you see the goal, take the shot” — every shot earns a “brave!” from the coach, goal or not.
• Cool down: count the shots from scrimmage. Celebrate the number.

Thursday 5/14 (full staff)

• Warm-up: passing in a diamond (4 players, sharp angles, one-touch when possible).
• Technical: three stations — 1v1 from different angles (wing and center) / attacking with width (winger receives, runs up the line, crosses to a target) / “press the keeper” (forward closes a passive keeper at speed).
• Small-sided: 4v4 on a wide grid, first-time shot bonus (worth 2). Rewards the brave shot.
• Scrimmage: 6v6 (or 5v5) with the rule “if you lose the ball, the closest two kids chase it.” Forces the press concept. Praise loud and specific when they do it.
• Cool down: Saturday focus — “shoot when you see it. Chase when we don’t have it.”

Week 5 — Game Literacy + Restarts (5/19, 5/21 → no game, Memorial Day)

Anchor: Game literacy. Knowing the game makes you better at it. No game Saturday = lower stakes = great week to install knowledge.

Saturday deliverable: No game. But by Tuesday next week, every kid can confidently take a throw-in, knows what a goal kick is and roughly where it goes, knows what a corner kick is, and stops dead when the ref blows the whistle.

Tuesday 5/19 (full staff)

• Warm-up: light, fun — players’ choice from a list of 4 games we’ve played this season.
• Technical (split block): half the time at restart stations, half at touches.
  • Station 1: throw-ins. Both feet on the ground, both hands on the ball, ball comes from behind the head. Each kid does 5. Coach praises form, not distance.
  • Station 2: goal kicks. Where is the ball placed? Who can take it? Where do you aim? Demo + 3 kicks each.
  • Station 3: 1v1 dribble (carryover, keeps the technical work alive).
• Mini-quiz (5 min): coach calls scenarios — “ball goes off the side, who throws it in?” / “ball off our endline by us, what is it?” / “ball off their endline by them, what is it?” Kids answer as a group, no individual pressure.
• Small-sided: 4v4 with frequent restarts — coach throws the ball out of bounds every minute or so to force a throw-in / goal kick / corner.
• Cool down: “what’s the one rule you didn’t know before tonight?”

Thursday 5/21 (full staff)

• Warm-up: “stoppage tag” — kids dribble in a grid, coach blows whistle, everyone freezes ball under foot. Late = sit out 10 seconds. Builds the whistle reflex.
• Technical: corner kicks (where do you aim, who takes it, where do teammates stand) / kickoffs (formation, who passes to whom) / one ball-mastery station to keep touches alive.
• Position deepening (10 min): we re-walk the 2-3-1 with cones, but this time coaches play “what does the LB do when the ball is on the right side?” and let the kids reason it through.
• Small-sided: 5v5 scrimmage with the rule “if the ball goes out, the coach picks the kid to take the restart and they have to do it correctly.” Low pressure, lots of reps.
• Cool down: no game Saturday. Get rest. Come back Tuesday ready for the finale week.

Week 6 — Put It Together + Celebration (5/26, 5/28 → 5/30 finale vs Wiltjer)

Anchor: Pull all three priorities into one game. Celebrate the season.

Saturday deliverable: Season finale. Whatever the result, every kid leaves loving soccer more than they did in March.

Tuesday 5/26 (full staff)

• Warm-up: players’ choice — they pick the game from any week of the season.
• Technical: light review of the two priorities the team still needs most (coaches’ call based on Game 4-5 read).
• Small-sided: 4v4 mini-tournament — three teams of three, short games, rotate.
• Scrimmage: 5v5 with one rule the kids vote on (within reason).
• Cool down: each kid answers — “what’s one thing you’re better at now than in March?”

Thursday 5/28 (full staff)

• Warm-up: kids lead it — assign one player per stretch / drill.
• Technical: light, finishing reps only, no new content.
• Small-sided: coaches vs kids for 10 min. Let them win.
• Scrimmage: short, fresh legs for Saturday.
• Cool down: each coach names one specific thing they noticed about each kid this season. Remind them: Saturday is the last one — come empty the tank.

9. Handling the Kids Who Need Different Things

Declan

Declan’s working on his confidence with the ball. Our job is to build a ramp. If he ends the season loving soccer more than he started, we’ve done right by him.

How the three of us approach him:

• No forcing him into a drill he’s anxious about.
• No singling him out in front of the group.
• Patrick leads with him in practice. If Declan starts to shut down, Patrick peels off and does something smaller with him on the side.
• Progressive ball exposure: softer ball, slower pace, short distance, partner he trusts. Build up over weeks, not sessions.
• Celebrate small wins privately: “Hey — that was a really good stop.” No fanfare.
• On game day: short, early shifts. Pull him before he’s overwhelmed, not after.

