Head Soccer Coach - Middle School

REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Athletics & Scholar Engagement or designee
HOURS: Dependent upon practice and game schedule as designed by Athletic Director
STIPEND: $2,500
EXEMPT STATUS: Non Exempt
CAMPUS: Middle School

Summary

The Middle School Head Soccer Coach leads a safe, organized, development-first program that prepares scholar-athletes for successful progression into the Foundation Academies high school soccer program. In close partnership with the High School Head Soccer Coach, the coach teaches shared technical vocabulary, tactical principles, training habits, character standards, and positional foundations while protecting age-appropriate development. Success is measured by individual growth, readiness, retention, culture, safety, communication, compliance, and program alignment - not wins and losses alone.

Requirements

In order to be considered for the Middle School Head Soccer Coach position at Foundation Academies, candidates must:

• Embrace Foundation Academies' college- and career-readiness mission and core values.
• Lead with patience, joy, consistency, inclusion, accountability, sportsmanship, and a development-first mindset.
• Teach soccer through clear progressions, high-repetition activities, useful feedback, and age-appropriate expectations.
• Collaborate closely with the High School Head Soccer Coach and communicate professionally with scholar-athletes, staff, families, and the community.

Certification

• Appointment and approval by the local educational agency and a valid New Jersey teaching certificate or instructional substitute credential; the substitute credential currently requires at least 30 semester-hour college credits.
• Current adult CPR/AED and Basic First Aid certification through an approved provider, including an in-person skills component when required.
• NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching completed before first employment as a coach, unless an applicable exemption applies.
• Annual NFHS Concussion in Sports and Heat Illness Prevention training.
• One-time NFHS Implicit Bias and NJSIAA BeNice training, plus all school-required safety, medication-response, mandated-reporting, and emergency training.
• Completion of criminal-history and employment-authorization requirements and the ability to maintain credentials throughout the assignment.

Responsibilities

Program Alignment & Soccer Pathway

• Meet with the High School Head Soccer Coach before the season to confirm shared philosophy, terminology, player-development priorities, behavioral standards, and the middle-to-high-school transition plan.
• Teach the high school program's approved foundational principles for attacking, defending, transitions, spacing, support, communication, and team shape, adapted for middle school learners.
• Provide regular progress updates, participate in a midseason alignment check, and complete a postseason transition summary for athletes moving toward the high school program.
• Coordinate assistants and volunteers around the shared development plan, support appropriate observation opportunities, and encourage multisport participation.

Training Design & Player Development

• Plan development-first practices that build ball mastery, first touch, passing and receiving, dribbling, finishing, 1v1 defending, movement off the ball, decision-making, fitness, and goalkeeper foundations.
• Use small-sided games, progressive activities, equitable repetitions, and multiple positional experiences so players learn the game without being labeled too early.
• Set one clear development focus for each scholar-athlete, provide simple midseason feedback, and document a practical next step at season closeout.
• Use observation, film, practice evidence, and basic soccer data to adjust instruction while maintaining age-appropriate workload, recovery, and enjoyment.

Team Selection, Competition & Playing Time

• Conduct safe, equitable tryouts using transparent, High School Head Coach-aligned criteria that consider current readiness, coachability, effort, growth potential, and commitment.
• Create meaningful developmental opportunities across the roster. Playing time is not guaranteed, but competition decisions should support learning, readiness, safety, and team needs.
• Teach game preparation, role clarity, resilience, sportsmanship, and reflection; competitive results are used as feedback and are not the program's sole measure of success.

Academic, Behavioral & Family Expectations

• Reinforce eligibility, attendance, punctuality, preparation, respectful behavior, and healthy team habits.
• Review school-issued eligibility information at the Athletics Department's scheduled intervals. For a flagged scholar-athlete, complete a brief check-in and referral to existing support within three school days; no independent tutoring or team GPA target is required.
• Hold a preseason scholar-athlete and family meeting covering expectations, schedules, safety, eligibility, transportation, playing time, and conflict resolution.
• Use approved communication channels, maintain professional boundaries, communicate urgent changes promptly, and address concerns consistently with school and athletics leadership.

