What does my registration fee cover?

 Aside from having the opportunity to play in the recreational soccer program, each player gets a new uniform and trophy.  Kindergarten players also receive a pair of shinguards.  Equipment maintenance also takes a large bite out of the registration fees B new nets, goals and soccer balls each year do add up!  In addition, part of your fee is paid to the Town of New Castle for field use fees, the AYSO national organization (through which we are insured) and the local-area AYSO organization covering, in part, costs associated with their organizing area-wide games for the upper divisions.

Can I coach my child?

AYSO is always looking for responsible parents to serve as coaches.  However, we require our coaches to go through some training.  Each coach must take the "Safe Haven" course which provides basic information on how to be a youth sports coach.  In addition, each coach must take coaching courses B and become "certified" B for the specific age group that he/she wants to coach.  The courses are offered by various AYSO Regions (including our own) around the area.  We'll keep you posted on their availability and we'll even pay the fees associated with the courses.  Volunteers that are "Safe Haven" and coaching certified will be given preference for coaching positions over non-certified volunteers.  In addition to the certification courses, we offer coaching clinics to help sharpen skills and to even learn a thing or two. 

But even if you can not coach, there are other opportunities to help out.  (See below.) 

How are the kids placed on teams? 

At the Kindergarten level, we try to balance the teams so as to have an even distribution of boys and girls, and to have a cross-section of players from each of the 3 elementary schools. 

At the end of each Spring, the coaches rate their players.  So, at the upper levels, we try to balance the teams based on the ratings.  Here too, we try to make sure that the various schools are represented on each team so that your child should see some familiar faces at that first team meeting or practice.

Can I request that my child be placed on a team with another child? 

You can make the request.  At the younger levels, we try to honor those requests as long as they are within reason.  (A request that players A and B be on the same team is a lot easier to accommodate than an request for players W, X, Y and Z to play together.) 

At the older divisions, a request may not be possible based on the players' ratings.  For example, we can not place 3 highly talented players together on one team because that would create an imbalance among the teams. 

Why is AYSO offering "fall only" registration?

Despite our best scheduling efforts, in the Spring our children are sometimes confronted with conflicts among soccer/baseball/softball/lacrosse practices and games, as well as other activities.  To help address the activity overload and field stress in the Spring, players in the U-10, U-12, U-14, U16 and U19 Programs will have the opportunity to register for both the Fall and Spring seasons, or the Fall only at the annual AYSO registration in the Spring.  This will relieve the players and parents from the daunting proposition of juggling their multiple commitments.   

Will teams be reformatted in the Spring? 

Efforts will be made to retain the same teams in the Spring as in the Fall.  However, reduced roster numbers may lead to combined or reconstituted teams. 

Why isn't "fall only" registration available for divisions K, U7 and U8? 

The time commitment for K, U7 and U8 is still only 1 day (Saturday) per week for soccer.  At the same time, the baseball and softball commitments do not overburden the children at these age groups.  (There is no lacrosse for these age groups.)  Thus, the time demand does not (yet) warrant the reduced registration. 

I heard that there is no longer a "Select" or "Extra" program in AYSO.  Is that true? 

AYSO will have an "Extra" program.  But it will live up to its name and be a truly "extra" B not a "select" B program.

How will the "Extra" program be run? 

The AYSO Extra program will be made available to all AYSO registrants who have the competitive desire for Extra soccer each week.  The program will start with children entering AYSO's U-10 division (a two year grouping of children generally in 3^rd and 4^th grades).  For the 3^rd graders (U-9), the program will begin in the Fall as an extra weeknight practice open to all interested players, with an emphasis on enhanced training in skills and team play.  The Extra coaches will choose from among the Extra players one or more teams to participate in the AYSO Wizard of Oss Tournaments in the Fall and Spring.  

For U-10 players and older, AYSO Extra will be open to all players with the interest and commitment to enhance their skills and game playing ability.  Depending on the number of interested players, the Extra program in each age group may consist of individual teams or large groups.  The Extra coaches in each age group, in conjunction with the AYSO Extra coordinator, will be responsible for formulating each age group's program based on the number of players, field availability and level of interest.  If there are a large number of players in an age group, the coaches and AYSO Extra coordinator will determine an appropriate number of teams to enter into the Area-wide Extra schedule.  Not all players will play in an Extra game each week.  Players will be chosen to play in the Extra game(s) on a weekly basis. 

The size and scope of the Extra program will be limited by field constraints and the availability of qualified coaches.  However, it will remain a truly "Extra" program and all Extra players must participate fully on their regular AYSO teams. 

Costs of the Extra program (such as trainers) will be borne by the participants. 

Where do the referees come from? 

In short, they come from you.  We always need parents to volunteer to serve as referees.  We ask that each team in U10 and up have a parent that can step in and ref a game if a ref is otherwise unavailable.  Unfortunately, we have not had a lot of success in having parents step into this role. 

We also use high school students to ref games for U10 and U12.  But sometimes, we just do not have enough refs to go around.  Hopefully, you can help us out.