Newsletters 1998
November 19, 1998 Help Wanted/Balanced
Teams
October
1, 1998 Picture Day 1998/Coach-Referee Clinics/Higher Altitude Soccer
August
6, 1998 Ten Frequently Asked Questions (and one more)
June 21,
1998 Registration/Soccer Camps and more
April
25, 1998 Spring Soccer in 1999/Volunteers
November 19, 1998 Help Wanted/Team Balance
Help Wanted
We are going to have unusually high turnover on our board this year and I need your help
in filling next year's division vacancies. In all cases, we are going to appoint at least
two people to run divisions below U14.
BU6 (K League) 14 teams
GU6 (K League 6 teams
BU8 6 year olds 10 teams
GU8 6 and 7 year olds 10 teams
GU10 10 teams (only 11 per roster)
GU12 8 teams
Plus, we also need a registrar and someone with time to help redesign our website.
Thanks for thinking about doing this. Your kids (our kids) really need your help so that
we can keep AYSO going strong in Beverly Hills. Call me at 310-859-9663 or send an e-mail.
A Key AYSO Principle: Balanced Teams
I hope everyone knows the five AYSO principles but let me set them out for you:
Everyone Plays
Open Registration
Balanced Teams
Good Sportsmanship
Positive Coaching
Each of these principles has a significant practical impact on the way we run our program.
We do not just pay lip service to these high concepts. In a future newsletter, I will go
over some of these principles in more detail and you can read about them on our website.
In this edition, I'd like to address in some detail the concept of balanced teams. This is
often a source of concern, especially for parents and players on a team that, for whatever
reason, doesn't have a lot of success in winning games or scoring goals. There are reasons
why this happens and things we can do (and some we can't).
No effort is made to balance the U6 teams - the players are almost all new and there is no
practical way to evaluate them before the season begins. This has never caused a problem
in my experience, especially since we moved to short-sided (4 on 4) games.
Little effort is made to balance U8 for much the same reason. However, we do try to
identify returning players who are likely to have a significant impact and distribute them
evenly. For everyone else, social issues such as the desire to play with friends or
schoolmates are taken into account in making teams. Again, this does not cause much of a
problem. There are some players who will stand out at this age to such an extent that if
they are on the field, they will dominate play. The very best and oldest of these are
sometimes moved up to U10 but these players are rare enough that although where they play
may involve lopsided scores, the whole program doesn't get much thrown out of kilter.
When we get to U10 and above, team balance becomes much more important. The teams are
playing on a full field 8 on 8 in U10, 11 on 11 in upper divisions, and team balance is
paramount. For this reason, we no longer accept requests, we don't allow coaches to be
paired up to keep kids together and we put a whole lot more effort into the process.
Here's what we do:
First, every team is selected through a blind draft. In a blind draft, the coaches,
supervised by the division director, collectively select the teams but they don't know
which team will be assigned to them. (BU10 is so large, the division director puts the
teams together because the coaches simply won't know most of the players.) At the end of
the draft, the coaches each pick one of the teams out of the hat. This encourages every
coach to try to make the teams as equal as possible. Since a coach has only a small chance
of drawing the team with their own child on it, once they have drawn a team, they will
trade with the team to which their child has been assigned at the same draft level. This
system prevents manipulation of the system by knowledgeable coaches at the expense of
inexperienced ones.
The division director always has the right to make further adjustments. This power is
exercised very sparingly.
What do the coaches use to make their selections? Personal knowledge and ratings from the
prior season are the keys. Ratings are critical - and so it pains me to tell you that many
coaches don't submit them, do a poor job of completing them and don't bother reading the
helpful and specific instructions we provide. Ask your coach if he or she has done a
careful set of ratings (all divisions except U6 and some of the younger U8 players are
rated). The comments are the most important part and yet this is where honesty and
attention to detail often take a holiday. And, as noted below, there are quite a number of
other problems with the accuracy of ratings - they are done nine months before the next
season, last year's overshadowed players in their first year in a division become this
year's superstar veterans, kids grow and mature at different rates, some play soccer the
whole year, others don't touch a ball for nine months, etc. Also, coaches can sometimes be
too generous (it's like Lake Woebegon - all the children are above average).
