American Youth Soccer Organization
Parent Handbook
Region 86
Dear Parents
& Players:
I want to
welcome you to
We are a member of the
American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), a nationwide, non-profit, youth
soccer organization founded in 1964 on the following philosophies:
Everyone Plays - Balanced Teams - Open
Registration
Positive Coaching - Good Sportsmanship
AYSO in
Have a fun and
rewarding season – If you have any questions please check out our website
located at http://www.ayso86.org/ for more information.
Sincerely,
Alan Caserio
Region 86
Regional Commissioner
PARENT’S CODE
OF CONDUCT
As
a parent, you play a special role in contributing to the needs and development
of youngsters.
Through
your encouragement and good example, you can help assure that all the boys and
girls learn good sportsmanship and self-discipline. In AYSO, young people learn
to work together, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to enjoy winning and
deal appropriately with defeat - all while becoming physically fit and healthy.
Best of all, they have fun.
SUPPORT
YOUR CHILD
Supporting
your child by giving encouragement and showing interest in their team is very
important.
Help
your child work toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship in every game.
Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important
than victory - that way your child will always be a winner despite the
outcome of the game!
ALWAYS
BE POSITIVE
Parents
serve as role models for their children. Become aware of this and work to be a
positive role model. Applaud good plays by your child's team as well as good
plays by the opposing team.
Support
all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from youth sports activities.
REMEMBER:
YOUR CHILD WANTS TO HAVE FUN
Remember
that your child is the one playing soccer, not you. It's very important
to let children establish their own goals - to play the game for themselves.
Take care not to impose your own standards and goals on them.
Don't
put too heavy a burden on your child to win games. Surveys reveal that 72%
of children would rather play for a losing team than ride the bench for a
winning team.
Children play for the fun of
playing.
REINFORCE
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
Positive
reinforcement is the best way to help your child achieve their goals and their
natural fear of failure. Nobody likes to make mistakes. If your child does make
one, remember it’s all part of learning, so encourage your child's efforts and
point out the good things your child accomplishes.
DON'T
BE A SIDELINE COACH OR REFEREE
Coaches
and referees are usually parents just like you. They volunteer their time to
help make your child’s youth soccer experiences positive. They need your
support too.
That
means refraining from coaching or refereeing from the sidelines. As a volunteer
organization, there's usually always an opportunity for you to take your
interest in coaching or refereeing to the next level and become one yourself!
EQUIPMENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
UNIFORMS:
A uniform consisting of
shirt, shorts and socks is provided for your child’s use at the beginning of
the season and is yours to keep when the season ends.
You are responsible for
taking care of the full uniform. Do not iron the jersey.
Uniforms are not to
be worn at practice, only for scheduled games.
Players may not wear rings,
watches, chains, necklaces, earrings, or hard pony tail holders or barrettes as
these items may cause injury during play.
Girls should wait until after the soccer season is over to get their
ears pierced. Referees are instructed
not to let any player wearing earrings play until they are removed!
SHOES:
Players must wear
shoes. Tennis shoes are OK but not
recommended. It is strongly suggested
that players wear soccer shoes - the low-sided “football” style shoes with rubber
or plastic molded cleats (no metal).
Shoes must be safe and not
pose a hazard to players. The referee
will make this determination.
Shoes should fit
comfortably with athletic socks.
SHIN GUARDS:
Shin guards can and do
protect the player. A National Rule makes shin guards mandatory. They must be worn under the socks.
They may be purchased from
the AYSO store, local sporting goods stores, and stores such as Wal-Mart,
K-Mart and Target. Players must wear
shin guards at ALL practices and games.
BALL:
Each player is encouraged
to practice with a ball and it is recommended that a “real” soccer ball be
obtained.
For Divisions U8 &
U6: Size 3; Divisions U12 & U10: Size 4; Divisions U19, U16
& U14: Size 5. (U=Under,
e.g., U10 = Under 10 year olds)
A player needs to practice
with a ball to develop skill and coordination.
Any time spent with the
ball makes for a better player and active parent participation is a great
encouraged.
