AYSO Region 68 : Frequently Asked Questions

  1. When will I hear from a coach?  Coaches receive team rosters at Coach Orientation Meetings held in late July.  They are instructed to contact players immediately.
  1. ItŐs August 1st and I havenŐt heard from a coach, what should I do?  Sometimes coaches are on vacation, if you havenŐt been contacted by August 7, e-mail the appropriate Director of Players.
  1. When does registration end?  If we have an opening in a division, we take registrations through the second Saturday of the season.  We anticipate many divisions will reach capacity before this date.  Once a division reaches capacity, players are put on a waiting list and checks are held.  If we donŐt place them by the second Saturday, the checks will be returned.
  1.  When do teams start practicing?  Coaches cannot hold practices before August 1st.  We encourage coaches in non-competitive divisions (U8 and younger) to wait until August 15 to start.
  1. Why are roster sizes limited?  AYSO National Guidelines require each child play at least half the game.  Six years ago, Region 68 went a step further and required all players on teams in the U7 through U14 divisions to play ¾ of each game.  U5 and U6 play at least 2/3 of a game.  These playing time requirements determine roster size.  Exception – if your child arrives late to a game, quarters missed can count as quarters played.
  1. How often do teams practice?  U5 and U6 usually practice once a week.  U7 and U8 practice once or twice a week.  U10 and older normally practice twice a week.
  1. How long is practice?  U5 and U6 usually practice for about 45 minutes.  U7 and U8 practice for about an hour.  U10 and older normally practice for 90 minutes.  No team can practice for longer than 90 minutes.  A team can have no more than three events per week (games and practices).
  1.  When and where are games?  Opening day is the Saturday after Labor Day.  The fall season lasts 10 weeks.  For competitive divisions, Championship Day is held on the 11th Saturday.  All games are played at Freedom Park in the 8 am – 6 pm time frame.  The U16/19 division may play some Sunday games.
  1. Can I request only morning (or afternoon) games?  With 300 teams and 150 games per day, no requests can be honored.
  1. Why arenŐt player requests allowed in competitive divisions?  Two reasons – (1) one of the five philosophies of AYSO is balanced teams, every effort is made to try to keep the teams as evenly balanced as possible and (2) with 300 teams and 2500 players it would be physically impossible to form teams if we honored player requests.  Besides, making new friends is one of the benefits of playing youth sports!
  1. My child can only practice on certain days (or times), what should I do?  Teams typically practice Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs.  Coaches chose practice days and times.  If you absolutely canŐt make those days/times, ask the coach to contact the Division Director with your problem.  If we find out soon enough, we may be able to make an adjustment – no promises.
  1. We registered a child, but we are moving, can we get a refund?  A full refund is available if we are notified before August 15th.  A partial (50%) refund is available between August 16 and the second Saturday of the season.  After the second Saturday of the season there are no refunds To request a refund, e-mail the Registrar (link on website) to begin the refund process, please donŐt expect the coach or another board member to do this for you.  The process does not begin until the Registrar is notified.  Paperwork must be recovered from the coach before a refund check can be written so please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.  
  1. I filled out a volunteer application on eayso, am I a registered volunteer?  Not quite.  Eayso is your preregistration.  You will need to print out your volunteer form and bring it along with a picture ID to a Coach Orientation, Coach Training, Referee Training, or Team Parent meeting so a person with CVPA (Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate) training can verify your identity.  Child Protection Laws require us to visually verify every volunteer. 
  1.  How long after the visual identity check will it take before I get an AYSO ID?  The CVPA will register you as soon as possible.  With 1000+ volunteers, this may take another week or so.  
  1. Does AYSO conduct background checks of every volunteer?  An in-depth background check is conducted of all volunteers who answer yes to one of the questions on the volunteer form.  All volunteers are run through data bases such as those resulting from MeganŐs Law.
  1. How do I become a Referee?  Go to the ŇRefereeÓ section, look up training dates, and attend U8 or Regional Referee training.
  1. Is there a cost involved to attend coach or referee training?  All training is provided free of charge to any registered volunteer who wants to become more involved in our program.