What goes wrong? A summary:
The laws of probability
have not been repealed. Almost inevitably, the teams will have a normal (bell curve)
distribution: One or two very good, one or two pretty lackluster and the rest in the
middle.
As noted above, ratings are never
as good or as accurate as we would like. Besides, from the end of one season to the
beginning of the next, children grow and develop at different rates.
New players come into the league
and although we field rate some of them or try to get information about them, it's never
as good as even our somewhat unreliable regular season ratings.
We don't have balanced coaching.
This last is very important. Volunteer-run youth sports
programs never have enough volunteers to coach kids and the coaches have varying levels of
skill and willingness to learn. I'm not talking about soccer skill but about skill at
communicating to kids, motivating them and making them want to learn. Some coaches go to
clinics, others regard our mandatory clinic policy with indifference or outright
hostility. There is no question that coaches who work with us, attend clinics, strive to
learn about soccer and about working with children and to improve, get better results than
the others. Which kind of coach is yours?
We would happily get rid of coaches who don't see it our way, but in many cases, there are
no alternatives and, in the end, a coach willing to make the effort to take on a team is
often better than having no coach at all. I will admit we have appointed coaches out of
need to fill a slot rather than out of confidence that they would do a good job and I
would welcome your feedback on this. Should we shrink the program and possibly deprive
your child of the opportunity to play so that we only have coaches who meet high
standards?
And the outcome . . . You will sometimes be on a team which has a losing season; even one
which loses most of its games. It's happened to me, once three years in a row. Neither of
my children ever played on a team that won the championship - a total of 11 seasons in
which each reached the championship game once - whether I was coaching them or someone
else was. And yet my kids have had many seasons with teams that did well, had a great
time, liked each other and came back.
Finally, put it in perspective. Many have heard my predecessor Howard Molitz' story of a
championship game in which his son was the hero, carried off the field by his teammates
after an improbable triumph. Three years later, Howard was still aglow; but his son could
not even remember the game. Do kids know the score? Sure. Is it that important to them?
Nowhere near as much as we project.
October 1, 1998 Picture Day 1998/Coach Referee Clinics/Higher Altitude Soccer
This Newsletter covers:
- The state of our fields
- Coach-Referee Clinic (October 5 or 13 at Roxbury Park)
- Picture Day (October 11, 1999 at Roxbury Park)
- Higher Altitude Soccer (Women's World Cup Final (July 10, 1999 at the Rose Bowl); MLS Cup Final (October 25, 1998 at the Rose Bowl); UCLA Soccer (including how to attend games free on October 23 and November 13))
1. The state of our fields
A request. We are guests of the City of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills
schools. Please don't leave trash on the fields. Team administrators, please make an
effort to have your kids pick up their water bottles, juice cartons, snack wrappers and so
on and toss them in the trash bins rather than leave them lying on the grass. Also, please
do not park on school playgrounds or on the High School track. The parked vehicles you may
see belong to contractors involved in reconstruction work and they (unlike us) have perm
ission to be there. Finally, please don't park in staff parking spaces at the parks - it's
inconsiderate and will get you ticketed by the park rangers.
2. Coach-referee clinic
This 1 1/2- hour clinic introducing coaches to basic rules of soccer, recent law changes,
areas of difficulty (offsides, etc.) and refereeing techniques (signals, positioning, role
of assistant referees) will be held at Roxbury Park at 7:45 pm on Monday October 5 and
again on Tuesday and Wednesday October 13 and 14.
