Preparation is key if you are going to coach youth football this season. Doing things on the fly or improvising rarely works out. Right now, you can either be asking your program to put together a bag with these items in it, or you will need to go online and put one together on your own.

Either way, you can get a jump start on the season now by making sure your football bag is ready.

To carry your gear, start with the largest bag you can find, no smaller than 35 x 25 x 19. Some come on rollers, which work too. With the exception of cones, put each of these items into a mesh bag of their own or pair with other items. If you put all of these items in one big bag, you will have a big mess on your hands and never be able to find anything.

• Cones. Twenty small, three-inch weighted cones. The bigger ones take up too much room. You will need these to mark boundaries and to designate imaginary players during scout time. Don’t go for the light, flat hollow soccer “cones." Those are hard to see, don’t fit well into bags and blow away in the wind.
• Scrimmage caps. Fifteen colored scrimmage caps. These go over the top of the helmet. You use these during large team drills or scout time when you need to divide your team into opposing groups. These replace those old, cumbersome and sometimes dangerous scrimmage vests that take forever to put on and often seem to find their way around the necks of some players.
• Balls. You should have five, two of which should be new. You can buy blems at a discount if you are tight on your budget.
• Kicking tees. You will need one for kickoffs and a different one for PATs or field goals.
• Hardware kit. You will need a small kit made up of the hardware pieces that are part of the helmet. Buy one of those tiny compartmentalized tackle boxes for $5 and put in several pieces of each part of the hardware and plastic from the helmet in this kit. The kit should also have chinstrap clasps, shoelaces, shoulder pad clips and two shoulder pad straps in it. Also include a pair of pliers. Without this kit, you will have one of those panic moments before a game where one of your players will be on the verge of not playing due to an equipment malfunction.

SEE ALSO:  The importance of getting your child's helmet reconditioned

• Tape and ice bags. These go into the same mesh bag. Start with 10 instant ice packs, the ones that get cold when you squeeze in the middle to cause a chemical reaction. Start with 10 rolls of athletic tape paired with four rolls of pre-tape starter that goes next to the skin.
• Pump. You will need a mini pump and needle. Balls are always going flat. Your footballs will usually be checked by the referee for correct inflation. These are inexpensive and a must-have.
• Medical kit. You can buy these at any big box retailer. They are less expensive and much easier to use than trying to put one together on your own. Make sure you add a pair of scissors to yours if necessary.
• Equipment odds and ends. These are some items that should be in your miscellaneous bag: five mouth guards, two chin straps, a pant pad kit, helmet ear pads and one game jersey. A player will lose his mouthpiece on the way to a game or practice. It happens. Without a replacement, he won’t be able to play. Every year we play teams that have kids who are missing mouthpieces. They don’t have any extras and we end up providing it to them. Your helmet manufactured, like Riddell, may sell accessories online.
• Wrist coaches. These are invaluable if you choose to use them. The wrist coach is a band that goes around the player's wrist with a clear plastic compartment. You can put your plays on a piece of paper on the bands and call in a signal that corresponds to a play on the wrist coach which allows your team to go “no huddle.”  You can run more plays this way in a game which is great for the kids. You will need one for every player and your coaches as well. They last for a long time. We have some that are going on their ninth year.

Having your own briefcase-like bag also can help you stay organized and on point as well. It should have: clipboard, roster, depth chart, player information (parent contacts and phone numbers), league rules and contact numbers, pens, cheat cards, playbook, drill sheets, sign up forms, cell phone, keys, wallet, permanent black marker, roll of athletic tape and mini whiteboard with markers.

Ask your organization for these items. Often, all you have to do is ask or go to where they store the equipment well before the season starts and piece together a bag of your own. If your organization doesn’t have all of the items, ask them to put it into the budget for next year.

Ask the parents or a sponsor to chip in, but only after itemizing the list out and sharing why you need them. List each item out and its price. Either get donations for the item or ask the parents to buy the items themselves. Often, a parent will donate when they see that the specific item they paid for is being used on the field. We do this when we have hit our budget limitations or when an unexpected event creates a need--like having one of your practice dummies rip in half.

Having a well put together coaching bag put together well before the season starts will lessen the stress all coaches face during those first few weeks of practice and in pregame. Less stress for you and your coaches means a better experience for your players and that is our goal. 

Dave Cisar is the founder and President of http://winningyouthfootball.com He has spoken at over 230 coaches clinics worldwide, named as the No. 4 Most Influential on Hudl’s top 100 and has authored several award-winning youth football books.