Towson United believes that coaching development is fundamentally tied to player development.  But becoming a good coach requires a deliberate and intentional approach.  Gone are the days of command-and-control coaching.  The Modern Coach must teach players to make smart and quick decisions on the pitch, strive to understand the psychology of players, employ innovative teaching methods to take advantage of individual learning styles, respect player psychology, and oftentimes exercise parent management techniques.   Simply put, the better the coaching, the more players will improve.

To this end, Towson United developed the The Modern Coach's Player Development Manual  to guide its coaches through the season and beyond.  Its purpose is to provide a uniform philosophy and approach to teaching soccer for coaches to incorporate into their team training and game strategy in a manner that maximizes player development and places players in the best position to succeed on game day.

Other Coaching Resources
Our equipment and uniform vendor has given us FREE access to a tremendous database of coaching resources found here: https://www.thechallengerway.com.  Contact your division coordinator for a username and password!

US Youth Soccer also has some great tools for coaches: https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/coaching-resources/

Laws of the Game (modified for the recreation program of Towson United Soccer)

Towson United Modified Soccer Rules 2024

Playoff Soccer Rules

Parent Code of Conduct

Soccer is an exciting, fast paced and, at times, emotional game. Coaches, players and supporters should remember that the objective is to have fun and learn how the game is played. It is important to our soccer program that all participants conduct themselves in a positive and responsible manner. Towson United will not tolerate behavior which brings the organization, team, or game into disrepute.

Towson United believes that the attitude shown by parents toward the coaches, the referees, the opposing players and the importance of winning vs. losing are of paramount importance. Inappropriate comments or actions by adults undermines the essence of competition and introduces stresses which are inappropriate for children.  As a parent in this organization, you will set a good example to your player and others by behaving at all times in accordance with the following:

• Do not openly criticize the referees before, during or after games.
• Do not openly criticize your opponents or engage in arguments with their parents or officials during or after games.
• Only offer positive feedback to players on both teams.
• Cheer at all games within the spirit of fair play.
• Be mindful of your opponents' feelings when cheering for your team in lop-sided games.
• Do your best to teach your player to become a student of the game and do likewise.
• Show the quality of your sportsmanship during and after each and every match and encourage your child to congratulate opponents and match officials after every game.
• Do your very best to have your child on time and prepared for every match.
• Understand that improper behavior at a match, practice or other sponsored events may result in a you being asked to leave the field or the event by a referee, coach or team manager.
• Understand that, upon review of improper behavior by members of the board, you can, and will if necessary, be suspended from watching your child play should such behavior be considered rude or otherwise offensive.
• Leave the coaching to the coach and refrain from giving your child or any teammate any instructions during training or games.
• Endeavor to give timely notice (more than 24h) to your coach should your player be unable to attend a team event.
• Should you have a soccer-related concern regarding your player, you agree to reflect for at least 24 before raising the issue with the coach.

Towson United has a standing committee to address violations of our Code of Conduct. The Committee is comprised of members of the Board. If any member of our organization wishes to complain about conduct which they believe is contrary to our Codes of Conduct, they must:

• Address the issue with the person directly, either verbally or in writing, within one week of the incident or issue at hand.
• If there is no satisfactory resolution, the complainant must, within one week and in written form, be addressed with the Program Chair.
• All matters which are directed to the Program Chair will be responded to within one week of the receipt of the complaint.
• Decisions and actions by the Program Chair to address the complaint are final.

Failure to comply with the Parent Code of Conduct could result in removal from the fields, sanctions, and/or police involvement. Any violation will require a meeting with a standing committee. Second violations will result in expulsion from the organization.

A Players Message to Parents

The Truth About Sports Parents

Our in-house recreation soccer program is a great opportunity for our high school kids to learn how to become soccer referees and make some money while doing so.

To become a referee, the high school student must fill out an application which is usually posted in June-July of each year. All referees, returning and new, must attend a mandatory referee clinic during the month of August. To assign games and communicate with referees, our program uses both HorizonWebRef and Groupme.