Fall Soccer – General Information

AYSO Region 13 is an all-volunteer soccer organization, providing safe, fun, and fair soccer programs for kids in Pasadena, La Cañada, Altadena, and nearby areas. In the regular Fall League, about 2500 kids play soccer, mostly on Saturdays, from Labor Day through early December*. 

Most teams practice one evening a week, and play a game every Saturday (except Thanksgiving weekend). For most age divisions, there are 11 games, followed by a single-elimination playoff tournament for the 10U and older divisions. By coaching, refereeing, or managing your child’s team, you make it happen. Children 10 and older can also referee!

Important points

• • For the preschool kids (4U & 5U), There’s one game per week, on Saturday morning. It is always at the same time.
  • For the 6U – 14U teams (Core program), there’s one practice per week and one game on Saturday.
  • For older kids (16U – 19U), there are more practices and games may be on Sundays.
  • Practices are always at the same place and time, when the coach is available.
  • The game schedule for 6U – 19U will be available in late August.
  • For children with special needs, the VIP program meets 1-2 times per week. Last year, it was Sunday and Wednesday afternoons.
  • If you coach multiple teams, your kids’ practices can be back-to-back, and the games will generally be scheduled not to be at the same time.
  • The practices and games are mostly in Pasadena, La Cañada, and Altadena. AYSO uses every available piece of flat land.
  • Sponsorship opportunities are available. 

Region 13 is an all-volunteer soccer organization, providing safe, fun, and fair soccer programs for kids in Pasadena, La Cañada, Altadena, and nearby areas.

* Payers born 2005-2009 are in the Upper Division (16U and 19U) program.

* Players born 09/02/18 – 09/01/20 are in the Preschool (4U and 5U) program.

Registration

Players register online, starting May 1. If you wait long enough, there will be a waiting list. 

AYSO means volunteering. If there are 9 players on a team, and each team needs two coaches, two referees, and a manager, then that means you are  probably doing one of those jobs. Fortunately, AYSO provides an accredited curriculum for teaching you to be a coach, and AYSO referees get the best training and mentoring in youth soccer. You’ll be able to apply to volunteer, and authorize a background check, when you register your child. Coach and referee classes happen in July-August.

Players are assigned teams on a first-come, first served basis, and the number of teams will depend on how many parents volunteer to coach and referee. Players whose parents volunteer have priority, and if you are the head coach for more than one team, the games will be scheduled as conveniently as possible. Please register early, to give the coaching staff time to create balanced teams. Usually, everyone who registers before July 15 can be placed on a team.

You may register in any AYSO region. Region 13 practices and plays on fields in Pasadena and La Cañada.

Region 13 additionally has volunteers to run the “back office” and make it easier for you to be a team coach or referee. Coaches will be able to manage their roster through Google Sheets, and referees will have a new scheduling web site, with mobile upload of game cards.

I volunteered to coach my son’s very first AYSO soccer team to ensure he had fun. I never expected the strong community we parents developed among ourselves and the players. Seeing my son have a great time makes me want to sign him up for the next season; reflecting on the strong bonds I developed with the players and the parents makes me excited about volunteering once again.

— Tavo Zavala, volunteer soccer coach

Volunteers

Region 13 works because over 800 dedicated and friendly people make it happen. Every fall when there isn’t a pandemic, over 200 teams play more than 1500 games. This requires the coordinated efforts of hundreds of volunteers including coaches, referees, team managers, parents, and administrative staff.

Each team needs a Head Coach, an Assistant Coach, two Referees, and a Team Manager. When you register your child, even if you don’t know anything about soccer, you will be invited to apply to coach, referee, or manage a team. A team with 8-10 players needs 5 parents to run it, as on any given Saturday, one or two of those parents are bound to be working or out of town. Just be ready to help kids have fun, and we’ll teach you everything else you need to know. Coach and referee training classes are offered from June through September.

