The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) have formed a partnership to create a soccer-specific coach education course.

The course, titled Fundamentals of Coaching Soccer, is an online, interactive course designed to train coaches how to teach the specific skills of soccer. It will use videos and graphics to demonstrate the proper techniques players use to become better soccer competitors.

The course will include an online center that offers access to many resources that are beneficial to teacher/coaches as they prepare for practices and contests.

“The launch of this online course represents a new era for the NSCAA and NFHS,” said NSCAA President Al Albert. “Coaching education is at the core of the NSCAA’s mission, and this partnership with NFHS will help us serve a major segment of our membership in a more effective and efficient manner, extending our reach to many areas that we haven’t been able to serve through traditional methods. We are proud that soccer is the first sport-specific offering in the NFHS program.”

The course is planned to launch in fall 2008 and will cost $50.

Fundamentals of Coaching Soccer will be easily accessible on www.nfhslearn.com, on the home page and under “Available Courses.”

“This partnership with the NSCAA ensures that interscholastic coaches will be properly trained in coaching soccer fundamentals,” said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. “It also sends an important message to the soccer community that the NSCAA and the NFHS are united in providing training to coaches in education-based athletics.”

The NFHS will be developing other sport-specific courses as a part of the NFHS Coach Education Program to complement its signature course, Fundamentals of Coaching. More than 25,000 courses have been delivered in two formats - online and blended - since the program’s inception in January 2007.

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