Patrick knows Declan best — in our first coach check-in we’ll talk through what’s working and build around it.

Landon

Steady, solid kid. Treat him like any other player — light touch is all he needs. If he’s having a rough day, a low-stakes role and an early “great effort” gets him back on track.

Kylen

Channel the motor. Make him “shape captain” - his job is to help the team hold its zones. Give him the identity of the hardest worker who also plays smart. Say it out loud in front of the team. He’ll wear it.

When he abandons his position to sprint upfield, don’t punish the effort. Redirect: “Love the run - hold the wing next time, we need you back there.”

Gabriel

Give him puzzles. In small-sided, add a constraint just for him (“you can’t score, but your team needs you to set up the goal”). Make him a captain for one game. He can handle leadership reps now.

Jacob

Keep him moving. Long lines and long instructions lose him. Use short stations (no more than 5 min), lots of touches. Praise the moments he’s locked in - don’t call out the moments he’s drifting. If he’s really checked out, a 30-second water break and a question (“what do you see out there?”) often resets him.

Kason, Oliver, Oren (and Kason’s brother when he plays up)

Fill in after Week 1. Each coach takes two of these kids for the first two practices and reports back Thursday.

10. Game Day Operations

Pre-game (45 min before kickoff):

• Get there early when you can.
• Re-run warmup from Thursday if possible.
• Find one thing for each kid to focus on nailing during the game.

Lineup + subs:

• Equal playing time. Track on paper.
• Everyone rotates positions over the season. No kid is locked to a role.
• Goalkeeper rotation: at least one full half per kid over the season. Ask who wants to try; don’t force.
• Mid-game adjustments: Chime in as needed. Speak up if you have an idea or see someone needs help.

During game — coach behavior:

• Keep coaching voices coordinated — one at a time, so kids aren’t pulled in three directions.
• Positive instructions. “Pass to space,” not “Don’t be lazy.”
• Refs are volunteers like us, no criticizing them, let the calls go. Yes, sometimes it’s frustrating.

Halftime (5 min):

• One thing we did well. One thing to do differently, water, done.

Post-game:

• Handshakes. “Good game” to every opposing player.
• Quick team huddle: one highlight, one thing to take to practice.
• Coaches huddle 5 min after parents leave: what worked, what didn’t, what’s next.

11. Parent Management

You’ll have at least one parent who wants more communication and one who wants less. Default to over-communicating on logistics and under-communicating on playing time / strategy.

Weekly: Quick Sunday message — last week’s practice focus, this week’s focus, Saturday logistics.

Sideline: Parents cheer. If coaching from the sideline becomes an issue, quick one-on-one chat after a game, not in front of the team.

12. Things to Watch For

If any of these show up, have a quick conversation, don’t let them fester:

• A kid doesn’t want to come to practice. Talk to the parent, find out why, adapt.
• A kid’s having a tough stretch and it’s wearing on the coach closest to them. Check in with each other privately - development is a marathon.
• The team loses a game badly and kids are visibly deflated. That night or next practice: one thing they did well, one thing to work on. Don’t bury it; don’t dwell.
• A parent starts coaching from the sideline. One-on-one chat after the game.

13. End-of-Season

Week 6 or just after the May 30 finale, do a team event - pizza, ice cream, something light. Hand out something to every kid (a certificate, a cheap trophy, a ball they can keep, whatever). Name a specific thing each kid did well over the season. This is the memory they take with them into fall.

Send a short final email to parents. Thank them. Name the progress. Suggest summer options (camps, clubs, or just “go kick a ball in the backyard”).

Coach debrief: what should we do again, what should we change for fall? Write it down.

14. Quick-Reference Checklist (Print This)

Every practice:

• Plan shared with Adam and Patrick by Sunday-ish
• Quick pre-practice huddle when we can
• Warm-up (Patrick)
• Technical block (Adam)
• Small-sided + scrimmage (Chip)
• Cool-down / team talk
• Quick post-practice debrief

Every game:

• Lineup + sub plan sent to coaches Friday
• Warm-up routine run
• Sub sheet tracked (Patrick)
• Equal playing time tracked
• One positive thing to every kid at halftime + full time
• Post-game coach huddle

Every week:

• Parent message Sunday
• Player observation notes updated
• Weekly theme checked against where the team actually is

This plan is a starting point and a work-in-progress. Adjust weekly based on what the kids need. The things we stay aligned on: AYSO philosophy, equal playing time, positive coaching, and keeping the three of us on the same page.