This fall, AYSO Region 70 will be participating in a pilot program for skilled players who want more competitive play and increased training inside the parameters of the AYSO philosophies. The AYSO EXTRA program will resemble our traditional tournament team structure: Players must try out to make a team, and the teams will compete against other competitive (i.e. tournament caliber) teams in Area 1-P (Los Angeles).
Unlike the traditional tournament team program, however, the EXTRA program will begin in late August and will essentially run side-by-side with the regular program. Players who are chosen for an EXTRA team will participate only on their EXTRA team, and will play a regular fall season against other EXTRA program teams from the neighboring Area 1-P regions (i.e., Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, etc.). At the conclusion of the regular season, the EXTRA teams will participate in an Area-wide tournament, and the champions will go on to play in the Section tournament in Riverside. EXTRA teams will be coached by highly-qualified AYSO volunteer coaches, but will also have available professional trainers to assist with practices.
The AYSO EXTRA program is designed to provide an additional opportunity for skilled players who want to further develop their abilities and play against more-advanced opponents, but in an environment governed by core AYSO philosophies, such as positive coaching and everyone plays. Although this is the first year for the program in our Area, it has been run successfully in other regions over the past several years. It is envisioned that the EXTRA program will ultimately provide a complete competitive soccer alternative for players who would otherwise consider leaving the AYSO program to participate in traditional club soccer.
The current Area 1-P Extra Program Guidelines are available here.