Our Program
Under 5 Program Page
Hello U5 Parents:
We will have an orientation meeting for U5 parents on Wednesday, September 14th at 6:30 pm in the La Cienega Community Center located at 8400 Gregory Way in Beverly Hills. The meeting will last for no more than 45 minutes. At least one parent must attend. After the meeting, we will offer a class called "Safe Haven". This is a class that all coaches and volunteers must take at least once in their career and this will be an opportunity for parent volunteers to take this course at a convenient time.
We welcome you all to the second season of U5 soccer here in Region 76!
We hope the program serves as a wonderful, fun, non-competitive introduction to soccer that will stoke a lifelong interest in and love for "the beautiful game" among your children.
Objective:
The objective of the U5 Soccer Program in AYSO is to provide young players and their parents with a "pressure free" introduction to the beautiful and simple game of soccer. At this age, players should be exposed to soccer by playing simple, fun activities and games that require little or no practice, and minimal time commitment.
How It Works:
Unlike the divisions U6 and above, we will not have individual teams. Instead, the U5 Program is conducted as a "Jamboree One with One."
Under the Jamboree concept, all players attending a session will be divided into smaller groups. The session will be divided into two parts, a series of fun drills and games followed by a 3 v 3 pick-up game.
During the first part, the children will be introduced to basic soccer skills through fun activities, and then finish each session with mini pick-up games to let the children try what they have learned. Each child will be teamed with an adult ("One with One"), in most cases a parent, under the overall guidance of two professional Master Coaches from our UK International Coaching program. Additionally, we will enlist the help of parents as "Assistant Coaches", to help oversee the smaller groups we break up into, and to help guide the parents present in the planned activities for the day with their children. Several of you have already let us know you are interested in helping and you will hear from us soon.
The Games:
The "pick-up games" will be played at the end of each session with 4 players per team (3 v 3 with one substitute) on the field and no goalkeepers (we may vary the number of players per team with session attendance). Everyone will play. The games are considered "pick up" games with randomly-selected teams each week so that the children get to interact with many other children in the group.
Duration of Game:
We will play 20 minute "games" with 10-minute halves at the end of each session. Scores will not be recorded, and there will be little interference from grown-ups. This emphasis will be on applying what the players have learned during the teaching activities.
We will not have competitive games, as forcing competition on such young players is counter-productive.
Length of Program:
We plan to operate the U5 program over an eight (8) week period on Saturday afternoons beginning September 24th and running through November 12th.
All of our play is currently scheduled to take place on the synthetic field at Beverly Vista Elementary School in Beverly Hills. The division will be broken down into smaller groups of approximately forty, each assigned a specific time on Saturdays.
Equipment:
Soccer cleats, (players may instead wear turf shoes or sneakers) and shin guards, covered by league provided socks are mandatory at all activities. Players must bring their own size 3 soccer ball.
The children will all receive full uniforms (either with reversible jerseys or two jerseys of different colors allowing for pickup games, as no formal teams will be formed in the division.)
The uniforms will be distributed at our upcoming mandatory Parent Meeting on September 14.
We hope this information helps you understand our U5 approach. The children, not to mention the parent coaches, will have a great time.
For questions about the program not answered here, please email us at and
Looking forward to a lot of fun ahead.
All the best,
Gregg Temkin, Boys U5 Division Director, and Sarah Troy, Girls U5 Division Director