Core Program

At the core of what we do is our youth soccer program for players from age 4 to age 19. We have teams starting with four-year olds (called U5 because they are "under five years old" on July 31 before the season starts. We also have single-year age groups for U6 through U12, then a two-year age group (U14) for 12 and 13 year olds, and a U19 age group for high school aged kids. If you have any question about what division your child should be playing in, see the What's My Division page.

AYSO takes a progressive approach to soccer, with the U5 game being very simple and the number of players, size of the fields, and the modifications of the laws of the game changing as they build up to the full 11-a-side game at U14. For the details see the At-a-Glance page.

For our players, the season begins with a call from the coach sometime in the third week of August. In that call, the coach announces when and where the team meeting will be held, when practices happen, and when the games will be. Then the team gets together for two or three weeks of practices before the first of eight games. Those games happen on eight consecutive Saturdays in September and October. Then the team takes a break from November to February. Sometime in February, the coach calls again, and the team gets together for another eight games on Saturdays in March and April.

Special Programs

In addition to regular season soccer, AYSO Region 104 offers a wide array of special programs so that "everyone plays." These programs include opportunities for every player to improve his or her skills, opportunities for motivated, talented players to play more and improve their skills in a competitive environment, and opportunities for players with physical, mental, and developmental challenges to play soccer.

PowerSkills

Along with the 16 games and 20 weeks of coaching that players get as part of the core program, all players are invited to PowerSkills. PowerSkills is a series of four 2-hour training sessions at the start of the spring and fall seasons. Sessions are held on the two Saturdays before the first game of the season and the two Sundays after the first game. Through this program, players can get as much as 16 hours of additional coaching from some of our most experienced coaches.

VIP Program

For physically, mentally, and developmentally challenged players, AYSO offers the Very Important Player (VIP) program. Elementary school, middle school, high school, and adult teams are available.

Advanced Competition Teams

For players in the core program who are ready to play competitive soccer, we offer Advanced Competition Teams (ACT). ACT teams have tryouts to select players during the fall season, then practice together and play in tournaments during and after the regular soccer season. ACT players continue to play on their regular season teams in addition to their ACT teams.

Challenge Teams

The most competitive program in AYSO is the Challenge Teams Program. Challenge teams are formed through tryouts at the end of the spring season. Challenge teams play the against the City's club teams instead of the regular AYSO schedule and in tournaments during and after the season.