1. When do they practice and when do they play their games? Practices are arranged with your child's coach. Since the volunteer coach will be devoting a significant amount of time to the program, the players and their parents need to work around their coach's availability. Practices are generally held twice a week except for 8U, which is held once a week. 6U and below do not have practices during the week; they have practice & games during one session on Sundays. 2. When does the season start and when does it end? Seasons typically last about 8 weeks. In the fall, we start in September and run through October. In the spring, we start in April and run through June. Practices being a couple weeks before the start of the season and games are played on Saturdays and Sundays. Practice dates and times are determined by the coach. 3. Where are the practices held and games played? All practices and home games are played at the JD George Elementary School for Schoolyard, Playground, 6U and 8U. Practice and home games for 10U and 12U will be played at Durhamville Elementary School. 14U and 16U (if offered) will be played in Sherrill. Check out our field directions for home games and away games.
4. What Division does my child belong to? The assignment of your child to a Division depends on their birth year and is automatically determined during registration. Typical divisions include: Playground, Schoolyard, 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U & 16U (if enough interest). Playground through 8U divisions as well as 14U & 16U are co-ed. Check out AYSO's age chart for more information on Age Determination.
5. My child is a very good player, can he or she play in the next higher division? A player can play "up" one division with the approval of the Regional Commissioner. 6. My child is not a strong player, can he or she play in the next lower division? No. Players are not allowed to play "down". This is for the safety of the players. 7. How are the teams formed? I would like my child to car pool with his friend, can they be on the same team? The Balanced Teams philosophy of AYSO requires every region at the start of each season to set up teams as evenly as possible. It's more fun when teams are of equal ability. This philosophy is applied to all teams except 5U & 6U. For all other divisions, the teams are formed using a double blind draft system. Players are drafted based on their rating from the previous season or from the player evaluation. The coaches do not have control over which team they will ultimately get. So it is in their best interest to make sure the teams are balanced. Remember that all divisions do not keep scores or standings. 8. When will I find out what team my child is on? For the fall, the teams are formed in mid August. For the spring, the teams are formed in early April. The team roster as well as the uniforms will be provided to the coaches soon after team formation. Each coach will contact the players. If you did not receive a call from the coach by the end of August (spring) end of April (spring), please contact the Regional Commissioner (Jovan Wimberly) or the Regional Coach Administrator (Jenna Boice). 9. What will AYSO Region 840 provide and what do I have to provide? Each player will receive a uniform consisting of jersey, shorts, and socks. These are yours to keep. Wear them only for games. Each player must provide their own shoes, shin guards, and a soccer ball of the correct size (see table below). Try to avoid the all plastic balls like the Franklin. It is a good idea to buy a few pairs of soccer socks to wear for practice. Soccer shoes are not required. Age Group | Ball Size |
---|
14U & 16U | 5 | 10U & 12U | 4 | 4U/5U, 6U, and 8U | 3 |
10. Can I put my child's name on his uniform? No. AYSO national guidelines do not allow names, patches, or any other markings on uniforms.
11. My child has baseball shoes, can they be used for soccer? What about screw-in cleats? Baseball shoes are usually considered dangerous and are not recommended for soccer. Any shoe with a toe cleat or stud are not allowed. Screw in cleats are fine as long as a sharp ridge is not formed around the cleat; this comes from wearing the cleat on hard surfaces. However, all uniform decisions are at the discretion of the referee. 12. Is it true that my child will not be allowed to practice or play with any jewelry on? What about casts or splints? That is correct. All jewelry must be removed prior to practices and games. Medical and ID bracelets that cannot be removed must be taped down. If your child intends to get their ears pierced, plan ahead and have it done early so that the earrings can be removed for practices and games. Taping of earrings is NOT allowed. Also, watches, rings, and metal (or hard plastic) hair clips should be removed before practices and games. As for casts and splints, they are not allowed at practices or games. The doctor prescribed them for a reason and that reason is not so that they can continue to play a contact sport. After the cast or splint has been removed, your coach will require a release from the doctor authorizing your child's return to normal activities. 13. Does my child have to wear shin guards at practices? All players must wear shin guards during practices and games. The shin guards must be completely covered by their socks. Wearing the shin guards over the socks and then folding the socks down on top of the shin guards is NOT ALLOWED. 14. How much do the Board Members, Coaches, and Referees get paid? Board members get the lowest pay, $0. Coaches and referees are more important so they get paid double, $00 :-).
