Board Minutes MY2017

PRESENT: Eric Gleske, Humberto Nation, Elaine Markley, Ricardo Letelier, Dan Herford, Vince Waterhaus, Luke Cotton, Juan Fernandez, Chris Jordan , Danny Aynes

MINUTES FOR MARCH MEETING: It was moved by Eric and seconded by Chris that the minutes from the March 15, 2018 meeting be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously.

COACH REPORT: We are currently looking for an Assistant Coach Administrator. If anyone has an idea of someone who models the behavior and philosophies of AYSO let Eric and/or Luke know. The issue of lopsided games was discussed. Because teams were scheduled based on win/loss records from the fall, this should not be happening. It is not job of the referee to resolve the problem, according to Chris. Dan will send out an email to the 8U and 10U coaches to talk about the situation before the game and how they will deal with this if it were to occur. Eric will resend the document on how to deal with the situation. Chris will look at the game cards and alert the referees if there is a team that scored an unusual number of goals the week before.

TEAM FORMATION: It appears the rosters are not accurate for some reason. Hopefully there will be a better handle on the situation in the fall.

REFEREE REPORT: There will be 5 volunteers who will be taking the intermediate referee course; 2 youth referees and 3 adult referees. There has been only about 30% participation from referees who signed up to do this volunteer job. That equates to about 50% of the games have openings for referees each week. Volunteers appear to be afraid to be a center referee. Team managers need to remind their team referee volunteers that they signed up for this job and need to fulfill their commitment.

SPRING SIGN UP AND VOLUNTEERS: Elaine is concerned we are missing a lot of volunteers when players sign up for the spring only. Those families have a late start, not hearing the information at the parent meeting in August. It was suggested that in the future, a parent must pick up a new player uniform rather than the coach and there is a volunteer sign up list at the Information Station to get the new parents in the loop to help in the spring. Each week there have been open slots in concessions and safety.

REGISTRATION FOR MY2018-19: Flyers, electronic version of flyer for school news communication, newspaper article and radio announcements have all been submitted by Elaine for the Fall/Spring 2018-19 registration to be held at the Adams gym/computer lab on May 5 and 12 from 9:00am-2:00pm. Everyone can signup online at home if they are paying with a credit card. Anyone needing to pay with a check or cash or is seeking a scholarship must sign up at Adams on the above dates. 150 scholarships have been budgeted for this next season. Elaine will make stickers for the scholarship forms. Elaine will contact Adams Elementary to see if they will allow us to use the computer lab or if not, do they have a cart of Chrome Books we can borrow for the registration.

ADULT SOCCER: Anton is doing the paperwork for the new Adult Soccer program. The cost would be $40 per player. $30 is a National fee. This would start in the fall of 2018. It will be a separate region and will have to operate independently from AYSO Region 149.

BUDGET: Luke added line items for EXTRA and INDOOR in the budget. He is not sure National will approve of that, but we will try it that way. After some discussion of the budget, it was moved by Chris and seconded by Vince that the budget be accepted only if Joan approves the changes in the program line items. The motion carried unanimously.

BOARD MEMBER POSITIONS: We are looking for more Division Coordinators in both the girls and boys programs. Ideally there would be one person per division, just like we used to do it. We are also looking for a Fields Coordinator. Face to face communication is the best way to find new helpers for the Board. Be visible on Saturday and be friendly and informative to attract interest!

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, May 18 at 7:15pm at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

March 2018

MINUTES FOR MAR 15, 2018

PRESENT: Luke Cotton, Jeff Goodwin, Andy Ungerer, Juan Fernandez, Vince Waterhous, Chris Jordan, Arianne Custer, Elaine Markley, Danny Aynes, Dan Herford, Anton Grube, Mary Cotton

TEAM FORMATION: Andy reported that there were no girls added to any 10U team and only a few in 12U and 15U. The 6U girls will all be placed. There is a wait list in 12U boys and a new 8U boys team will be added to replace the “bye” week. The location will be in the north central area. There is still room in the 15U boys teams. A few players were asked if they would be willing to play up in order to have a spot on a spring team. 5U registration will close on April 5, 2018 according to Mary.

