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Guide Oct 18, 2026

How to get a soccer coaching license in Connecticut

U.S. Soccer runs the national coaching license pathway, from a free online introduction up to the Pro License. In Connecticut, the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) lists the U.S. Soccer courses offered through it, and its 2026 list has 28. This guide is for a parent who has been asked to coach a town team, or anyone who wants to coach more seriously. It covers each level as of October 18, 2026, the Connecticut towns on CJSA's 2026 list and what CJSA requires of every coach.

Start with the free introduction

The pathway starts with Introduction to Grassroots Coaching, a free online module that takes about 20 minutes and has no prerequisite. It is on the U.S. Soccer Learning Center, learning.ussoccer.com, where U.S. Soccer courses are registered, so the first step is to create an account there. Coaches who finish the module get four free Play-Practice-Play training sessions, named for the practice method the Grassroots courses teach.

The Grassroots courses

Next come four Grassroots courses, one for each game format U.S. Soccer sets for young players. The largest format is 4v4 at U7 and U8, 7v7 at U9 and U10, 9v9 at U11 and U12 and 11v11 from U13 (How Connecticut soccer is organized explains the age groups). The courses can be taken in any order, and each one completed is a Grassroots license for that format.

Each comes in two versions. The online version is a two-hour module that can be done at any time, plus U.S. Soccer's 90-minute SafeSport training (not required under 18) and a module on safe playing environments, all finished within 12 months of registering. The in-person version is four hours. On CJSA's courses that is a two-hour virtual classroom one evening and a two-hour field session one to five days later, which is why CJSA lists each course with two dates. CJSA's course pages on the Learning Center give 16 as the minimum age, because people under 16 can't create a Learning Center account.

U.S. Soccer launched these courses in 2018 to replace its older F and E licenses. Those are no longer offered, but a coach who holds one can still use it toward the D license.

The D license

CJSA's D course focuses on U7 to U12 teams playing 7v7 and 9v9, and covers creating a safe, inclusive team environment, planning and running training sessions, and organizing game days. Its course pages list three ways to qualify, each starting with the free introduction: two in-person Grassroots courses in different formats and one online course; an E license; or an F license and two in-person Grassroots courses. Candidates also need access to a U7 to U12 team for the length of the course.

CJSA's D courses require coaches to be 18 or older. Several other U.S. Soccer state associations list 16 for theirs, so check the age on the listing for the course you want.

CJSA's D course runs nine weeks, including a final assessment, with online modules, weekly virtual meetings and two weekends in person. On its fall 2026 course in Middletown, the virtual meetings are on Tuesday evenings and each in-person day runs from 2 to 8 pm, a classroom session followed by a field session. Course descriptions from other state associations put the total at 48 or more hours.

The C, B and A licenses

The C license requires holding a D license for at least six months, being 18 or older and having access to an 11v11 team (U13 or older) during the course. It takes about four months, including four days in person. CJSA's 2026 list has no C course, and on October 18 the Learning Center showed none open in Connecticut.

The B course prepares coaches for youth teams from U13 up, or senior (adult) teams, in a performance environment. Candidates must be 18 or older, have held a C license for at least a year, have three or more years of coaching experience and be coaching a team that trains at least three times a week, and they apply and must be accepted. It runs six months, with weekly virtual meetings, two four-day in-person meetings and 120 or more hours of coursework. CJSA's 2026 list has one, in Farmington, hosted by US Club Soccer and CJSA. It ran from January 5 to June 19, with in-person meetings at Farmington Sports Arena on March 2 to 5 and May 4 to 7.

Above the B are the A-Youth and A-Senior licenses, then the Pro License. Each requires holding the license below it for a year, and candidates must apply. U.S. Soccer describes the A-Senior course as aimed at college and professional teams. Its Jill Ellis Scholarship Fund covers half the tuition for women accepted into B, A and Pro courses.

LevelPrerequisitesFormat and lengthConnecticut, 2026
Introduction to Grassroots CoachingNoneOnline, about 20 minutes, freeOnline, any time; free
Grassroots, online (4v4, 7v7, 9v9, 11v11)The introductionA 2-hour module, plus SafeSport from age 18Online, any time; $25 each
Grassroots, in person (4v4, 7v7, 9v9, 11v11)The introduction; age 16 or older4 hours: a 2-hour virtual classroom and a 2-hour field session21 listed (7v7, 9v9, 11v11) in 7 towns; $85, or $90 in Stamford
D licenseAge 18 or older; the introduction, two in-person and one online Grassroots course (E and F holders have other routes); a U7 to U12 team9 weeks, two in-person weekends6 listed: Middletown (4, two cancelled), Montville, Stamford; $475 or $550
C licenseD license held 6 months; age 18 or older; an 11v11 (U13+) teamAbout 4 months, 4 days in personNone listed
B licenseAge 18 or older; C license held 1 year; 3 years of coaching; a team that trains 3 times a week; an accepted application6 months, two 4-day meetings, 120+ hoursFarmington, January 5 to June 19; $2,875