What’s the commitment? Coaches and referees take a class. The easiest way to start is with the 4-hour 8U Referee class when your kids are young, and the next year take the 4-hour Regional Referee Upgrade class, which is valid through 12U. Coaches generally take one class every other year. Coaches run one practice per week, and at least one coach attends each game. Referees in 6U-8U officiate their own child’s games. If you were going to watch the game anyway, you might as well be a referee and get a better view! For 10U and older, you would referee the game before your child’s, or trade assignments to fit your schedule, so you can watch your child play without having to stress about where the offside line is. Region 13 asks teams to have two coaches and two referees so that each can miss a few practices or games. Within age groups, all the volunteers work collectively as a team, and can cover for each others’ absences so that it’s safe, fun, and fair for the kids. You’ll also take a Safe Haven course, which reminds us to prioritize safety, plus state-mandated online Concussion Awareness and Sudden Cardiac Arrest awareness.

Region 13 especially invites moms to coach and referee! Region 13 was a pioneer in offering a girls’ soccer league, and invites you to participate in The Sisterhood Of Soccer, which mentors coaches and referees and encourages girls and women to enjoy the beautiful game of soccer at all ages of life.

Teams

Each division (e.g. “G10U” or “B6U”) is organized by a Division Coach Administrator (DCA), who assigns players and volunteers to teams. For 6U and older, girls and boys have separate divisions. (Register your child according to how they identify.) For the 4U and 5U divisions, everyone plays at the same time in the same place, so you don’t have to worry about scheduling.

You can expect to hear from your child’s coach by mid-August. If you haven’t by August 20, please write to your DCA.

Note that division titles are a bit misleading – the term “12U” sounds like it means “12 and Under,” which is why it may seem like your child is too young for the age group. But it actually means “Under 12 for next summer” – everybody in the age group is either 10 or 11 years old in the Fall of 2024 – so your child will be playing in the appropriate two-year division.

** There is an overlap between the oldest 8U players and the youngest 10U players. Players born 9/2/16 – 12/31/16 may choose to play either in the 8U division, with kids in their grade, or in the first year of 10U, where we keep score, maintain standings, and hold a championship tournament in December. 8U players can join Grad Series, and 10U players can try out for All-Stars. Don’t panic! You can change your mind up until July 15 — just email [email protected]. Expect the registration system to place players born on Sept 1 into the wrong division. These will be manually adjusted before teams are assigned.

The youngest players, in 4U (playground) and 5U (schoolyard), play in a jamboree format, usually on Saturday morning at Victory Park, divided into two groups, most likely at 8am and 9am. There are no formal teams. The program is run by experienced coaches and professional trainers.

In the “Friendly” divisions, 6U, 7U, and 8U, age groupings correspond to California school-age cutoff dates, so that players are more likely to be grouped within their school grade. If your child started school a year late, she will play with the next older grade. Most soccer leagues use birth years instead, so your friends in neighboring towns may have different experiences.

In 6U – the youngest division with teams – the DCAs try to put kids from the same school together on a team (provided that enough parents volunteer to coach and referee), and DCAs may consider other special requests.

In 7U and 8U, the DCAs will consider special requests, such as a team mostly from a school or class, provided there are enough volunteers and the teams can be balanced over the entire division. Since kids are not born in uniform batches of 8, we can not promise to honor all requests.

In the competitive divisions (10U, 12U, 14U), players are assigned to teams to balance the skill levels so that the games are fun, fair, and safe. The teams are formed by an algorithm that distributes players and volunteers uniformly among the teams. The team formation is conducted by a volunteer who does not have a child or relative in the division, supervised by a neutral board member. Coaches are unable to choose specific players.

In Region 13, every child on a 10U-14U team will play for at least 3/4 of a game, which demands that teams be smaller than in some other AYSO regions. After 11 weeks of pool play, teams play in a tournament against other teams of similar ability. Some teams may finish undefeated, and others might end up winless, but we do our best to start the season as balanced as possible. Siblings in the same division will be placed together, but we can’t offer to place buddies on the same team.

In the Upper Division (16U and 19U), the season starts in August so as not to conflict with the High School season that starts in late November. Games are on Saturdays and Sundays, against other teams from the San Gabriel Valley. Players should expect to continue a tradition of competitive and successful teams. Players with club or high school soccer experience are invited to join, as AYSO guarantees playing time to everyone, and all games are relatively nearby. Coaches in Upper Division have an Intermediate or Advanced Coach certificate and a track record of success through positive coaching.

Equipment

All you need are a soccer ball, shinguards, and a water bottle.

AYSO provides uniforms, and each coach receives a team equipment kit.

Soccer cleats are optional, and many kids find sneakers more comfortable. There will be a used cleat exchange before the season starts. Cleats must have soft studs, and may not have a toe stud (as with baseball cleats).