SPRING SCHEDULE: The schedule is still a work in progress. 15U and 19U are in the draft form to make sure the travel schedule is worked out. Blue Sombrero now has the capacity to ignore coach conflicts so the auto scheduler can now be used.

EQUIPMENT & UNIFORMS: A standard form for ordering uniforms makes it much easier to track for Arianne. Every request received will all look the same, making less errors in the order. Luke will inventory the Coach Manuals and order more if necessary. Vince will inventory the Referee Manuals and email Luke the number needed to order. Arianne will take an inventory of all the extra uniforms that arrived last fall and make sure out order is early enough to add to the number of uniforms per division (hoping the styles that were chosen are still available!)

FIELDS: Luke is requesting that the district mow on Thursday so the grass will be short when volunteers re-line the fields. Dates for field work were discussed. Fertilizing and patching will be done on March 17 from 9am-noon. Shed cleanup, metal detecting and marking will be done on March 24 from 9am-noon. Chris and Doug will work on the location of the corners of all fields. The following Saturday, March 31 from 9am-noon moving the goals into place and connecting the dots with the first coat of paint will be done. Volunteers can sign up to help with these field chores and the final lining will be done between 5pm-8:30pm on April 5. If necessary a “last call” will be given for help on Saturday, April 7 before 8am.

REFEREE TRAINING: Regional referee training will be on April 4 and 5 from 6-9pm. The location is TBA. Field training will scheduled for Friday and Saturday. There are 4 volunteers signed up for Intermediate Referee which will be held on April 3 and 4. The refresher course for regional referees will be on April 6 from 6:30-9:00 at the Franklin gym.

COACH TRAINING: The 6U and 8U coach/referee training will be at the Western View Center on April 4 from 6-9pm. Luke will be using a lot of information he gleaned from the EXPO in all the coach training sessions. Chris is requesting that coaches brainstorm a list of how to make the games more equal. The list would be given to all coaches. Chris and Eric will communicate on how and when the staff would intervene when the games are lopsided. Discussion centered around what was lopsided and it appears a 4 goal difference was the consensus. In the younger divisions, a player might be added. It was noted that in 12U and above which plays 11 v 11, that would go against FIFA rules.

TEAM MANAGERS: It appears there might be 5-4 new team managers this spring. Catalina will communicate with those new managers and make sure they are all on board to perform their volunteer job.

PORT-A-POTS: Elaine will order 4 units (3 standard and one oversized) to be delivered to Adams/Westland on April 2. Luke will talk to the district about moving the wooden pallets that are currently stacked in the area where the oversized unit needs to be placed.

SHOE/EQUIPMENT SALE: Catalina and Elaine will work together to recreate a new consignment form reflecting the 50% donation to the scholarship fund for those who want to have us sell their items. The location of the sale will be in front of the Safety/Information station to create better visibility, rain or shine!

REGION 149 TURNS 40: Next membership year, our region will celebrate 40 years of existence. Mary was given the task to brainstorm where young parents would most likely get information about AYSO and target those areas with lawn signs, poster, etc. Different ideas will be considered for the opening of MY2018-19 with a “fun day jamboree” concept to celebrate the 40th year and just have a fun party of casual soccer. More on this later.

MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 23, 2018 MEETING: It was moved by Danny and seconded by Mary that the minutes from the February meeting be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will discuss player evaluation, player registration, 5-a-side, budget approval and season corrections. The date is to be announced at a later date since Andy will be out of town on the third Thursday of April. The meeting will be either April 19 or April 26 at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building starting at 7:15pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

RETREAT NOTES FOR MAR 10, 2018

Retreat Agenda (8:00am - 12:00pm 3/10) - 6050 SW Grand Oaks Dr, Corvallis, OR 97333

Board Member Check-in

Returning?
Award - Andy
Equipment Royal Blue (Lazio 4042 Coat = $42 | Perf Top 4200 = $21 | Santa Monica 670 = $27)

Highlights from EXPO

Coach Changes - new training, new books, changes in language, and improvements in training plans.
Referee Changes - clarifications in PDIs... Vince & Chris?
Management Changes - Updates to CVPA and Safe Haven, issues with our approach to yearly Safe Haven certification, and national office changes.

