Lehi Sports
Lehi coach earns soccer A License
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
Lehi High School girls soccer Coach Jonas Hartmann has earned his U.S. Soccer A-Youth Coaching License after completing the highest level of training for youth coaches offered by the organization.
According to the course description, “The U.S. Soccer A-Youth Coaching Course is designed to support coaches in developing the competencies required to lead players and teams in youth programs focused on optimizing development and performance,” primarily for the 12-18 age group.
“This is a great accomplishment for Jonas to get his A License,” said Athletic Director Quincy Lewis. “Much time and effort has been put in to get to this level. We are pleased that our student-athletes will be able to benefit from his additional training as a coach and leader.”
Hartmann said that the decision to pursue an A License “wasn’t a single moment of clarity, it was the natural culmination of a deep, evolving commitment to the game and to the people within it.
“Coaching, at its highest level, is an act of service,” he said. “The more I grew in this profession, the more I recognized that my players, my club, and this sport deserved the very best version of me — and that version required a more rigorous, structured, and sophisticated understanding of the game.
“The A License represented that next frontier,” he continued. “I wanted to move beyond intuitive coaching and develop a truly principled approach, one grounded in tactical depth, periodization, player development science, and high-performance methodology.
“I felt a responsibility to close the gap between what I knew and what I was capable of knowing.
There was also a moment of honest self-reflection. I asked myself: ‘Am I growing as fast as the game is evolving?’
“The modern game demands more — more nuance, more adaptability, more intentionality in everything from session design to in-game adjustments. Pursuing the A License was my answer to that question. It was a commitment to never become stagnant,” Hartmann said.
“Beyond the technical and tactical growth, I was drawn to the community — learning alongside and from other coaches who are equally passionate and driven. That exchange of ideas, perspectives and experiences is irreplaceable.
“Ultimately, the A License is not just a credential,” he said. “It is a statement of intent — that I am committed to this craft for the long term, that I hold myself to a higher standard, and that every player I work with deserves a coach who never stops growing.”
The A License is the highest of the six youth licenses offered by U.S. Soccer, the nonprofit organization that has been the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States for more than a century. Most candidates earn all of the other licenses before undertaking this one, and Hartmann did.
In addition to working for the advancement of the sport for all ages, U.S. Soccer sponsors all levels of national teams and assisted in the development of the professional leagues for both men and women.
“From a coaching and referee standpoint in the United States, more classes are continually being offered around the country, and the number of licensed, well-educated managers, trainers and referees is larger than ever,” the organization wrote on its website.
“The education level among coaches and referees has been tailored to match the expanding pool of talent in the U.S. U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer. Our ambition is to ignite a national passion for soccer. We believe soccer is more than a sport, it is a force for good.”
The course Hartmann undertook lasts 11 months and includes application of the principles being taught in a team setting throughout the duration of the training. It also required the coach to spend about three weeks combined for in-person attendance at a national training center.
“Earning the A License was one of the most demanding, rewarding, and transformative experiences of my coaching career — and I mean that in the fullest sense of those words,” Hartmann said.
“The process begins well before you ever step onto the field for the course itself. You arrive having already coached for hundreds of hours and carrying your experiences, your coaching philosophy, and your assumptions — and then the A License systematically challenges all of them in the best possible way.
“The coursework is rigorous,” he continued. “The curriculum is built around elite-level concepts — high-pressure defending, positional play, transition moments, and the tactical periodization that separates good coaches from exceptional ones.
“You are constantly asked not just what you are coaching, but why — and that ‘why’ has to be defensible, evidence-based, and connected to a clear game model.
“The practical sessions are intense,” the coach said. “You are coaching real players, in real time, while being observed and evaluated by some of the sharpest coaching minds in the country. There is nowhere to hide. Every session plan, every intervention, every tactical decision is scrutinized — not to break you down, but to build you up with precision.
“The feedback culture is invaluable,” he said. “What stood out to me most was the quality of the reflective conversations. The staff don’t just tell you what went wrong — they help you see the game differently. That process of deconstruction and reconstruction is humbling, but it’s where the real growth lives.
“Being surrounded by coaches from across the country — from MLS academies, collegiate programs, and high-level youth clubs — creates an incredible learning ecosystem. The conversations that happen off the field are just as formative as those on it.
“It is also personally demanding,” Hartmann said. “The time away, the mental load, the vulnerability of being evaluated at every turn — it requires resilience, openness, and a genuine love for the process. There were moments of doubt, moments of frustration, and moments of profound breakthrough. I welcomed all of them.
“What I walked away with wasn’t just a license. I walked away with a deeper game model, a sharper coaching identity, and an unshakeable belief that the best coaches are the ones who are willing to be students first,” he concluded.
