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San Mateo AYSO
Regional Guidelines
and
Parent Handbook
2007
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www.aysosm.org
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San Mateo Region 36
650-341-4112
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P.O. Box 5316
San Mateo, CA 94402
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Welcome to the 2007 Season............................................... 1
AYSO Region 36 Mission Statement................................... 2
Honoring the Game (ROOTT)............................................... 3
Registration.............................................................................. 4
The AYSO Team....................................................................... 5
A Word for Parents................................................................... 7
A Word for Players................................................................... 9
Information for Older Players – U16
& U19........................ 9
The Game............................................................................... 10
Uniforms and Equipment.................................................... 13
Sportsmanship Program..................................................... 15
Game Conduct....................................................................... 17
Coaching Program................................................................ 19
Referee Program................................................................... 19
VIP Program........................................................................... 20
Pictures................................................................................... 20
Yearbook................................................................................. 20
Banner Contest...................................................................... 21
Other AYSO Programs.......................................................... 21
Soccer Accident Insurance.................................................. 21
The Basic Fouls in Soccer................................................... 22
San Mateo Fields................................................................... 25
2007 Annual Budget............................................................. 25
2007 Regional Board........................................................... 27
Important Dates to Remember........................................... 29
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I would like to welcome you to
the 2007 San Mateo AYSO soccer season. Our program is open to all boys and
girls between the ages of 4 ½ and 18 years. By registering in our league you
have joined the largest youth sports organization in the City of San Mateo and one of the
largest soccer organizations on the peninsula. Last year over 2,000 kids played
on over 170 teams every Saturday on fields located throughout San Mateo. This year we expect about the same
number of players!
AYSO is a program developed
and designed for kids of all abilities. AYSO is one of the only youth sports
organizations that has a culture and a set of philosophies. The 5 philosophies
are quite simple: Everyone Plays, Open Registration, Balanced Teams, Positive
Coaching, Good Sportsmanship. These philosophies provide the basis for all kids
to learn to play soccer in a safe, fun and fair environment. In San Mateo we try to
extend that safe, fun and fair environment to all of our participants including
parents and spectators. Everyone is part of the team. In San Mateo all players who arrive to games on
time are guaranteed to play 3/4 of the game in all divisions thru U14.
AYSO is an organization that
is run solely by volunteers. There are no paid positions in our AYSO organization;
all of the volunteers give their time for free. We gladly accept any and all
volunteers. We need coaches, assistant coaches, referees, administrators,
picture day helpers, registration helpers and field liners just to mention a
few jobs. I thank all of our volunteers for their efforts no matter how big or
small they think their job is. Every job is important and any time that you can
give to the league as a volunteer will be greatly appreciated.
Once again we have continued
our coaches training program in order to continually enhance the quality of our
league. Coach training is vital not only for the success of the kids but also
for the success of the coach and helps ensure that the coaches are having fun
too. Again we have hired the expertise of MLS Camps to run our field training
clinics. We have hired their professional field trainers to share their
experiences with our coaches. Also this year there will be a coach mentoring
program, a referee mentoring program and a kids goal keeper clinic all run in
conjunction with MLS Camps. The best way to assure a quality experience for all
involved is to be sure that everyone involved has the opportunity to be trained
for their position, whether it is an adult who coaches or a kid who plays.
I would ask all of you to
remember that all of our fields are “Kid Zones”, a safe place for all of our
kids to enjoy the sport of soccer. I would ask that all of you respect the
places that the kids play and to do your part in keeping our “Kids Zones” safe.
On behalf of the Board of
Directors and myself, we hope that you enjoy the 2007 season.
George Kujiraoka, Jr. Regional Commissioner
To improve the quality of the soccer program being provided
to children residing in the Region 36 area developing in them an appreciation
and love for the sport of soccer, and instilling in them an understanding and
respect for teamwork, good sportsmanship and fair play.