Budget & NAP

Proposed Budget
Income Allocations (summer, photos, 5-a-side, EXTRA, indoor, )
Change to using NAP only and how you will see future reports/accounting (still the plan Joan?).

MY18 Changes

New referee scheduling system.
Team equipment assembled in advance, bag assembly day.
Board member polo, sweatshirt, or sport coat (& hat).
Coach training changes.
First Saturday kickoff games.

Group Breakout 1

Group: Team Formation - registration questions for Team Formation, training zones, calendar dates, 6U & 8U program changes (Danny), late additions strategy (Juan)
Group: Season Start - team meetings, trainings, communications, uniforms distribution, equipment distribution, fields setup

Breakout Sync Up 1
Group Breakout 2

Group: Registration - late registrations, registration events, pricing, scholarships, registration strategy (Andy)
Group: Programs - existing programs, summer program (Doug), winter program (Futsal), Adult/19U (16U & 14U)

Breakout Sync Up 2

Budget

In preparation of our retreat next weekend, I wanted to get you all thinking about next year’s budget. I have attached a document that has our budget numbers in there from this year and where we are at now for actual numbers. The yellow highlighted numbers are the ones that we will need to discuss this weekend. If you have an idea of what your particular budget should look like for next year please feel free to send me that and I will start to plug in numbers.

Here are some fun facts about this year and items to discuss this weekend:

Revenue brought in from regular registration - $82,500
Revenue brought in from Extra program - $9,266
Revenue brought in from Indoor - $19,078
Amount paid to AYSO for registrants – $19,825 (this is the 17.50/player)
Amount paid in Credit card processing fees - $3,055 (this comes out to about 2.76% on all money that goes through Blue Sombrero)
Donations/Contributions/Fundraising collected so far (use for next year’s scholarships) - $6,037
Donation from Photography - $1,061
Concessions - $2,326
Shoe Swap - $574
Other - $2,076

Items to discuss will include:

How many players we anticipate for next year. It looks like this year, so far, we have 1,133 players? I am not sure how many of those played Indoor or Extra only?
How many scholarships do we anticipate for next year?
We received donations for both Extra and Indoor? That is just a statement and let’s discuss…

Depending on how the budget looks for next year, I don’t anticipate having to dip into the reserve too much – possibly only around $10k to get us through the rest of this year with the payment to the school district. That being said, as of right now, I do not see that we need a fee increase since our budget last year had an $8k surplus built in and we were able to absorb the extra cost on uniforms and most of the payment to the school district within the budget and balances in our checking account. Once we have an idea on budget numbers for next year, I can make a better recommendation on the issue of raising fees for 2018-2019.

Let me know if you have any burning questions that you need answers to before the retreat.

Please see the altered budget attached (v2)

I separated out the Facility Fees as another item, and included the Indoor Sports Park fees in that. I did not see where you had that.
I split the coach and referee items to clearly show the AYSO supply center.
Added line for a late registration fee of $20
It seems that uniforms also includes soccer balls and team equipment? So what is in the equipment item?
Where will the bank fee item go? Can we remove it as an item, and just enter the reduced income from BS?

I took some values from NAP, but it looks like things do not always match up.

Proposal for Simplified 5-A-Side:

Games are scheduled automatically by Blue Sombrero, same game times for all groups.
Teams are built by player registrations in Blue Sombrero & auto Grouped by Team in team builder.
Free agents are grouped together.
Divisions play on a field one size smaller (8U on 6U, 10U on 8U, 12U on 10U, 15U on 12U)
5 vs 5 for 12U & 15U.
4 vs 4 for 8U & 10U (no keepers).
Flowing subs like hockey/indoor.
Fewest stoppages desired.
Most normal restarts, no PKs (like 8U game).
No referee record keeping.
Cost is $5 per player, proceeds go to field reserves.