Schedule

Team rosters are sent to coaches in early August. Practice days are assigned in mid-August, and the game schedule is published on ayso13.org toward the end of August.

• • The younger teams (6U – 8U) use the fields first, usually starting at 5 – 6 pm, once a week for an hour.
  • The middle teams (10U, 12U) practice once a week for 90 minutes, usually starting later, 6 or 6:30 pm.
  • Older teams (14U) get the fields after that, starting around 7 to 7:30 pm
  • The middle- and high-school ages (16U, 19U) train twice a week for 90 minutes, with start times around 8 or 8:30 pm.

Fall season games start the Saturday after Labor Day and run through the week before Thanksgiving, with playoffs (10U – 14U only) the one or two weekends after Thanksgiving. Please refer to the maps and schedules. The first game is always a learning experience for everyone. Don’t worry, that score won’t count toward the season standings.

Almost all games for the players in Divisions 6U through 14U are played on Saturdays. The only exception might be to make up for weather reasons or to resolve a tie in the standings. Divisions 10U through 14U have a single-elimination playoff tournament the two weeks after Thanksgiving, and the winners of that play the following weekend in the Area 1-C playoffs. Winners of that advance to the Section 1 playoffs in Riverside in February.

Upper Division teams (16U and 19U) play teams from other AYSO Regions in Area 1-C, nearby in the San Gabriel Valley. Most of these games are Sundays and a few weekday evenings. The AYSO season (including playoffs) for these divisions runs from early August through mid-November, to avoid conflicting with the high school season.

Safety

Shinguards are required for all games and practices.

Please, please, please, do not get your ears pierced until after the season ends. Your child must remove earrings, hair beads, bracelets, and necklaces in order to practice or play. Kids do sometimes bonk heads, and earrings or beads can cause serious injury. This is a Law Of The Game throughout all soccer.

Casts and rigid braces are also not allowed. It’s nearly impossible to avoid unintentional contact, and it’s painful and dangerous to hit or be hit by another player.

Similarly, bracelets, even if of religious significance, must be removed to protect against snagging someone else’s finger. It is not acceptable to cover earrings or bracelets with tape or padding.

Kids get hurt, and they recover. AYSO tracks injuries and carries supplemental medical insurance.

Spectators

Region 13 is a friendly and supportive community of families. You can support your child’s team and coach by providing positive encouragement. 

Keep in mind that something as simple as “Shoot!” or “Pass it!” are interpreted as instructions and tend to confuse players more than help, as these instructions can be contrary to what the coach has asked the team to do. Bob Ross rules apply: there are no mistakes, only happy accidents to adapt to and learn from.

30 years ago, coaches might have urged defenders to kick the ball out of bounds. Today, AYSO teaches coaches to use more effective methods.  If you want to get good at dribbling past someone, you have to keep doing it until it works. Please let the coach take the lead in instructing the team.

Great sportsmanship means cheering for outstanding efforts by both teams. Region 13 spectators are always positive and encouraging to the volunteer referees, volunteer coaches of the opposing team, and all children at the field. We’re all here to have fun! You’ll know it’s been a good game when your child’s opinion of the final score differs from yours. Celebrate living in the moment! (Just nod and agree with whatever she says.)

Region 13 trains, mentors, and recognizes the efforts of volunteers. Parents are asked to provide regular feedback on coaches and referees. You can always find the links in the Forms menu on ayso13.org.

Schedule

The game and practice schedules are typically created in late August or early September (after all field permits are secure). Parents are often concerned about the scheduling of practices and games, especially with multiple children in the program. Games are scheduled so that coaches and referees don’t have to be in two places at once, so it’s important to identify these volunteers early. The only way to have a say in your schedule is to volunteer early.

Practices begin the day after Labor Day. Head coaches select their practice nights, so if you need a specific day of the week, we recommend you volunteer to coach. Otherwise, we can try, but can’t promise, to fulfill any requests to avoid a certain night of practice.

COVID

Region 13 will follow the LA County guidelines, whatever those are at the time.

Refunds

If, for any reason, you need to withdraw from the program, see the instructions for requesting a refund. If you have questions about volunteering or about registration, you can write to [email protected]. You can also reach out to your Division Coach Administrator.

Thank you for being a part of the Region 13 soccer community!

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