Youth sports coaches
Join the Friends of Patterson Park Coaching Team!
The Friends of Patterson Park provides free tennis and soccer clinics once a week for 5 weeks every season for community youth ages 4-13 years old. We are able to provide these programs with the support of our wonderful volunteer coaches! No experience is required to coach, just a good attitude and willingness to have fun! It's a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and neighbors and get more involved in Patterson Park and the Friends of Patterson Park’s programs.
Soccer | Wednesdays 6-7pm | 4-12 y/olds
The Friends of Patterson Park youth soccer program consists of free clinics for 4-12yrs olds on Wednesdays, 6pm-7pm in the spring, summer, and fall. These clinics offer youth an exposure to soccer through skills, drills, games and fun! Each season has a 5-week evening session held on field #7 near Pulaski Monument.
What does coaching look like?:
Youth are split into 4-5y/olds, 6-8y/olds, and 9-12y/olds for age-appropriate coaching, with a minimum of 2 coaches per age group. Let us know which age you prefer working with!
Coaches will lead players through a quick warm-up, drills, games to help teach new skills, and scrimmages. Coaches work with FPP staff and other coaches to provide age-appropriate skills/drills/games for players.
As representatives of Friends of Patterson Park, we ask all our coaches to have a positive attitude and value fun learning, constructive criticism, and teamwork!
Tennis | Saturdays 8:30-9:30am, 9:30-10:30am | 6-12 y/olds
The Friends of Patterson Park youth tennis program offers clinics for 6-12yrs olds, Saturdays 8:30-9:30am for beginners and 9:30-10:30am for intermediate. These clinics are 5-week sessions held throughout the spring, summer and fall at the Patterson Park tennis courts and winter at the Virginia S. Baker Rec. Center and introduce youth to tennis with building block lessons each week.
What does coaching look like?:
Volunteer coaches are welcome to stay for one or both sessions (when two are offered in spring summer and fall) where we will welcome players, follow our head tennis coach, in a quick warm-up, and then work on basic drills, skills and games once we determine where our players are at skill-wise.
This could mean tossing tennis balls to players to teach them forehand and backhand, roll tennis balls to them to grab with their “tennis claws”, playing tennis four-square, collecting runaway tennis balls, and more.
As representatives of Friends of Patterson Park, we ask all our coaches to have a positive attitude and value fun learning, constructive criticism, and teamwork!
Girls Rule The Court | Saturday 10:30am-12:30pm | 9-13 y/olds
Friends of Patterson Park and USTA Mid-Atlantic partner together to provide our Girls Rule The Court program. Girls Rule the Court™ (GRTC) is a free program for girls aged 9-13yrs to promote health, wellness and teamwork while building their self esteem through tennis. Lessons are focused on learning the basics of tennis and positive youth development principles such as building confidence, creating meaningful and beneficial connections and growing their technical, tactical and performance skills. GRTC is held several times throughout the year.
Benefits
A fun Friends of Patterson Park volunteer t-shirt!
Discounts to Friends of Patterson Park events
Engagement with other community members and volunteers
Requirements
18 years of age or older
Submit to and pass a simple background check
Ability to be outside in varying weather conditions