Proposal for Adult Soccer Program (Age 16+):

Registration is $30 & covers participants over 18 w/ SAI. ($17.5 for under 18)
Group discussion board in Blue Sombrero.
7 Pickup Soccer Events during the season on weekends.
Other ad hoc events can occur as desired.
Depending on Numbers: Structured Teams in Spring (7 Games).
Separate bank account is required, could add $10 for fields & equipment.

I would like to propose Adult Soccer registration this spring with games taking place this fall. My proposal would be that adults would sign up as individuals. Teams would not be created out of these sign ups but rather adults would arrive each day (Saturday or alternate?) at a specified game time and play a "pick up" game by separating teams and playing.

My recommendation is that the cost would be $40 per player annually (Fall and Spring Season) for 7 games. These costs would cover AYSO Nation fees of $17.50, Dri-fit T-shirt (no number) $10, with the remainder going to cover the costs for pinnies, balls and cones as well as credit card fees.

I would like to send out a survey to parents in the first week or two of games to gather data on interest, which day/time of the week would be best, etc.

I wanted to get this information out to the board so that everyone could think about it and offer comments/suggestions/questions ahead of the meeting on Saturday.

AYSO Advanced Coach Instructor Course Notes

Classroom shifts to more interaction in classroom. Online gets them prepped.
University, targeted quiz. Create banter and interaction. Uptake from online get gauged.
Assignment 1 - Match analysis part gets into review of a game, looking focused on a match. Watch whole half and fill out match analysis. Game moment worksheet, start and end, relevance, other moments of support, & appropriate training objective.
Assignment 2 - Bring it to life, who what where when why. Lower ages will see more technical issues. Create training plan for the players related to match analysis.
Assignment 3 - Conduct training session and reflect back on it. Coach evaluation form filled out evaluating self and progressing.
Classroom match analysis, in groups to do analysis. Same game 2nd half of match. Discussion and collaboration. Groups provides presentation. Individual analysis and half time talk. Draft training plan and how you would address issues. Go into exam/quiz.
Grading 45 for pre work, 45 for in person, 10 for reflection.

