For the loser dumb-azz parents that don’t have a clue

[Unregistered]

UEFA license. Yes some volunteer coaches are very good, but many are not. https://www.theguardian.com/football...lars-lagerback

"Currently this nation of 335,000 has around 600 qualified coaches, 400 with Uefa B licences, or one per 825 people. To put this into context, in England this number falls to one per 11,000.

The result is a spread of expertise right down to the lowest level. “Here you need a Uefa B licence to coach from under-10 level up and half of the Uefa B licence to coach under-eights,” Dagur Sveinn Dagbjartsson of the Icelandic FA says. This isn’t simply box-ticking. The Uefa B is one step off the level needed to coach a professional team in England. Yelling dads it ain’t."

not the op

The licensing needs to become much less expensive (or free for volunteer coaches) in order for it to become a viable option here. I've parent-coached rec soccer it usually goes something like this:

<phone rings>: Hi this is soinso from suchinsuch soccer club, we have your son on the roster but we're still looking for a coach, is that something you'd be willing to volunteer for? It's ok if you have no experience we offer some training
<me>: Uhh I'm not really interested in that, I don't have a lot of free time and ...
<soinso>: well we're really in need of a coach and if we don't find one your son's team won't be able to play so we'll have to refund you (knowing that registration for all clubs has ended)
<me>: Well, I could assist, but I really don't want to be a head coach so if you find someone else I'd be happy to be an assistant coach
<soinso>: sounds great, we'll let you know more info

A week later you're standing on a patch of grass at an elementary school looking at 15 7-year-olds with a clipboard and whistle and no other "volunteer" adult in sight. Having read some "fun drills" you attempt to start practice teaching the kids how to dribble a ball (some of which have never even tried). Once games start the previously silent and invisible parents start to come around with suggestions on how you can coach better so the kids start winning games.

Been there, done that a few times. I didn't have the time or money to invest in USSF certs, the clubs didn't have to resources to do any real training beyond a one-night refresher and a PDF full of sharks and minnows type drills.

This is where we're failing. At the start. Sure some kids will stick with it and become better DESPITE the training they receive. Fewer will move on to club if they want to become more competitive and if parents can afford it. Fewer still be become "elite" and make it up to a DA. Fewer still will become great USNT players. Then we're left with 18 players out of a nation of 320 million people who fail to beat a team from a small, poor nation of 1.3 million people.