(Wednesday October 14 clinic has been moved to La Cienega
Park.) Attendance at one of these clinics is mandatory for all coaches and
assistant coaches in Divisions U10 and older. Attendance will really help you be a better
coach and avoid a lot of
problems. It may even make you want to try refereeing.
Now for the fun stuff:
3. The Schedule for Picture Day
Picture Day would put a military operation to shame - it's
always on time. This year, plan on having players there at least 15 minutes ahead of
time and leave time for parking, especially as the day wears on. There will be clinics for
the players in Divisions U14, U12 and U10 timed to enable them to have their picture
taken, then go to the clinic. Exact details will be posted on the Picture Day page as soon
as we can finalize them.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR TEAM'S NAME - DON'T CALL OR E-MAIL US. CALL YOUR COACH WE
CANNOT HANDLE 1,400 CALLS!!
4. Higher Altitude Soccer
As we have previously announced,
the FIFA Women's World Cup final and third place final will take place as a doubleheader
at the Rose Bowl on Saturday July 10, 1999. The U.S. national team is one of the favorites
for the competition. If you would like tickets, please call Women's World Cup at
1-888-4WWC-INFO.
The Major League Soccer (MLS Cup
Final) is taking place at the Rose Bowl on Sunday October 25. AYSO families will have a
special section of the stadium reserved for them, with $10 off reserved tickets ($10
instead of $20) and preferred tickets ($30 inste ad of $40). There will also be a lot of
events on the day outside the stadium. For more information about getting tickets is on
our website, send an e-mail to Michael Page at mpage@mlsnet.com or call Mike at
310-459-1304.
Finally, if you are interested in
tickets to UCLA Men's or Women's soc
cer games, the season is in full swing - call UCLA at 310-825-8699. Better yet, send us an
email if you would like to attend a game for FREE:
Friday October 23 7:30 pm Women's Soccer v. Oregon State at Spaulding Field
Friday November 13 7:30 pm Men's Soccer v. Washington at Spaulding Field
Players have to be wearing their team jersey and adults must be accompanied by
players in uniform. You have to be on a gate list, so send us an email and we'll get
you on.
August 6, 1998 Ten Frequently Asked Questions (and one more)
1 When does the season begin?
Saturday September 12.
2 When does the season end?
For Divisions U19 and U16, mid-November
For Divisions U14 and U12, Sunday December 13
For Divisions U10, U8 and U6, Saturday December 12
3 When are the games and practices?
Games take place mostly on Saturdays but for players in U19 and U16, there are usually two
games a week, one on Saturday one on Sunday. The games can take place any time of the day
(otherwise, if you think about it, your team would always play the same team), but we try
to schedule the older players (especially in U14) in the afternoon to minimize conflicts
with Saturday morning Bar Mitzvahs
Division U6 has a combined practice and game on Saturdays. All other Divisions have one
practice a week in mid week after school. The older players may have their practice in the
evening. We have very limited practice slots, so we allocate these by holding a lottery
where coaches pick a number from a hat and then draft for fields in numerical order.
All of the schedules (and most schedule changes) will be posted on our website - bear with
us, it's just me who has to do all the work.
4 What division am I in?
Division Key: U = under; age determined on July
31, 1998; special rules apply to 13
year olds who will be attending high school - they may be in U16 rather than U14.
For more information, check out the What Division Am I In? page.
5 Where are the games and the practices?
U19 and U16 - home games on Saturday afternoons at Beverly Hills High School and on Sunday mornings at La Cienega Park; away games all over the Westside
Boys U14 - Saturday afternoons at La Cienega Park West Field
Girls U14 - Saturday afternoons at La Cienega Park East Field; occasional away games elsewhere on the Westside
Boys U12 - Saturday mornings at Beverly Hills High School
Girls U12 - Saturday mornings at La Cienega Park West Field
Boys U10 - Saturday all day at Roxbury Park
Girls U10 - Saturday morning and early afternoon at La Cienega Park East Field
Boys U8 - Saturday all day at Beverly Hills High School Upper Field (temporarily at Horace Mann School) and some afternoon games at the K Field (northwest corner of Olympic and La Cienega)
Girls U8 - Saturday mornings at the K Field
Boys U6 - Saturday all day at El Rodeo School (Whittier and Wilshire)
Girls U6 - Saturday mornings at Hawthorne School (600 block
of North Rexford Drive)
Practices times and places will be determined by a practice filed draft on September 9. No
practices for U6.