This will be achieved through:
·
Enhanced and expanded Coach training
·
Expanded Referee training and recruitment
·
Controlling program size
·
Actively recruiting volunteers
·
Balanced teams
·
Recreational play in the lower divisions
·
Competitive play in the upper divisions
Recognizing and rewarding teamwork, sportsmanship and fair
play
The 2007 Objectives:
Our region’s goals this year are:
1.
To continue the on going education of all of our
coaching and to promote a “positive coaching environment”.
2.
To turn all of our playing fields, both practice
and game, into “Kids Zones”. A place that is reserved for participants who want
a safe and positive environment for the kids. Anyone who chooses to not
participate in this program will be asked to leave the “Kid Zone”.
3.
To continue to recruit new volunteers to help
bring in new energy and new ideas into our organization.
4.
To further enhance the “Sportsmanship Program”
as a tool to help create and maintain a positive environment during games.
5.
Lastly to maintain all of the positive aspects
of our program which are already in place. We certainly cannot go forward if we
fall back!
Rules:
Follow the Letter and Spirit
(how the game should be played)
Opponents:
Remember a worthy opponent brings out
the best in our team
Officials:
Respect them even when you disagree
Teammates:
Remember your commitment on and off of
the field
Tradition:
Remember it’s a privilege to
participate
What you can do! (a bit of advice)
Before
the game:
·
Tell your child that you are proud of him/her
regardless of how well they play
·
Honor the game no matter what others may do
During
the Game:
·
Cheer good plays by both teams
·
Mention good calls by the officials to others
·
Encourage others to honor the game
·
Remember to have fun! Enjoy the day
After
the Game:
·
Thank the officials for doing a difficult job
·
Thank the coaches for their effort
·
Ask your child open-ended questions:
o
“What was the most enjoyable part of the game
for you?” “The least enjoyable?”
o
“Do you feel that you gave your best effort?”
o
“How did you learn from any mistakes that you
may have made?”
o
“What did you learn from the game?”
·
Tell your child that you are proud of him/her!
What
if:
·
The officials made a “bad” call against your
team? (HONOR THE GAME - BE SILENT)
·
Another spectator on your team begins to berate
an official? (Remind them that they are in a Kid Zone and they need to act
appropriately and honor the game)
Open Registration days are held April or May each year. Late Registration starts immediately
following the last open registration session.
The fee for 2007 is $75 per player.
Scholarships are only available at Open Registration.
Late registration is only conducted on a mail-in/drop off
basis only. For information on how to
register a player after our last regular registration date visit our website (www.aysosm.org) or call the AYSO phone number
341-4112. All late registrations players will be placed on a waiting list, and
will be placed on teams on a space available basis only. Late
registration fee will $100 per player.
Early Volunteer registration is held in January. This registration is for Coaches, Referees,
and Board Members who have committed to attend training sessions and fulfilling
their volunteer duties. All early
registered volunteers who completed their required training prior to open
registration have been allowed to register their children through an early
registration process at $50 per player.
Please give special consideration to your child’s potential
school workload and other extra-curricular activities before signing up to play
AYSO soccer. Refund requests must be in
writing and sent to the Regional Commissioner at P.O Box 5316 San Mateo, CA 94402
or e-mailed to smaysorc@yahoo.com. If
the team uniform has been distributed and is not returned to the team coach a
fee of $25 will be deducted from your refunded amount. Refund
requests must be received prior to the season’s opening day.
Each team has a coach,
assistant coach, and team parent who are responsible for
their team. The assistant coach assists
the coach at practices and fills-in when the coach is unable to make games or
practices. The team parent assists the
coach by distributing information on snack schedules, photo times, banners,
end-of-year party, and any other duty not specifically coach-related. Divisions
U6 and U8 are required to have two trained team referees per team. Division U10 is required to have two trained
Assistant Referees per team.
All teams are
encouraged to have a sponsor. Sponsor
fees are $200/team. Sponsors are
recognized on the team banner and in regional publications. Sponsor fees help keep the cost of the
program down as well as to support our scholarship program. Sponsorship information is available from
your coach or from the web at www.aysosm.org.
The City of San
Mateo requires that any volunteer who works with or
supervises children be subject to a criminal background check and receive Child
Protection Training. This includes
non-profit organizations like AYSO. In
addition, AYSO requires this training.
Therefore, all coaches and referees in San Mateo AYSO must complete and
pass the Safe Haven Certification modules developed by AYSO and be registered with
AYSO as a volunteer before they will be issued a team or scheduled to referee a
game. Safe Haven certification must be
repeated every two years. There are NO
EXCEPTIONS since this is required by The City of San Mateo. The AYSO volunteer form must
be complete annually.
Safe Haven certification may only be taken online from the
National AYSO website at www.aysotraining.org. Additional training sessions may be scheduled
if there is sufficient demand.
With over 2000 children playing soccer on over 170 teams, it
is impossible to rearrange teams or practice and game schedules because of
non-AYSO activities. Most games are
played on Saturdays, although some games may be played on other days of the
week, as needed. Practices can be any
day of the week but are typically Monday through Friday, and are at the
convenience of the coach.
Players are excused for any conflicts as long as they notify
their coach prior to their game or practice.
The Regional Commissioner has the authority to reschedule games when, in
his or her judgment a group of players are unable to participate.
Team Assignments
The Division Administrator conducts team assignments, with
the assistance and concurrence of the appropriate League Commissioner. Assignments are primarily based upon age,
skill level and experience, maintaining the Balanced Teams philosophy of AYSO.
The coach is entitled to keep his or her child on his or her team. Additionally, requests for brothers or
sisters within the same division to play on the same team will be honored. It is intended through the team balancing to
give each team an equal opportunity to complete and be successful within the
divisional play.
Division placement in San
Mateo is based on a child’s age as of August 1st of the current season. Players are not allowed to play up or down
without the Commissioner’s approval. The
minimum age in San Mateo AYSO is 4 1/2.
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Division
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Age
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Eligible Birth Dates
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U19
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16–17–18
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8-1-1988
thru 7-31-1991
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U16
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14–15
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8-1-1991
thru 7-31-1993
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U14
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12–13
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8-1-1993
thru 7-31-1995
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U12
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10–11
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8-1-1995
thru 7-31-1997
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U10
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8–9
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8-1-1997
thru 7-31-1999
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U8
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6–7
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8-1-1999
thru 7-31-2001
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U6
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4½–5
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8-1-2001
thru 1-31-2003
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Divisions U8 - U6 is entirely instructional in format, with
emphasis on teaching proper ball handling (kicks, passes, etc.). With skills developed at an early age,
strategy can be emphasized as the players grow older. No league standings are kept. Division U10 is largely instructional in format,
with league standings based entirely on the last five games of the
season.
It cannot be overemphasized that the AYSO program is for the
players. The emphasis is placed on the
organization’s objectives and on good sportsmanship by exhibiting the qualities
of fairness and self-control, and by having a good time. Parents and officials are role models for
children; thus overzealous behavior is totally inappropriate.
While participation in a competitive situation is an
important aspect of the game, it should not be confused with a
“win-at-all-costs” attitude. The soccer
promoted by AYSO is a balance of fun, development, and competition.
All of this can and often does set the stage for some
spectator situations that are not consistent with what AYSO is trying to do for
our boys and girls. We, as parents,
spectators, coaches, and referees have a responsibility to keep our
all-volunteer soccer program fun for all.
Take a few moments to consider the following guidelines:
1.
To positively encourage your child and be
supportive of his or her best efforts.
2.
To assist the volunteers who bring the AYSO
program to your child and be supportive of their efforts.
3.
To assist your son or daughter in arriving at
practices and games on time, and notify the coach or team parent when your
child will not be able to attend the practice or game.
4.
To arrange for your child’s safe journey home
after practices and games, and to remember that AYSO is not a baby-sitting
service.
5.
To be supportive of the AYSO community’s
fundraising efforts and participate in some measurable way.
6.
To assist your child’s coach by providing game
refreshments when needed, and by participating in any team activities or
meetings where parent help is needed.
7.
Promote Good Sportsmanship, Fair Play and Fun
for all AYSO players and their families through your conduct at practices and
games. Support game officials and AYSO
volunteers. Demonstrate a positive attitude.
After teams are assigned, each coach will hold a parent
meeting. The purpose of this meeting is
for parents to meet the coach, discuss the practice and game schedules, AYSO
philosophies and parent guidelines, and for the coach to answer any questions
the parents might have. This meeting is
usually where a team parent is selected.
It is expected that each parent who has a participant in the
program shall volunteer his or her services in some way. San Mateo AYSO is a rewarding experience for
players and their parents alike. Get
involved -- we need your help -- and you’ll be glad you did! For those parents who desire more information
on becoming involved, contact any of the board members list in the front of
this booklet.
Special Hillsdale Parking Information
A Note to all
Girls Under 10 Participants – coaches, families, referees, and spectators:
Over the past years, we have been fortunate to be able
to use the fields at Hillsdale
High School. Because of
several potential problems, there may be a time that we will not get the
permits for the fields! That would be disastrous because there aren’t any other
places to play!
The biggest issue is parking and safety on 31st Avenue. We need to be sure that we treat all of the
neighbors that live on 31st
Avenue across from the fields with respect and
courtesy.
Please do not
park in front of the houses on the north side of the street. Park only on:
a)
In the parking area located at Alameda de las Pulgas just south of the
football field,
b)
In the high school parking lot, or along Alameda de las Pulgas, or
c)
On the field side of the 31st Avenue (the south side of
the street).
If, for
some reason, you feel the need to park on the house side of 31st Avenue, think about not
doing it, but most importantly do not
block anyone’s driveway! Blocking a
driveway by an AYSO parent or other participant could result in the loss of use
of the fields.
San Mateo AYSO is played according to the 3/4 rule. Every player is assured three quarters of
play with a maximum of one quarter as a substitute. (U16
& U19 players – see “Information for Older Players”.)
Each player is strongly urged to attend every practice and
game.
Late arriving players:
Players who arrive after the game starts, or who are not ready to play at the
start of the game are not assured three quarters of play time. See "The
Game: 3/4 Play Requirements" for details.
San Mateo
plays what is known as short-sided games, where the team size is reduced, in
the younger divisions. Additional
information on team size and playing time is found in the section titled “The Game”.
Most girls and boys registered to play soccer with AYSO are
enthusiastic, motivated and sincerely interested in having a good time. Most of our AYSO families support our program
and its volunteers by getting players to practices and games on time and
properly equipped. It does occasionally
happen that a player experiences difficulty in adjusting to team play or in
getting along with teammates, or that a family is not willing to help a player
get to practices and/or games. These
problems are rare but have a way of upsetting entire teams, even divisions, and
must be addressed before the enjoyment of the majority of players and families
is jeopardized.
Players who are between 14 and 19 years of age are assigned
to San Mateo’s
U16 and U19 teams. This program is run
by AYSO Area 2N (which includes teams in Central and Southern San Mateo
County). This document, the Regional
Guidelines, applies to players in the younger divisions (U6 through U14) only.
Additional information on the AYSO Area program may be
obtained from your coach or on the web from the Area Website at ayso2n.org.
The referees scheduled for the game are completely in charge
from the moment they enter the field of play.
Most coaches request that players meet at a given time prior
to the start of the game so that they can complete the line-up details. Please help your coach by making sure that
your players are not late.
Team practices will be held once or twice a week on weekdays
or weekends at schools and parks in San
Mateo. It is
important that players attend practices, as this is where game skills and
strategy are taught. Coaches must be
notified in advance if it is necessary for a player to miss practice or
games.
Parents are required
to assure that arrangements have been made for players to get home safely after
practices and games. This is not the
coach’s responsibility.
Length of the Games
Soccer is played in two halves of equal lengths. The referee will pause the game at
approximately the middle of each half (each quarter). Substitutions may be made at the half and at
each quarter. Since the referee does not
“stop the clock” at the quarter substitutions, coaches and players are
encouraged to perform the substitutions as efficiently as possible.
Division U6 U8 U10 U12 U14 U16 U19