We are an all-volunteer organization. We do not receive any monetary incentives for being a board member, a coach, or a referee. Working with children and seeing them develop is our reward. Thinking about volunteering with us? Check out Volunteer Descriptions and talk to one of our Board Members. 15. My child was on a losing team last year. How can I get him on a better team? Before you seek out a better team, reflect on who places more importance on winning and losing. Is it you, your child, or the coach? In general, the player will mirror their views on winning and losing based on the role models around them, namely, their parents and coaches. A good coach will place the need to win a game far below the need to develop the players and letting them have fun. So instead of trying to put your child on a better team, make sure the coach is working toward developing the players and not just searching for the right formula for a winning season. At the end of the season, ignore the win/lost records and do a selfish analysis and ask yourself, "Did the coach help my child to be a better player?" The answer to this question is the true determination of whether your child won or lost this season. 16. I see some real bad referees out there. What can we do? Contact the RC (Jovan Wimberly) and find out when the next referee class is. Then, come to class and become a certified referee. We need people that know the game and can make the calls as they see them. What you cannot do is harass the referee no matter how poorly you think he is performing. His perceived poor performance may be the result of the lack of understanding of the laws on your part. Volunteers willing to referee games are difficult to come by. See the training page for more information. 17. I have never played soccer and I don't know anything about soccer. Can I still become a coach or a referee? Absolutely! AYSO will provide you with all the training for free. The only thing we ask for are your time and commitment. Contact the Regional Coach Administrator (Jenna Boice) or the RC (Jovan Wimberly) to learn more. If coaching or refereeing is not for you, there are others way you can help. Talk to the Regional Commissioner or a Board Member and ask how you can take part in bringing this quality soccer program to our community. You'll be glad you did. See the training page for more information 18. As a spectator, I've been told that I cannot smoke/vape on or near the soccer fields. Why is that? All elementary and middle schools in the area have been declared "Smoke/Vape Free Zones" by their respective School Districts. When we obtain permits to use their fields, we have to agree to abide by their rules. Any violations may jeopardize our future use of these fields.
Additionally, we as an organization, and you as a spectator, should be striving to promote a healthy and safe environment for everyone at the fields by not using or consuming, among other things, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, vape products, or simulating the use of any of these products, during practices or matches, or in the immediate vicinity of the soccer fields. 19. Can I bring my pets to the game? All elementary and middle schools in the area do not allow any pets on the school property. When we obtain permits to use their fields, we have to agree to abide by their rules. Any violations may jeopardize our future use of these fields. 20. I don't know anything about the volunteer who will be coaching my child. How do I know my child will be safe? We take safety seriously. AYSO’s Safe Haven program has been put in place to protect AYSO players and the volunteers who serve them. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified, and act in accordance with a written job description. AYSO's Safe Haven program addresses these elements, giving volunteers the highest degree of protection available under the law and protecting the youth in our program. Safe Haven is the first program of its kind in youth sports, most notably in soccer. Under the rules of the Safe Haven program, AYSO requires that each volunteer complete and eSign a volunteer application each and every year, including agreeing to a background check, and to abide by the philosophies and policies of AYSO.
Our volunteers are also asked to complete Safe Haven courses and job-specific training in order to become certified. AYSO in-person and online training focuses on the best ways to work with children and important safety protocols. Additionally, every AYSO Region is required to designate a volunteer to act as the Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA). A CVPA helps implement Safe Haven policies at the local level. If you have any safety-related questions or concerns, contact our CVPA (Anne Kopytowski).
21. How to determine if a child has a concussion? Here are some resources to learn more about concussions: Concussion Training Concussion Fact Sheet Concussion Quick Reference - Signs and Symptoms
|