6. When will I hear from you?
We can't call all 1400 players, so we ask each head coach to contact their players'
families. No one will call before the embargo date (August 24)
7. What if I don't hear from anyone?
Wait until at least Tuesday September 1. After that, you can contact your division
director. The division director's e-mail and phone numbers are listed below.
8. How can I find out if my child is registered?
Send an e-mail to our registrar, John Heidt, at registrar@ayso76.org
9. What equipment does my child need?
We provide a uniform consisting of shirts, shorts and socks. These should be available
through your coach after Labor Day. Division U6 (the youngest players) receive their
uniforms on opening day. Uniforms are generally not worn to practices.
All players must wear shinguards at games and practices.
We strongly encourage every player to bring their own ball to practices. Size 5 for U19,
U16, U14; size 4 for U12 and U10 and Boys U8; size 3 for Girls U8 and Boys and Girls U6
Cleats are recommended for players 8 and older but most players have cleats right from the
start. Sports Chalet has a special package of ball, cleats and shinguards for AYSO
players; otherwise, try Big 5 or SportMart.
10. How can I help?
Volunteer - contact us by e-mail, phone, Pony Express, carrier pigeon - we need to hear from you. We have every different level of time commitment. Coaches, referees, team administrators, referee schedulers, Board members, paper pushers, tournament helpers, website designers, fundraisers for maor field improvements, sponsors - OUR CHILDREN NEED ALL OF THESE TO KEEP THIS PROGRAM GREAT AND MAKE IT EVEN BETTER!
. . . AND JUST ONE MORE
11. Quite a few people have asked about how to
determine what division a player belongs to. All the rules are explained on another page but here is a summary:
Two things will help:
We test a player's age on July 31 before the season begins. If you are born on July 31,
1990, you are 8. If you are born on August 1, 1990, you are 7.
Also, divisions are organized in two year increments, so a player who is 8 or 9 is in
U(nder) 10); a player who is 12 or 13 is U14, etc. There are two exceptions: In division
U6, the youngest players, we only accept 5 year-olds and players who were at least 4 1/2
on July 31. At the opposite end, in U19, we take 16, 17 and 18 year old players.
Here now are the divisions, with old name, new name, earliest and
latest dates of birth and typical school grade ranges.
| Old | New | Dates of Birth | Grade |
| 1 | U19 | August 1, 1979 to July 31, 1982 | 10th - 12th |
| 2 | U16 | August 1, 1982 to July 31, 1984 | 9th and 10th |
| 3 | U14 | August 1, 1984 to July 31, 1986 | 6th - 8th |
| 4 | U12 | August 1, 1986 to July 31, 1988 | 5th - 7th |
| 5 | U10 | August 1, 1988 to July 31, 1990 | 3rd - 5th |
| 6 | U8 | August 1, 1990 to July 31, 1992 | 1st - 3rd |
| 7 (K) | U6 | August 1, 1992 to Jan 31, 1994 | K/late preschool |
This includes some special rules for players whose age puts them in U14 but will be attending high school this fall and for U12 if a player is a 7th grader and wants to play up.
Also, note that Boys U8 is so large, we divide it into under 8s and under 7s (7 and 6 yearolds in plain English).
June 21 1998 Registration/Soccer Camps/Women's World Cup
1. Registration
Our registration process is going well - we have 1,070 players registered as of June 21.
Our capacity is around 1350, so we don't have much room left, since many of the unfilled
slots are for new 5-year old players. If you know someone who hasn't signed up yet, please
encourage them to register by August 1 at the latest.
