Meltdown Tournament
February 11th and 12th
After a hard winter, the AYSO Meltdown is just the thing to defrost your players and allow them to shake off the ice and get ready for the 2012 spring season. The tournament will be held on 15 fields at the beautiful State Championship Soccer Complex in Bernalillo, just a few minutes north of Albuquerque.
See the Meltdown page for all the details.
Links
Welcome
Welcome to AYSO Region 104 serving the youth of Albuquerque, New Mexico since 1978. We are the largest recreational youth soccer organization in town, with hundreds of local volunteers and about 3500 soccer players ranging from 4 to 19 years of age.
The American Youth Soccer Organization set out in 1964 to accomplish two goals. First, to promote soccer to American youth. If you've driven around Albuquerque lately and seen the number of parks filled with soccer players, you can see that goal has been accomplished. Second, to improve the way youth sports are conducted. AYSO wants to change the traditional youth sports paradigm where some kids never get to play and the only communication between coach and players involves the command "Drop and give me 20." How does AYSO accomplish that? Our mission is to develop and deliver quality youth soccer programs in a fun, family environment based on AYSO's Six Philosophies:
- Everyone Plays - Our program's goal is for kids to play soccer-so we mandate that every player on every team must play at least half of every game.
- Balanced Teams - Each year we form new teams as evenly balanced as possible-because it is fair and more fun when teams of equal ability play.
- Open Registration - Our program is open to all children between 4 and 19 years of age who want to register and play soccer. Interest and enthusiasm are the only criteria for playing.
- Positive Coaching - Encouragement of player effort provides for greater enjoyment by the players and ultimately leads to better-skilled and better-motivated players.
- Good Sportsmanship - We strive to create a positive environment based on mutual respect rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude, and our program is designed to instill good sportsmanship in every facet of AYSO.
- Player Development - We believe that all players should be able to develop their soccer skills and knowledge to the best of their abilities, both individually and as members of a team, in order to maximize their enjoyment of the game.
AYSO Parent Orientation Video
Are you new to AYSO? Still wondering what this organization is all about? Watch the video to learn more.
Headlines
Articles
Lost and Found Page
Every weekend people leave stuff at the games and often someone at a later game picks it up and says, "I wonder who this belongs to?"
So, take a look at the lost and found tab here on the home page. When you come back from a game missing something or with something you found, please, take a minute to post a note. It's quick and easy.
1000 Minutes to Better Soccer
Attention all players: Do you want to get a party, recognition, and a cool shirt just for increasing your soccer skills? Then join the AYSO 1000 minutes program! Any player from U5 to U19 is encouraged to join. What is the 1000 minutes program? Click here for more information.
Coaches, get your players off to a good start for the season by explaining the 1000 Minutes program and encouraging them to participate. You can give them suggestions for things to work on during their individual practice, or you can have them download the 1000 Minutes Manual and work on foot skills. A little practice goes a long way!
Field Markers
I'll bet you thought field marking happened by magic; illusive fairies descend on the fields at night and paint lines so we can play soccer. Well, it's something like that. It is our dedicated corps of volunteer field markers, often unseen and unacknowledged, who make sure our fields are properly marked for each game. They battle the elements and the city's mowing and watering schedule for the players. So if you happen to see someone paining lines on our fields, take a minute to shake their hand and say, "Thanks!" And if you'd like to volunteer to be a field marker, please e-mail the Field Marking Administrator. He will set you up with equipment and training.
Field Marking Information
Field marking instructions are available on the referee page under "Useful Links." The information is presented as a slide show. Just click on each page to advance, or move your mouse over the lower right corner for more controls. This technology is experimental, so take a look and let the webmaster know if you like it or if you have trouble with it.
Injury Forms
Coaches, remember that if a player ever gets injured at a practice or a game, you are required to fill out an incident form and turn it in to the Safety Director within 24 hours. If you have questions about how to fill out the form, please contact the Safety Director. For more information about the Soccer Accident Insurance, see the information in the Parents section.
Safe Haven (CVP) Training
In an effort to protect all of our players and volunteers, AYSO requires all volunteers who will be working directly with the children to take our Child and Volunteer Protection (CVP) class, called Safe Haven. All coaches, assistant coaches and referees are required to take the class.
Region 104 implements this policy by requiring new volunteers to take the Safe Haven class from a certified instructor. Volunteers are required to take this class once. The best bet for this training is the Annual Coach and Referee Meeting. New referees who miss the Annual Coach and Referee Meeting can get their Safe Haven training as part of their referee clinic. If you are a coach or assistant coach who has never taken the Safe Haven course before, and you miss the annual meeting, you must attend one of the Safe Haven classes shown on the training schedule.
Sandia Volunteer Service Awards
"Sandia Serves"
Attention Sandia National Laboratories Employees - Your Volunteering Efforts May Result in Funding for AYSO! Sandia National Laboratories has a tradition of recognizing the volunteer support of its employees. Realizing that there are many employees involved in a wide variety of civic activities outside of work, they have developed the Community Service Awards program, called "Sandia Serves", to provide financial support for employee involvement.
Sandia National Laboratories employees volunteering 100, 250 or 500 hours to AYSO in a calendar year are eligible to participate. Record your hours by logging on to the Sandia Serves website (accessible from inside Sandia only) or fill out the form in the Service Award Flier and forward to Steve Nickerson for submission with Sandia. If you have questions about the program, you can contact Patty Zamora at 844-2146 or pgzamor@sandia.gov.
If you are a Sandian and you expect to volunteer 100 or more hours to AYSO this year, keep track of you hours, and file the form after the first of the year. If you are coaching an older team, practicing twice a week for 1.5 hours and attending games, you will get about 100 hours over the course of the season, so keep track and submit your hours!