Prerequisites, formats and lengths are from U.S. Soccer, CJSA's course pages on the U.S. Soccer Learning Center and, where CJSA has no course, course descriptions from other U.S. Soccer state associations, listed under Sources. Fees are under Cost and time, below.

Connecticut courses on CJSA's 2026 list

Of the 28 courses on CJSA's 2026 list, 21 are in-person Grassroots courses (five at 7v7, eight at 9v9 and eight at 11v11), six are D courses and one is the B course. The Grassroots courses are listed in Middletown, Bristol, Guilford, Stamford, Simsbury, Wilton and New Britain. Middletown has the most, including four of the six D courses, and the other two D courses are in Montville and Stamford. The list has no 4v4 course, though the online 4v4 course can be taken at any time.

The list doesn't say which courses ran. On the Learning Center on October 18, 16 of them were marked completed and three cancelled: the Wilton 7v7 course in September and the two Middletown D courses that were to start in May and July. Five no longer had a Learning Center page: the Middletown 9v9 course in January, the 9v9 and 11v11 courses at CJSA's Leadership Symposium in Bristol and Middletown, and the 9v9 and 11v11 courses in Guilford. A few dates there also differ from CJSA's list; this site's coaching courses page uses the Learning Center's.

As of October 18, two more courses on the list are scheduled, both at Osgood Heights Park in New Britain and both open for registration: 9v9, with its virtual classroom on October 21 and its field session on October 25, and 11v11, with its virtual classroom on October 22 and its field session on October 25. A D course at The Forge in Middletown began on September 22 and runs until November 29; its registration is closed. CJSA's coaching page links each course to its registration page on the Learning Center, and CJSA says to join its CJSA Coaching Education group on Band to hear when new courses are added. The same page has video guides for new coaches and parents at 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9, and a preseason parents' meeting agenda. This site's coaching courses page lists every course on CJSA's 2026 list with its dates, venue and status.

What CJSA requires of every coach

Separate from licenses, CJSA's rules say every adult a club registers, coaches included, must pass a background check and have a current SafeSport certificate on file. CJSA's requirements for the 2026-27 season renew the background check every two years and SafeSport every year, both verified by the governing body. Only verified staff appear on official rosters and game cards, and staff submit the requirements in PlayMetrics after their club adds them.

CJSA strongly recommends the CDC's HEADS UP concussion training for coaches but does not require it. It also encourages clubs to have every coach take the mandated reporter training offered by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. None of the CJSA pages used for this guide lists a coaching license as a requirement to coach a team, so ask your club whether it expects one.

Cost and time

The introduction is free, and each online Grassroots course is $25. CJSA's coaching page doesn't list fees, but each course's page on the Learning Center does. In 2026, CJSA's in-person Grassroots courses were $85 ($90 in Stamford), its D courses $475 or $550, and the Farmington B course $2,875, not including food or lodging. The Grassroots and D fees include a $25 U.S. Soccer surcharge, and checkout adds a processing fee: on an $85 course, $2.60 by card or $0.68 by bank transfer. Each course's page also gives its refund rules.

For a new coach with no earlier license, the route to the D course is the 20-minute introduction, two four-hour in-person Grassroots courses and one two-hour online course, a little over ten hours in all, plus SafeSport training for anyone 18 or older who doesn't already have it. At 2026 fees that route costs $195 (two $85 courses and one $25 online course). Then comes the D course itself, which runs nine weeks and costs $475 or $550.

Changes under discussion

On October 12, 2026, Cal North, a soccer organization in Northern California, published a summary of proposals presented at a U.S. Soccer coaching education meeting it took part in, and stressed that nothing is final. Under the proposals, the four Grassroots courses would become three Player Development Certificates by age (U6/U8, U10/U12 and U14/U16), and the D license would become a D Certificate of about 40 hours over one month. Existing Grassroots and D qualifications would still count toward the D and C courses through December 31, 2031, and licenses would be renewed every three years.

Cal North said the proposals were expected to go to U.S. Soccer's board in November 2026, with January 2027 the target for any changes, and that coaches do not need to do anything now.

Sources

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