The mission of Zia Youth Soccer League is to provide children with a FUN and exciting non-competitive recreational soccer experience. Our positive atmosphere and inclusive environment offer children the opportunity to develop basic initial skills in the sport, while building strong character through an emphasis on integrity, respect, responsibility, leadership, confidence, self-esteem, positive sportsmanship, community involvement, and of course FUN. We want children and families to have a great time out on the field with us, while growing to love the sport of soccer and creating strong relationships with peers and parents in a positive and welcoming environment.
We rely on parent volunteers to help execute our mission and ensure the continued success of the Zia Youth Soccer League family-friendly recreational soccer organization. Our experience has clearly shown that a fun, non-competitive soccer environment combined with parent involvement is a successful building block throughout the childhood years. Therefore, Zia Youth Soccer League offers the following volunteer opportunities:
1. BE A HEAD COACH! Each team is generally led by a single Head Coach, with the support of one or more Assistant Coaches. Serving as a Head Coach is a fantastic and highly-rewarding way to become more involved in your child's sports endeavors! No experience is required, as the league provides full training and ongoing support, giving coaches everything they need to be confident and successful in this exciting volunteer role! All volunteer Head Coaches must be committed to guiding their players for a minimum of two 1-hour sessions per week, including at least one weekday practice and one Saturday friendly non-competitive coach-led scrimmage game. Head Coaches may choose which city park they would like to use for their practices, as well as their weekday practice schedule (start times after 5:00 p.m. may be required, dependent upon the needs of the team). Coaches must be available for at least one-hour-long Saturday scrimmage game to be scheduled by the league, taking place at any time between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m (please note that double-headers are possible in the oldest age divisions, which coaches must be committed to attending). Volunteers who serve as Head Coach for more than one team will have their scrimmage game times scheduled so that they do not overlap, but we are otherwise unfortunately not able to honor specific scrimmage game time requests due to logistical scheduling limitations. And of course, for the safety of our players, all coaching volunteers must submit to a basic public records background check.
Head Coaches hold significant positions of leadership within the league. In addition to serving as the players' guide and mentor, organizing and leading practices and scrimmages, Head Coaches also serve as their team members' main contact during the active soccer season, and are responsible for recruiting and working with their team's "Team Parent" on duties such as organizing end-of-season celebrations, participation award distribution, photo order pick-up and distribution, and general communication with their team's families in regards to team matters throughout the season. Head Coaches are held in high regard within Zia Youth Soccer League, as examples of positive sportsmanship put into play.
As the league's way of showing appreciation for this significant volunteer position, Head Coaches will have the league's registration and associated credit card processing fees fully waived for one of their participating youth household members per team led, at the time of registration.
2. BE AN ASSISTANT COACH! Each team needs at least one Assistant Coach, but preferably at least two. In addition to assisting the Head Coach in organizing practices and leading the players during their friendly non-competitive coach-led scrimmage games, Assistant Coaches must be willing to fill in should an unexpected event occur preventing the Head Coach from attending a session, or to cover a portion (up to half) of the season's sessions should a Head Coach not be available for their child's team due to a shortage of volunteers. Although the organization is not able to fully waive registration fees for Assistant Coaches, those who sign up as an Assistant Coach will not be charged the non-volunteer fee that is otherwise added to each registration, which equates to a hefty $25 registration discount. And should an Assistant Coach decide to step up as into the Head Coach position if one is not available for their child's team, the league will fully return the registration fee for one of that volunteer's children as a benefit of the Head Coach position.
3. BE A TEAM PARENT! Each team will have at least one Team Parent, who works with the coaches in order to assist with organizational duties throughout the season. Although the specific tasks a Team Parent is responsible for may vary from team to team, in accordance with the coaches' needs, some common examples include organizing the end-of-season celebration, helping hand out participation awards, picking up photo orders from the photographer and distributing them to families, and assisting with general teamwide communication. Anyone interested in serving as a Team Parent should reach out to their Head Coach at the start of the season, to let them know they're available and happy to help.
4. HELP OUT WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE AND ON-FIELD DUTIES! Zia Youth Soccer also has several administrative and general volunteer positions, including an Awards Coordinator, CABQ Parks and Recreation Blue Ribbon Committee Representative, Equipment Manager, Team Builders, and more. At the end of the season, all volunteers in these positions will receive a discount code that can be applied to a future player registration, as the league's way of showing its appreciation for the volunteer support. The exact amount of the discount varies by position. Many of these administrative and general volunteer positions remain filled from season to season, but openings do come up periodically. When one of these positions needs to be filled, it will be posted here, and all registered families will be contacted via e-mail in order to be given the opportunity to sign up fore the position.
Current administrative and general volunteer position opening(s):
*We are sorry but there are no administrative or general volunteer openings at this time.*
~ Full training is provided for ALL volunteers ~
*Although no experience is required to volunteer, all volunteers are subject to seasonal approval, and head coach fee waivers offered at the time of registration are subject to post-approval confirmation. Head coaches who volunteered in the most recent season, and retained approval for the following season, will hold priority for open positions in the following season. Volunteer positions are not guaranteed to be available, and volunteers may be turned down for any reason for the well-being of the organization and its participants.
If you are interested in either of the above volunteer coaching positions, simply sign up at the time you register your child to play. Or if you are interested in a posted administrative or general volunteer position, please let us know. And of course if you have any questions at all about volunteering, please feel free to reach out and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
We greatly appreciate your support!