Welcome to AYSO Region 7!
Please take a time to review the our parent videos, the AYSO Team Approach, AYSO Core Philosophies, and the basics of soccer.
Great Parent Videos:
Offside Video
Respect, from fa.com
The AYSO Team Approach
AYSO is an organization devoted to child development in a soccer environment that is Safe, Fair, and Fun. The kids are the focus of our program, and the program depends on the efforts of all involved adults for its success. Three groups of people, working together, form the AYSO Team, which creates the environment in which our children develop. Here’s a way to look at it:
The coaches are the foundation of the AYSO Team. They spend hours with the players every week, at practices and at the game, teaching them how to win, how to lose, how to work for an objective, how to cooperate, how to be a team, all through the vehicle of the game of soccer. In this way, they become role models for the players, and so influence the players’ values and behaviors.
The referees watch over the game, helping younger children with the rules and making sure that the game is safe and fair for all. The referees set the tone of the competition, protect the players throughout the match, and provide the necessary authority on game day. |  |
The spectators support the players’ activities in a positive and encouraging way. They create the environment in which the players, coaches, and referees work. They also help to interpret the lessons of the game for the players after the match. When these three groups work together, they create the necessary environment for our children to develop through soccer. Whatever role you play, keep the AYSO Team in mind. Remember, it’s for the kids!
The Six AYSO Core Philosophies
1) Everyone Plays
Our goal is for kids to play soccer. So we mandate that every player on every team must play at least half of every game.
2) Balanced Teams
We set up teams as evenly balanced as possible – because it’s more fun when teams of equal ability play.
3) Positive Coaching
The way to make winning kids is by building them up, not down. We train and encourage our coaches to make the extra effort to understand and offer positive help to our players, rather than negative criticism.
4) Open Registration
Our programs are open to all children between the ages of 5 and 18 who want to register and play soccer. Interest and enthusiasm are the only criteria for playing.
5) Good Sportsmanship
We desire to create a positive environment based on mutual respect, rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude. All our programs must be designed to instill good sportsmanship in every facet of AYSO.
6) Player Development
We believe all children should be able to develop to the best of their ability as a individual and as part of a team.
The Basics of Soccer - Know the Game!
Soccer is a simple game, but you and the players will enjoy it more if you know a few of the laws (not “rules”) that are frequently misunderstood. Soccer is intended to be a continuous action sport. Whenever possible, the referee will let play continue. Thus, when a player falls, and the referee judges that the player is not at immediate risk, they will generally let the game proceed until a natural stoppage. Of course, the referee will stop play if a player needs immediate attention or would be endangered by continuing play.
Players cannot deliberately play the ball with their hands or arms, except for the goalkeeper within their own penalty-area. However, accidental contact between hands or arms and the ball occurs frequently, especially with younger players, and is not an infringement. In such cases, the referee will not stop play, since no breach of the laws has occurred. A spectator who yells “Handball!” in such circumstances merely reveals his ignorance of the laws. A throw-in must be taken with part of each foot on or behind the touch-line (side line) at the moment the ball is released. The ball must be thrown from behind and over the head, using both hands. This motion is sometimes difficult for young players to master, and referees in younger divisions may, at their discretion, allow retakes in order to help the players learn this skill. Unlike basketball and gridiron football, the boundary lines are part of the field of play. The ball is not out of play until it has completely crossed the goal line or touch line. This implies that a goal is not scored unless the ball has wholly crossed the goal line between the goal posts and beneath the crossbar. |  |
Soccer is a sport designed to give skill the advantage over force. The laws permit physical contact, but limit it to non-dangerous forms. Other kinds of contact are illegal and are penalized by the referee. Careless, reckless, or unnecessarily hard contact by a player on their opponent does not become legal simply because the ball was struck in the process. This point is frequently misunderstood by spectators and players, who again exhibit their ignorance by yelling, “But he got the ball, ref!”
Referees penalize only clear infringements. In fact, they are specifically instructed not to penalize doubtful or trifling breaches of the laws. In other words, the game is supposed to “flow,” and the referee is expected to interfere only to protect the safety of the players or to ensure equity according to the laws. The referee is explicitly given broad latitude to judge when their interference is needed. This is in sharp contrast with many sports popular in the United States, in which spectators expect the referee to stop play for all sorts of trifling violations. A knowledgeable spectator will understand and appreciate why, for example, a referee ignores inconsequential jostling between opponents and allows the game to proceed uninterrupted.
When the referee stops the game, they do not signal the reason for the stoppage. Instead, arm signals are used to indicate how the game is to be restarted. In unusual circumstances, the referee may explain a particular decision to the players. A spectator who finds the lack of explanatory signals frustrating may wish to ask a referee or other knowledgeable person for a more detailed explanation.