High School Athletic Coach

The Chicago Public School (CPS) has set ambitious goals to ensure that every child – in every school and every neighborhood- has access to a world-class learning experience from birth, resulting in graduation from high school college- and career-ready.

High School Athletic coaches instruct and work with athletes to prepare them form competition.  Coaches help athletes to play their best individually or as a team in sports such as football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, track and field, soccer, tennis and golf.  They are experts on the rules, strategies, and techniques of their sports.  Coaches must also know about sports equipment, physical fitness and safety.

The High School Athletic Coach will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Hold tryouts for students of a high school to attend.
• By observing the students skills with trial and practices, decides who makes the tryout cuts.  With an organized team, the high school coach then begins to train the students throughout the preseason process.
• Assigns everyone specific positions and comes up with drills and organized game strategies.
• After the season starts, arrives at every game and guides their team throughout the match-ups.  If any necessary changes have to be made during the game, they will be in charge of authorizing and implementing them.
• Continue this process throughout the year with different sports they are assigned to coach.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the High School Athletic Coach must possess the following qualifications:

To serve a member school as a Head or Assistant Coach, athletic coaches in member schools must:

• Be regularly certified by the ISBE as a teacher, administrator, or school service personnel (i.e. counselor, social worker, speech therapist, etc., including substitute teachers), or 
• Be a retired teacher/coach from an IHSA member school, or 
• Be a college student coaching as part of an official student teaching assignment, or
• Be at least 19 years of age, and 
• Be officially employed by the local school board of the member school.

In addition to the IHSA qualifications, the High School Athletic Coach must also possess the following qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Certifications. Completion of a certified HKCE, NFHS or other IHSA Board approved coaches certification program. Coaches must complete concussion awareness training and a Concussion Management Program Examination in accordance with IHSA requirements. 

• Must possess leadership skills, and be able to set an example for the players.
• Excellent communication skills in order to inspire players and work with them on improvement.
• Must be available to work nights, holidays, evenings and weekends, and be prepared to work in bad weather and be willing to travel with the team to different locations for games.