Compliance, Safety & Procedures

• Ensure no scholar-athlete participates until the Athletics Department confirms registration, eligibility, medical clearance, and all required documentation.
• Review the site-specific emergency action plan, AED location and access, emergency communication process, and severe-weather procedures before the first practice and whenever facilities change.
• Inspect the field, playing surface, goals, anchors, nets, equipment, and weather conditions before every use; remove unsafe equipment from service and report concerns immediately.
• Provide active supervision from the assigned reporting time until all scholar-athletes are released through approved procedures; never leave students unsupervised.
• Follow concussion, sudden cardiac arrest, heat illness, injury-response, transportation, and return-to-play procedures; medical decisions remain with qualified medical personnel.
• Immediately notify athletics leadership of serious injuries, threats, misconduct, hazing, discrimination, and other reportable incidents in accordance with school and New Jersey requirements.

Facilities, Equipment & Records Management

• Manage practice and game setup, breakdown, field access, transportation, staffing, and other season operations in coordination with athletics leadership.
• Maintain accurate attendance, roster, emergency-contact, lineup, evaluation, award, uniform, equipment, and season-closeout records by deadline.
• Care for balls, pinnies, cones, goals, nets, uniforms, keys, technology, and supplies; maintain inventory, report loss or damage promptly, and target at least 95% equipment return.
• Submit scores and required statistics accurately by the established deadline, using the official scorebook or designated source record, and correct confirmed discrepancies promptly.

Qualifications

• Previous soccer coaching, playing, teaching, or advanced youth-development experience is preferred.
• Working knowledge of current NFHS soccer rules, age-appropriate technical and tactical instruction, athlete development, and sportsmanship standards.
• Ability to lead a middle school team while faithfully implementing a shared grade 6-12 soccer philosophy and accepting feedback from the High School Head Soccer Coach and athletics leadership.
• Strong organization, communication, digital-platform, record-keeping, and relationship-building skills in diverse school communities.

Goals & Performance Metrics

Evaluation uses coach-controlled evidence and reasonable program context. Development, readiness, safety, culture, and alignment carry greater weight than the win-loss record.

Development & Alignment Measures

• High school alignment: Complete a preseason shared plan, midseason check-in, and postseason transition meeting with the High School Head Soccer Coach.
• Training quality: Maintain a written objective for every practice and include technical work, decision-making, and a small-sided or game-like activity when appropriate.
• Individual growth: Establish one development focus for every player by the end of week three, provide one midseason feedback touchpoint, and record one next step at closeout.
• Participation and readiness: Track every team activity, target at least 85% season completion excluding circumstances outside the coach's control, and provide broad developmental repetitions.
• Academic support: Review every issued eligibility report and complete each assigned flagged-player check-in or referral within three school days; no GPA or tutoring quota applies.
• Safety and supervision: Review the emergency action plan and AED access before the first practice, verify clearance, inspect goals and fields before every use, and report serious incidents immediately with documentation by the next business day.
• Culture and communication: Hold a preseason expectations meeting, use approved channels, communicate urgent changes the same day, and acknowledge or route routine questions within one business day when practicable.
• Operations and records: Submit all required attendance, score, statistic, equipment, evaluation, and closeout records by deadline and correct confirmed discrepancies within one business day.
• Soccer pathway progress: Set one High School Head Soccer Coach-approved development goal and review it at midseason and closeout using evidence such as first touch, passing decisions, spacing, defensive compactness, or transition habits. Wins and losses are one data point only.

Evaluation & Renewal

Performance will be reviewed by the High School Head Soccer Coach and Senior Athletic Director or designee using direct observation, program records, stakeholder feedback, compliance evidence, development progress, and the metrics above. Stipend renewal is based on program need, performance, conduct, alignment, compliance, and continued approval.

Work Environment & Physical Expectations

The assignment requires outdoor work in changing weather, movement on athletic fields, extended standing and supervision, soccer demonstrations, travel, and reasonable handling of team equipment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

Perform Other Responsibilities

Perform other related duties assigned by the High School Head Soccer Coach, athletics leadership, or school leadership. This description identifies the role's principal functions and is not exhaustive; duties may be adjusted for program needs, current law, school policy, and governing-body rules.