Registration information and
on-line registration are available on this website.
In-person sign up will also be available on Saturday August 1 at La Cienega Park between
9:30 and noon. But if you're not signed up, hurry, some divisions are almost full.
2. Summer Soccer Camps
We have received a list of
summer camps specializing in soccer and, with a couple of additions, have published it
at our website. Take a look!
We don't endorse camps but hope you find the information useful.
3. Women's World Cup
For information on the Women's World Cup, which is taking place next year with the final
at the Rose Bowl on July 10, 1999 and a semi-final and several first round games in the
Bay Area, please see our April 25
newsletter or call the Organizing Committee at 1-888-4WWC-INFO. The U.S. Women's team
is one of the favorites and the number-one ranked team in the world (unlike our men's team
- sigh).
4. MLS Cup Final
For information on the MLS Cup Final (Sunday October 25) and AYSO Day at the Los Angeles
Galaxy (Sunday September 27), you can also check out the April 25 newsletter or call MLS at 888-MLS-KICK or
213-891-8007 or our very own MLS representative, Mike Page at 310-459-1304.
5. Important Developments in Division U10 (formerly known as Division 5)
This division is composed of 8 and 9 year old players. We want you to know of several
important decisions taken by your regional board in the last two months.
First, Division U10 will be played 8-a side (8 players on
the field at any
given time) instead of 11-a-side. This change is intended to ensure that players have more
contact with the ball and is in line with our reduction of Divisions U8 and U6 over the
past two years to 4-a-side. Worldwide, soccer education for children is moving in the
direction of lower numbers of players on the field so that players touch the ball more.
For example, the English Football Association recently banned organized 11-a-side soccer
for players under 11 years old. We will be slightly shortening the fields used by these
players but game times will remain the same (two 25-minute halves)
One consequence of this change is that the number of teams will increase so that we can
accommodate the same number of players. In turn, this means (1) we need more people to
volunteer to coach and assistant coach; and (2) we need more referees. We provide training
and, of course, with smaller teams, both coaching and refereeing should be easier.
We will continue to have 11-a-side All Star teams until our Area P (the Westside) and
Section 1 and neighboring Sections 10 and 11 (Southern California) move to 7 or 8-a-side,
as they may do over the next couple of years.
A second major decision we have taken is to eliminate playoffs in Division U10. Over the
years, we have found that the playoffs have generated much more ill-feeling,
disappointment and competitive excesses on the part of the parents and other spectators
than they have brought pleasure and good feelings to the players. We will probably have a
special event on the last day of the season for our U10 players. Our experience this past
year with our regular season and with our tournament, the Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup,
is that players play hard and have fun no matter what the stakes and we want to bring the
spirit of friendship and fun to all of the games without the pressures that too many
adults otherwise visit upon 8- and 9-year old children.
6. Upper Divisions (U19 and U16 - formerly known as Divisions 1 and 2)
Here are three things you need to know about these programs:
- First, they do not conflict
with High School (CIF) soccer. The programs are designed to end before High School soccer
begins in the second half of November.
- Second, coaches want kids who expect to participate
in High School teams to play soccer in the fall so that they are match fit and sharp when
the High School season begins. AYSO is an excellent choice for players whose academic and
other commitments make participation on a club team too burdensome. We will have U9 and
U16 teams for both boys and girls this year - so encourage your older children to sign up.
- Third, if a player is 13 on July 31, 1998 but will be attending High School in the fall,
the player and you should be aware of our policy requiring them to play in Division U16
(formerly Division 2) if they expect to tryout for their high school team. That policy is
set our in as an appendix at the end of this newsletter.
7. Spring Program
This year will see a major expansion in the spring soccer opportunities for players ages 8 and up (Divisions U10, U12 and U14). First, we will expand the number of tournament teams to accommodate demand for the tournament experience. Second, our Area is planning a spring program at Daniel Webster Junior High School (Sawtelle and National). It's not a done deal, but we hope that the program will run between March and May and will be a low cost, low impact program. We do need volunteers to represent our region on the Area Spring Program Board. Step right up - just send me an e-mail.