Team Formation & Registration

Post Mortem - Team Formation
November 6, 2017 7:45 PM

More people seemed to delay signing up, various reasons we think. Some of those will be improved because of getting used to the system and having their login already.
People had to think a differently. Didn't' have to show up at a place.
Oh… I can do this online… mental reminders are different than they used to be
Player Evaluations were not provided by coaches in a timely manner
Didn't know which ones were missing. (Andy's edit: Too many never came in)
(Andy's Edit: Boys/Girls Coordinators and Div Coordinators need to be able to monitor missing evaluations so that they can get coaches to complete them, it should not be Eric's job to do this once he has made the initial request for player evaluations)
Need deadline for evals.
Need player evals end of Fall - need some carrots
Try to get them to do it by the 3rd game of spring
(Andy's Edit: Historically, some coaches will not want to do this so early especially for new players
Is there a BS player eval tool? Make our own entry system, like the surveys?
Registration
- Still want to have computer room available for Blue Sombrero
- Want to speed people up so they are signed up more quickly.
- Latest team formation ever. Late July and through August. (Andy's edit: last year's team formation)
- Prepare for people not remembering their login…. Can't reset the password.
- Get a postcard sized cheat sheet for parents - hand it out early in May thru team managers
- Include a checkbox, task and due date… few details, those are on other sheets or put one website pointing to instructions on postcard
- Something they can put on the fridge or carry in a pocket
- Test ahead of time what it looks like for volunteer with no kid, volunteer with a kid but a new role, youth volunteer, volunteer that is tied to a kid. No need to enter references again…
Blue Sombrero
- Emails - automatic reminders - Team managers training on how to use the team website effectively not to inundate with emails… discussion groups
- Emails are clunky - ?Dan H? Having to sign-in to get the info. From
- Team managers that already send out lots of nice emails about reminders
- Can B.S. turn off the email reminders for events in team website? This for the team managers that really want to send out their own reminder emails with more information included.
- Need to get Board Members off of the 5U volunteer list.
- Need to be able to deactivate an activated player - someone on the wait list was activated, but they don't respond and you don't realize
- Wait List Issue: If someone decides not to play, you have to drop them in order to get another player off your wait list - HOWEVER, BS lets a registered player in to that spot even though there was a player on the wait list. If the max is 80, and there is a wait list, then if you drop a player, then you have 79 and the next person that registers, gets that spot instead of BS waiting for the player on the wait list and just adding that new player to the waitlist. (Andy’s edit: I think that a player can be activated off the Wait List without dropping a player first)
Balanced Teams
- Complaints about teams that are always together year after year
- Probably Newport players are the more serious players because they are willing to travel to Corvallis, so automatically might be better players
- Might have some unbalanced teams - can't eliminate it altogether
- In spring, those teams get seeded.
- Philomath - lots of push back to travel to Corvallis since makes it hard to play volleyball too. (Andy's edit: Girls teams only)
- They don't have club, so tend to stick with AYSO, where Corvallis better players leave AYSO
Spring Openings
- See Wait List issue with dropping players - Don't drop players until we can place people on the wait list.
- How do we find out if they are not continuing? Is there an automated email? A way to respond, or do we ask the team managers to contact them and let someone? Know who is not continuing? (Andy's edit. I assume that we are sending the normal letter to coaches / TM's but by e-mail)

AYSO EXPO Trip Report - Bob Vingelen
My purpose for attending the 2018 EXPO was to learn more about the rapidly growing AYSO United Program and stay on top of the latest U.S. Soccer PDI's and AYSO National Initiatives. These initiatives are integrated into new pathways from the Grassroots AYSO levels to the U.S. National Team. Along with attending AYSO United and U.S. Soccer classes I also attended technical/tactical Coach Workshops to further enhance my role as Boys EXTRA Coordinator.

Classes Attended:

AYSO PLAYER PATHWAY; On Field Lecture with Scott Snyder (AYSO Player Development Specialist) Author of the updated AYSO National Coaching Curriculum, David Thomas (AYSO United/Academy Director), Paul Bright (AYSO United Director of Coaching, served 8 years with Manchester United Academy, Robbie Earle (AYSO United National Technical Director, NBC Sports Broadcaster seen on TV every weekend, Robert Benavidez, and Yvonne Lara.
This round table question and answer segment discussed the current status of AYSO and U.S. Soccer from U4 to Developmental Academies (DA's) to the National Team and the general overall fit of AYSO and U.S. Soccer. Topics included following a European model where the top coaches are with the youngest ages, initiating AYSO United I.D. camps with top level DA players and similar elite programs, U.S. Soccer merging with AYSO in grassroots licensing, etc.
This Q and A segment was followed up with an on field training session with Paul Bright and local AYSO United Players. Paul stressed its not the "what" you are teaching so much as the "how" you are getting it across that seperates good coaches from amazing coaches and maximizes learning and development. He stressed not overloading players with information and following a rule of 3 in all training sessions, meaning 3 key points in each session. A key take home message from this session is the importance that kids ENJOY THE GAME and have fun. Kids want to play not listen to a Coach, keep talking to a minimum, touches and fun to a maximum. This will help best develop players and grow the game of soccer in the U.S.
AYSO UNITED; I attended all 8 Classes and Technical Workshops over the weekend that focused on U.S. Soccer and AYSO United such Leading the Process The U.S. Soccer Way, AYSO Services versus "Pay for Services", The United Way "Creating a Club Culture", AYSO Financial Services "Managing Your Club Accounts", AYSO United-Our National Club Program, Promoting the AYSO Player Pathway, AYSO United "The Coaching Manual" AYSO United Platform, and an invite to sit in on the AYSO United Roundtable for Admins and DOC's only. Here is my best attempt to summarize everything.
AYSO United currently has 26 Clubs in the U.S. They categorize them as Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Many of these clubs were referred to by other names in past two year but now all fall into AYSO United. They strive to shift the focus of AYSO back to soccer versus teaching parents/adults how to be Board Members or part of a Region Board.
They integrated a CAP (Club Accountability Program) that hold coaches to standards, players and parents to standards, provide top notch customer service, and prompt communication, such as minimizing the use of out of office email replies. AYSO United utilizes program fees of $45 and player fees of $17.50. Some United Clubs charge a $1,500 annual player fee, while most are still all volunteer based and only charge base fees.
AYSO United's focus currently is not adding more clubs, but improving and growing the 26 existing ones. Each of these clubs follows National Guidelines but also have flexibility to operate unique to what works in that particular Region and State. Each United Club has a staff that could include a DOC, Assist DOC, Administrator, Registrar, Coaches, Team Managers, and other Parents. Most are all volunteer run, some have paid Admins, DOC's and Coaches in order to draw top level coaches from larger clubs outside AYSO.
Considerations for each Region getting approved to start an AYSO United Program are a player base of 3,000 kids, field availability to support both programs (Core/United), a valid league to play in, and "would it be the best thing for AYSO".
Some of the discussion focused on getting away from coach driven teams as they aren't sustainable long term think more about each player and the entire club not one team with one coach. Examples were Ajax in Holland where they rotate coaches every 6 weeks per team versus the impacts of having the same "Parent Coach" with a group of kids year after year, and what happens when these parents/players age out of the program. The same 6 philosophies that apply to AYSO Core apply to AYSO United and the main philosophy brought up several times and supported by all AYSO United Clubs and National Staff was that EVERY CHILD PLAYS 50% OF EVERY GAME.
AYSO United has an Online Coaching Manual with Curriculum consistent for each of the 26 clubs that leaves room for each Coach or DOC to adjust to fit their needs. The Main Site is open to everyone including players and parents. The United Site is Restricted by log in for DOC's and coaches only and requires a subscription fee. AYSO United has a unique partnership with the Southampton Academy that allows them to video all their training sessions and post these on line to integrate material into training sessions.
The site provides tools for coaches, players, and parents to "Get better at soccer". They stick to the 3 points of focus in every session theme. The site provides age appropriate training session tabs to allow a progression. Coaches and DOC can use the calendar feature to populate and build month by month and year by year sessions. They utilize the same diagram standards integrated by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The information is also organized by themes, can click on key words and multiple sessions and videos pop up.
It was mentioned that trying to get into any other European Club training session is impossible today and the partnership with Southampton is very unique and special opportunity due to the initiation phase occurring when the club was in Division 1 nearly 10 years ago. Southampton has produced loads of home grown talent and none of the material is edited. Viewers catch it all to show that coaches and players are human and occasionally make mistakes during training. This partnership is partly why the manual has a small subscription fee along with the countless hours put in by Chris and Paul to integrate the technical, tactical, and develop the software. Each of the 26 United Clubs can upload and share their own videos to show their own tweaks to their training sessions to show how they integrate their best style and approach to the "how".
Much of the changes within AYSO are also occurring and driven by changes made in the U.S. Soccer Federation. The common goal is to grow the game of soccer within the U.S. There is data that shows kids are not as good coming into programs at an early age compared to years ago, and that kids drop out of soccer by age 13. Focus is changing the culture by making soccer fun again and retaining players. The 4 D's were discussed Drive, Desire, Dedication, and Devotion for coaches as well as the U.S. Soccer Federation 6 tasks of a Coach, Coaching the game, coaching training sessions, Leading the team, leading the player, managing the performance environment, and overall leadership including self accountability. Each of the 6 components was discussed in detail by Zac Crawford the U.S. Soccer Grassroots Educator. Some of the focus areas were accountability of coaches (fun leaders) and self evaluation on a 1-5 scale each of the 6 tasks in the performance wheel as leadership comes from within.
The roundtable discussion with AYSO United DOC's and Coaches led by Robbie Earle was eye opening. It was great to hear how each of the 26 current clubs had their unique issues. Some of the common issues were getting players and parent to understand the Club Culture and that United is a higher level of soccer that requires a higher level of commitment and how to handle kids who don't show up to training consistently. The 3 A's were mentioned Attendance, Attitude, and Ability and how this impacts playing time. Some clubs use player contracts to help break the recreational mold for players/parents coming from AYSO Core programs. They all seem to agree that 50% Playing Time is extremely important, and sticking to National Policy as well as Regional Addendum to have zero negative impact on the AYSO Core or Primary Programs.
Coach Workshops; Other classes I attended outside of U.S. Soccer Federation and AYSO United were Coach Workshops open to Intermediate and Advanced Trained Coaches only. They were very educational and informative and the session were well put together and presented by National Coaches. These sessions such as Attacking Technically and Tactically, Coaching the Modern Defender, and Tactical Formations and Systems of Play offered a ton of insight and knowledge which I can help provide to our current Boys EXTRA Coaches when they reach out to me.

