Dear parent,

Happy New Year!  Hope you all got to enjoy some time off from soccer season.  I am writing to let you know about our upcoming Spring Season for our 10/12/14U and Upper Division players.

10/12/14U Framework

• Season Start: Likely the weekend of March 25
• Season End: Last possible day would be Sunday, May 21
• 4 weekends (exact weekends TBA.  Definitely no games on Easter Weekend and on the weekend of April 22-23),
• 1 game Saturday and 1 game Sunday, 8 guarantee games.  Playoffs format will depend on the number of teams entered in each division.
• Similar to All-Stars, games will be held throughout Area 1C.  Live Oak will only be able to host a limited number of games for certain divisions on Saturdays.
• 2 flights (divisions):
  • Blue Flight - teams containing Sectional All-Stars/Club/EXTRA players.  This will be a highly competitive division.
  • Red Flight (Area might call it something else) - balanced teams that would resemble regular season teams.  This is a developmental division.  This would also be suitable for players wanting to play up (ie. Grad Series teams playing in 10U).
• Referee requirement:
  • Blue Flight - same team referee certification requirements as All-Stars (please see the page 13 and 14 of the combined rules in the Area 1C website).
  • Red Flight - minimum of three Regional referees per team.

16/19U Framework

• One game each Sunday (5 guaranteed games, no game on Easter)
• Season start: Sunday, March 26
• Regular season end: Sunday, April 30
• Semifinal and final matches will be on May 7 

Cost: $75, includes uniform, but no pictures

How to register your players:

Please register for the Spring Core season at ayso98.org.  Registration is open on a Waitlist basis.  We will enroll all players on the Waitlist initially as we don't know how many teams we can form in each division (we need enough players, coaches, referees and practice field space).  With Waitlist registration, families won't be billed until we are certain we can field a team (at that point we will move a player off the Waitlist).

Please email me and cc Jeff Hsu, our Coach Administrator, if you would like to coach a team.  Please also register yourself on ayso98.org as a volunteer for the Spring Core Season in the division(s) you would like to coach.

Questions:

I would like to volunteer as a coach or referee, but I am not certified.  Are there any upcoming Coach and Referee Courses?

Yes, Region 88 (Glendale) will be hosting a coach and referee training day on Saturday, 2/11.  They will hold coach courses (10U and 12U) that morning and a Regional Referee Companion course that afternoon with LiveScan during lunch.  Will advise once they have added those courses onto AYSOU.  If you are a new coach, please make sure you first complete your SafeHaven online modules (AYSO SafeHaven, CDC Concussion, and Sudden Cardiac Arrest), and SafeSport.  You will need those certifications for all volunteering roles.  Please reach out to Maria Garner, if you have any questions about certifications.

What division would my player be in?

The division cut off for the Fall season is effective for the entire 22-23 year.  If your player played 10U this past fall, he/she would still be able to play 10U this spring.  Your player’s division will be automatically selected during registration based on his/her birthdate and gender.

What happens if my player wants to play up (ie. 8U players who will finish Graduation Series wanting to play 10U)?

In this case, please register for the 8U division.  Our registrar and I will then move the 8U players up to the 10U division when we start forming teams.  Please note we will not be running an 8U program this spring, as Temple City Park & Rec is already offering a Mini-Soccer program for players aged 7 and below.

How many teams will we be looking at?

We should have one team max in Blue flight.  I can see us fielding one to two Red flight teams in each division.  We will be playing against teams from other regions (Pasadena, Arcadia, Alhambra, South El Monte, Boyle Heights, San Gabriel, and possibly South Pasadena).

How will the players be selected?

Blue flight coaches will select their players.  The backbone of those teams will be the Sectional All-stars, supplemented with players from the Area All-star team.

If we only have one Red flight team in a division, then the coach would select his/her players. 

If we have multiple Red flight teams in a division, then coaches would have a draft to ensure balanced teams.

Given each team needs multiple referees and a team manager, players with parents who volunteer will have significant priority.  There is a very good possibility that not all players will be placed onto a team.

Where would the teams practice?

We have requested access to the western most part of Live Oak Park for practice.  We are still in the process of working out with Park & Rec, TCALL and TCASA regarding the specifics.  We should be able to have enough practice space for at least 10 to 12 teams at Live Oak Park.  Will need to find more space if we have more teams than that.

Please reach out if you have any additional questions.  Thank you.

Best regards,

Owen Hou