8. Coaching and Refereeing
As noted above we have a lot of needs for coaches and referees. Ladies, we really need more women to help out and be role models for their sons and daughters. You can do it - if you can deal with 8 5 year olds coming round to your house, you can teach them the basics of soccer; all you need is to attend one of our coaching clinics and we will provide you with everything you need to know.
We have started a youth referee program for assistant referees (ages 10 and up) and referees (ages 12 and up). Our volunteer youth referee coordinator is soccer mom and referee Colleen Knerr, who can be reached by calling us at 310-859-9663.
We also need more adult referees - we can train you even if you have no experience (that's how we all started). Refereeing is a great way to watch a game, unlike coaches you don't have to commit any weekday time and we will schedule you so as not to conflict with your children's game schedules. Call us to volunteer.
We have numerous coaching and referee clinics available in our region and the neighboring regions on the Westside. Referee clinic information is already on the website and coach clinic information will be up soon.
If you've got all the way to the end of this e-mail - thanks for paying attention. There's lots more going on - check the website for details or just give a call or send an e-mail to your regional commissioner.
DIVISION U14/U16 POLICY FOR PLAYERS ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL - this applies mostly to players born between August 1 and early December 1984.
This policy applies if a player is age eligible to play Division 3 (which is now known as Division U14) because he or she will not be 14 until after July 31, 1998 but will be attending high school this fall. If that is the case, you have to make the followiing choice:
1. The player can play in Division U14. Division U14 plays a regular season from September to mid-December with one or two teams moving forward to the Area league playoffs in January. In addition, Division U14 will have at least an All Star team (and may have tournament teams) that play in tournaments and, as noted above, we hope that there will be an Area-wide spring program this year as well operating at Daniel Webster Junior High School.
CIF, the body that administers high school athletics in Southern California, does not permit concurrent participation in both high school soccer and an external program. The CIF high school soccer season begins in late November. We go to great lengths to balance our teams and the loss of an older player from a team in November is not fair to the rest of the team. Therefore, for the player to participate in Division U14, you must commit to us that the player will play the entire regular season and any postseason Area league playoffs. Making this commitment in turn requires that the player not participate in High School soccer.
2. Alternatively, as many players who will attend High School do, the player can play up in Division 2 (U16). Division U16 plays a short season schedule from September to mid-November. The teams play primarily against teams from other regions (Culver City, LA Central, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, West LA and Wilshire Hollywood). They play 2 games each weekend, 1 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. THIS SCHEDULE DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH CIF RULES. In fact the coaches at Beverly Hills High encourage players who will be participating in one of the High School teams to play either in club soccer or in AYSO.
Please let us know as soon as possible what your choice is. We appreciate your cooperation. You can call the Division Director, Linda Virgo, if you wish to discuss this or obtain additional information. Linda's number is available by calling us at 310-859-9663.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT E-MAIL
We have created our e-mail list from the 420+ Internet registrations we have received to
date as well as other messages we have received from parents of players in our Region. We
would like to use the list to send you messages from time to time with news about our
program. Don't worry - we won't be flooding you with messages - perhaps five or six
during the season from September to December and three or four during the rest of the
year. Also WE WILL NOT GIVE THE LIST TO ANYONE ELSE AT ALL. However, if you don't want to
hear from us again, except specifically in relation to your child, please let us know and
we will remove you from the list.
April 25, 1998 World Cup/MLS Final
Two hot news items for soccer fans in Beverly Hills:
The FIFA Women's World Cup will be taking place next year
and the final and third place final will be a doubleheader at the Rose Bowl on July 10,
1999. Several other games are taking place in the Bay Area, including the semifinal on
July 4 at Stamford Stadium which is where the U.S. team will play if they advance that
far.