AYSO EXPO Trip Report - Vince Waterhous
My purpose in going to Expo was personal development, i.e. working to better understand both my responsibilities as well as how to execute my responsibilities as the designated Director of Referee Instruction for Region 149. Personally, I was very exhilarated to be in a convention center with some 500 or so volunteers in support of this organization and this was just the few that could get there and just the Western portion of the US. Beyond that personal impression, I spent my time focused on discussions that would help me fulfill my commitment to the region.

Courses attended:

Referee Instructor Evaluator - the pre-requisites to sit in this position are, basically, experience. I do not yet have a lot of experience in my position so I chose to audit this class. My take away allowed me to better understand those aspects of training that are looked for and considered valuable for the messages AYSO stands behind.
Establishing a Mentoring program - this was the first of several trainings I attended regarding mentoring. The value of this is both helping referees do their work better but also providing the support network to support retention of these important members of the AYSO team.
Regional Referee Administrator (RRA) certification - my position serves to support the RRA, so my primary interest in this was to better understand that position.
Regional Board Member Training - I learned that I am not a required member (there are 7) so I serve more at the discretion of the Regional Commissioner.
Annual Referee Update - this, with other discussions for the PDIs (Player Development Initiatives) focused on any new changes to implementation and interpretations for the Laws of the Game. There were no significant changes since last year. Our region has been using a more conservative execution of these initiatives and most of those are in discussion as future (Jun 2018) changes to the directives.
Coach/Referee Roundtable - Take away - we work as a team. Good to have discussions about the common interests- its for the kids
PDIs
How to be a Lead Referee Instructor - both the administrative as well as the technical side of this position.

Group Breakout 1: Season Start group

Disclaimer: We would like to note that dates were identified ASSUMING Team Formation was completed by the first week in August, 2018.

Early Communication a must. Identify the Team Managers for each team and send out notice of TM training so they can be ready to jump right into their job.
- Dates: Week of August 6 have 2 training sessions
- Dates: Week of August 13 (prefer Monday and Tuesday since Catalina is getting ready to leave the country …but she will come back)
Team meetings held at Adams Fields - It was felt this was an improvement from having them off site as in the past. Easy transition from one division to the next.

August 21 have 08U at 6:00 and 10U at 7:00
August 22 have 06U and 14U at 6:00 and 12U at 7:00

If team managers did their job between the training and team meeting, the volunteer forms should be filled out and teams ready to receive uniforms
REFEREE training will begin before Labor Day. If the teams have identified their volunteers at their meetings, everyone should be ready to be trained, right?!
Sept 5 teams can bring completed volunteer forms to Adams fields between 5:30-6:30 to get uniforms.
Sept 8 will be the last chance to get uniforms before first game
Sept 8 have the 40^th birthday party Jamboree Fun Day. NO UNIFORMS would be worn that day. