FAQs - Players

What division does my child play in? What does U6 or U8 mean?

How are teams formed?

Practices - how often, at what time, for how long and where?

Why can't my daughter keep her earrings on?

What sort of hair clip can my child wear?

How are injuries handled during a match?

The doctor said that my son can play with his arm splint. 
Why won't AYSO let him play?

What about eyeglasses and hearing aids?

What type of shoes are required, and what about soccer cleats?

To learn more about AYSO and how important children are to us, please read the “ABCs of AYSO” by clicking on your choice of format:

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These pages will be updated whenever I get a question that others may be interested in. So, please send your questions by e-mail to the webmaster. 
(please include the age of your children in the email).

What division does my child play in? What does U6 or U8 mean? There are seven (7) division designations in AYSO: U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U19. The division designation, e.g., U14 literally means that the player was "Under 14" on the July 31 preceding the start of the season.  If a child turns 8 on July 31, then he/she would play in the U10 division. If a child turns 8 on August 1, then he/she would play in the U8 division because he/she is still under 8 on July 31. Refer to our Age Groupings Chart.

How are teams formed?

Background
One of AYSO's core philosophies is "Balanced Teams."

It is typical in youth sports to have a tryout followed by a draft. During the draft, each coach tries to outdo the other coaches at drafting the best team. In many cases, much of the efforts to outdo opposing coaches involve dubious tactics, like recruiting as assistant coaches the fathers/mothers of one or two likely early-round draft choices or telling a strong prospect to skip the tryout or to deliberately look bad in the tryout so the coach who knows his true ability can draft him/her lower than that player would normally go.

To address this concern and to incorporate AYSO's core philosophy of "Balanced Teams," our region has adopted the following procedures:

Parents, Coaches and Players should not expect to be together in successive seasons. We cannot and do not accept requests for coaches and/or players. Team rosters are re-formed very season.

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Under 6 and Under 8
For these divisions, teams are formed by their divisional commissioners taking into account the ages and sizes of the players. At registration, we ask parents to complete a “New Player Questionnaire” to assist us with this process but because most of these players are new to soccer and our Region, we do not have a sufficient knowledge base with which to divide the players up according to ability, which we do as they get older.

Under 10
The commissioners, in conjunction with a committee of coaches and past commissioners, make up the teams.using ratings and their personal knowledge to make them balanced.

Under 12 through Under 14
All the coaches in these divisions work together to create teams that are as equal in ability as possible using a Blind Draft. Then the teams are assigned to the coaches at random, but based on the coaches’ previously stated practice day preferences. Since the head coach will be allowed to have his own child on his/her team, in many cases, one other player originally on that coach’s assigned team will have to be transferred to another team to restore the parity upset when a coach’s child has above-average or below-average ability. In a blind draft, when the coaches are creating the teams, they do not know whether they are creating their own team or one his/her team will have to compete against. They do know that all but one of the teams will be opponents. Consequently, they have great incentive to use all their knowledge to create teams that are as equal as possible.
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Steps in Conducting a Blind Draft

1. Player ratings prepared by the prior year coaches are obtained in advance of the draft meeting by the divisional commissioners.
2. The divisional commissioners prepare a listing of all players and their practice day choices, which are coded so that coaches are unable to recognize the players’ preferred practice days. This helps in keeping the draft “blind.”
3. At the draft meeting, coaches review and discuss player ratings, adjusting them as necessary.
4. Coaches draw lots to determine the drafting order, and the practice days they are drafting for. The practice days are still coded so that the coaches are unaware of the practice day that they are drafting for.
5. Siblings must play together, unless otherwise requested by their parents. When one sibling is drafted, the same coach must select the other one with the next available pick.
6. At the completion of the draft, there is a “reality check to ensure each team is internally balanced (e.g., each team has a goalkeeper or two, and no team has all forwards, etc.) and that the teams appear to be of similar strength.
7. Once the coaches agree that the teams appear balanced, the divisional commissioner allocates a team to each coach. This is done by giving a coach the only team that has been selected for the only day he/she can coach, or in the case of multiple availability days, a drawing of lots determines the allocation of the teams.
8. Now the coaches own children can be added to their teams. In those cases where Coaches’ children are above or below average, trades need to take place to restore the balance of the teams. Trades must be agreed to by all coaches.
9. At the completion of the above step, all team rosters are FINAL. In the event of late sign ups and/or drop outs, the divisional commissioner should contact all team coaches to obtain their agreement on any team changes.

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Conclusion
Of course, no system is perfect. However, with some planning and forethought, and honest and genuine cooperation from the coaches, the above steps will result in a more balanced and enjoyable season for the kids, the coaches and the spectators.

Practices - how often, at what time, for how long and where? Practices are held once a week. On your child’s registration form, you will include information as to when your child is available to practice. Players are allocated to teams primarily based on these preferences. The time of the practices are determined by each coach. At the younger age groups, coaches limit their practices to about an hour. Older teams may practice for longer. Teams within the same division (age group) practice at the same location,

Why can't my daughter keep her earrings on?
Safety on the field is the first responsibility of every coach, referee, and all other AYSO officials.  AYSO rules, and indeed FIFA Laws of the Game, specifically prohibit the wearing of jewelry by players. Players may not wear any earrings, bracelets, watches, barrettes, or any object that could possibly cause injury to him/herself or another player at a practice or in a game. Earrings will not be allowed, and covering them with tape/band aids is not permitted.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  If there is concern about removing earrings for an hour and a half, please encourage your daughter to have the piercing well before the season starts or to defer piercing her ears until after the season has concluded.

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What sort of hair clip can my child wear?
Metal and plastic hair clips are not allowed on the field for practice or during a game.  Players with long hair may wish to wear soft hair ties such as "Scrunchies". While coaches have initial responsibility for the proper dress of all players, the referee has the final authority to decide if an article of clothing is unsafe.

How are injuries handled during a match?
The referee shall decide when to stop play to take care of an injury. At the younger ages (U6 and U8) the referees are encouraged to stop play immediately if there is even a remote chance that someone is hurt. Older players may attempt to feign an injury as a tactical move, or may "bounce back" from a minor fall. As a courtesy, a team is encouraged to kick the ball out of play, as the referee can most easily deal with the injury at that time. If a serious injury occurs, the referee will stop play as soon as he / she becomes aware of the injury. A player that is bleeding shall not participate in the match until the bleeding has stopped, and any blood on his / her clothing is covered or removed. (New parents: this seldom occurs.)

The doctor said that my son can play with his arm splint.
Why won't AYSO let him play?
While the doctor may be representing your son's interest appropriately, the risk to other players mandates that he limit his participation to that of moral support on the sidelines.  Players may not wear casts or splints which could possibly cause injury to him/herself or another player. NO EXCEPTIONS.  This applies at the games as well as at practices. If the player removes the splint to play soccer, a doctor’s letter stating that this is permissible is required.

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What about eyeglasses and hearing aids?
Glasses and hearing aids may be worn to practices and games with parental permission.  The referee may want confirmation from a parent that they recognize these items may be dangerous to their child. The use of sports-glasses is recommended. For the safety of the wearer, we also recommend that the hearing aid wires be taped with surgical tape to prevent them getting caught in another player’s hands, arms or hair.

What type of shoes are required, and what about soccer cleats?
Players do not have to have cleats - sneakers are fine, especially for younger players, however in wet conditions, they are likely to slip often if they are not wearing cleats.  If you buy cleats for your child, be sure to purchase soccer cleats.  If you already have cleats designed for another sport, referees may be concerned about their potential danger to other players. The usual remedy is for the toe cleat to be cut off to permit the shoes' use for soccer.