It is strongly recommended
that the player’s name is put on the ball for identification.
NUTRITION:
Proper nutrition is
essential for your child to have energy to endure the physical aspects of the
game and during practice.
On the morning of games,
please have your child eat a light breakfast and avoid sugary snacks or acidic
fruits prior to practices and or games.
PARENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
COACHES
As
a parent, you can help your child’s coach by introducing yourself and thanking
them for their interest in coaching a team. Support the coach’s request that
your child be on time for practices and games. If you do not stay for the
entire practice session, pick up your child promptly at the end of practice. Be
positive with your comments and remember that a coach has a reason for his
selection of player positions. Don’t criticize the coach because you think your
child should play a different position. Offer help at practices. Remember that
coaches volunteer their time and energy to instruct and help your child, and
they need your cooperation and support.
REFEREES
AYSO
Referees are entitled to the highest respect from coaches, players and
spectators. The referee’s mistakes (and there will be mistakes) shall be
accepted without complaint. Many of the referees have no children playing in
our Region and all of them gladly give their time to help us. Please show
them the respect they deserve - they are volunteers, and express your
appreciation for their commitment to our soccer program. The region is always
in need of referees. If you are interested, contact the Regional Referee Administrator. We have excellent training programs in our
Area.
PARENT PARTICIPATION
THE REGION AND THE CHILDREN NEED YOUR PARTICIPATION. Attend practices and games. PARENTAL SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL. Learn about the rules of the game by reading, “The Rules of Soccer: Simplified.” Above all, show tolerance of the players’ mistakes and weaknesses. When attending games, cheer for all players on both teams as well as your own child. Every parent is requested to volunteer in some area of the program and there are various jobs available. Before your team’s meeting, read the section on volunteering in this handbook and offer to help.
AYSO is a parent based volunteer organization providing a soccer program for all children regardless of experience or skill level. Registration of your child in our program implies responsibility to the team and adherence to the five principles of AYSO: Everyone Plays, Balanced Teams, Positive Coaching, Open Registration, Good Sportsmanship.
EVERYONE PLAYS
Each player
is guaranteed to play at least half of every game, regardless of his or her
level of skill or aptitude, if the child: ARRIVES ON TIME AT THE PLAYING FIELD FOR
SCHEDULED GAMES PREPARED TO PLAY IN THE PROPER COMPLETE UNIFORM, SHOES, SHIN
GUARDS, ETC. AND IS NOT HANDICAPPED DUE TO ILLNESS OR INJURY.
PRACTICE LOCATION AND ATTENDANCE
As all of
the coaches in AYSO are volunteers, practice times are scheduled at the coach’s
convenience during
the week (Monday through Friday) and coordinated with the Region for field
availability. Practice fields are located at
Games are to
be played according to the schedule and will not be canceled due to inclement
weather except at the game site shortly before game time. For most divisions,
all games are scheduled on Saturdays at the same fields mentioned above. Some
of the upper divisions may need to travel to other Regions for some games. Game schedules are posted on the Web: http://www.ayso86.org.
TOURNAMENTS
Divisions
U10, U12, U14, U16, and U19 (U=Under, e.g., U10 = Under 10 year olds)
participate in Regional and/or Area tournaments if the teams qualify (see below
for criteria). Playoff schedules are
also posted on the Web. Regional championship teams then play in the Area 11L
playoffs. Area 11L championship teams
for certain divisions go on to play in the Section 11 playoffs. Section 11 championship teams then play in
the Tri-Section championships to determine the AYSO Southern California
champions. During some years, certain
selected teams are invited to play in the AYSO National games. If your child is fortunate enough to be a
part of one of these teams, you should be prepared to support that team through
out the duration of these playoff games.
Your child
is guaranteed to play the balance of the regular season games (usually 8-10
games). All teams in divisions U10 – U14
go to the playoffs if they acquire the minimum number of volunteer points
necessary. If not, the season is over
for that team. Please be aware of the
adopted point system that is in effect during the season and support your child’s
team in helping acquiring the necessary points. The only way to ensure that your child’s
team makes to playoffs is to VOLUNTEER!