The Women's World Cup Organizing Committee is having a
private sale of tickets before a mailing goes out to all AYSO families early in June. If
you call now, you will be high on the priority list for the best seats. The number to call
is 1-888-4WWC-INFO. They don't have a website yet but when they do, we'll add it.
The U.S. National Women's team is the favorite for the Cup. They won the first ever Cup in
1991, were third in 1995 and won the Olympic Gold Medal (with three minutes of NBC
coverage) in 1996 before 77,000+ fans.
Second, the Major League Soccer 1998 final on October 25
is also taking place at the Rose Bowl. AYSO families will have a special section of the
stadium reserved for them, with $10 off reserved tickets ($10 instead of $20) and
preferred tickets ($30 instead of $40). There will also be a lot of events on the day
outside the stadium.
The above logos are the trademarks of the WWC organizing committee and major league soccer. We assume they don't mind our using it to publicize their events to the soccer community, but we haven't asked for their permission either.
Thursday April 16, 1998
Although it is only April, we are actively planning the
1998 soccer season, even though kick-off is not until September. You can expect to hear
from a coach by the last week in August with your team assignment. If you do not, please
send us a message and we'll track your coach down - but please do not submit inquiries
before September 1.
Here are some of the things we are working on:
SPORTSMANSHIP
Good sportsmanship is one of the guiding principles of AYSO. We are working to improve the
enjoyment of all our players and their families by promoting good behavior on the field
and on the sidelines.
This year, you will see spectator lines at every field in Division 5 and above. These
lines will be a yard or two off the touchline and will make it easier for players and
assistant referees.
Also in Divisions 3, 4 and 5, we play a prep season of about 9 games where standings do
not count and then a series of pool playoff games. The highest placed teams in the pools
then play a single elimination knockout competition. This year, we are working on a system
of sportsmanship points in the regular season designed to give an advantage in pool play
to teams that maintain a good sportsmanship record.
This year, we will again hold the Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup in December. Last
season, this tournament attracted teams from all over Southern California. It showed what
an unalloyed pleasure soccer can be when played in a spirit of fun. The competition was as
spirited as if the World Cup was on the line but the great behavior on the sidelines was
the real revelation for all of us. We want this to carry over to our new season and we are
counting on you to support this goal.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Stay tuned for information on education and training opportunities for coaches and
referees. Attendance at an appropriate clinic is mandatory for most coaches and all
coaches (including assistant coaches) are required to attend a coach-referee clinic that
teaches the laws of the game and the meaining of various referee signals and gives coaches
an opportunity to ask questions and discuss problems encountered in the officiating of
soccer games.
Anyone can coach soccer. You don't need to have played. You just have to like
children and want to help them have fun and improve through participation in a great
sport. We provide all the training you could need and we are always here to answer your
questions. We particularly want more women to step forward as coaches because we want both
our boys and girls to have positive role models of both genders. In 1996, our Boys 5 and
Girls 4 championship teams were both coached by women. So, men and women, step forward and
let us hear from you.
VOLUNTEERS
AYSO rules don't let us pay volunteers (not in cash at least) and they don't let us
condition player participation on parental volunteering. Nevertheless, our program is
entirely staffed by volunteers and if we do not get your help and support, we cannot run a
program that will meet the high standards to which we aspire. So, please, step forward and
offer to caoch, to referee, to be a team administrator, an office volunteer, a board
member, a tournament helper, a Picture Day organizer or helper . . . The more we all do,
the better the program.
To volunteer, visit us our volunteer
page.
FIELDS
We are also working on programs both in Beverly Hills and in the Westside as a whole
designed to improve the quality and number of fields available to us. In the next few
months you will hear more about some significant initiatives, for which we will need
financial and political support, real estate expertise and as many good ideas and contacts
as we can muster. More to come . . .
Last updated July 03, 2006 at 12:49 AM