The top priority for a youth sports coach is to provide children with a sports experience that’s fun and that lays the groundwork for them to become healthy, happy adults. As a volunteer or professional coach, you are always on the run from one practice or game to the next, but these resources can help you up your game on your time and from your own home or office.

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Coaching HER

Co-created by Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and NIKE, Coaching HER is a tool designed to help coaches keep girls in sport by addressing the unconscious gender biases and stereotypes that negatively impact girls’ performance, self-perceptions, sport choices, and experiences. The Coaching HER vision is to help more girls get and stay in sport through critical drop-out ages and provides coaches with the necessary education and training needed to address gender identities, stereotypes, and bias. LEARN MORE
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Quality Parenting Framework

This Quality Parenting Framework highlights how to involve parents effectively across a range of organized sport settings in the United States. The document serves as a carefully crafted, evidence-based resource that establishes a common language and principles of high-quality parenting for those who work with families of recreational, competitive, and elite athletes in Team USA sport contexts. The USOPC defines these contexts as any sport activity conducted and/or endorsed by one of its partner National Governing Bodies. LEARN MORE
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Aspen Project Play Playbook

Drawing from insights from over 300 thought leaders, this report dives into eight strategies on how to help children through age 12 become active and stay active through sports. Learn more
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How to Coach Kids

Whether you are new to coaching or someone who’s been at it for years, this FREE, 30-minute interactive online training course will help you to:

• coach kids so they love playing;
• plan a great practice;
• keep kids safe;
• use strategies to help kids learn;
• and work with parents and get the most out of game day

Co-created by Nike and the U.S. Olympic Committee, with the support of the Aspen Institute, How to Coach Kids also offers a complete resource center, with sport-specific tips and tools for coaching kids. TAKE A COURSE
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Calls for Coaches

Coaching kids goes beyond simply winning games - it’s also critical to develop each athlete. As a coach, if you are able to focus on the social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs of the whole child, you can help youth athletes feel safe and supported, and foster important traits such as responsibility and perseverance, and guide them in building an emotional foundation for success. VIEW RESOURCE

Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan – Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds for Youth Sports

In 2016, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation established an endowment fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to help support localized programs across the seven counties of Southeast Michigan that provide opportunities for all children to be active through sports. Grants between $10,000-$50,000 are available for eligible nonprofit organizations and programs through an annual application process. Visit the Community Foundation’s website for grant guidelines and the current timeline. LEARN MORE
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Coaches Training Clinics

Parents, staff and volunteers: we know you want to give the best for your youth. As a coach, you are the delivery mechanism for quality sport programming. Trained coaches do it best.


Project Play: Southeast Michigan is working with our partners at the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS) to develop Coaches Training Clinics—focusing on the positive youth development characteristics of coaching. Topics covered will include strategies for motivating kids, emphasizing prevention and safety, working with parents, and building confidence and self-esteem.


More details coming this fall!

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Questions? Concerns? Ideas?

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or call us at 313.887.6111.

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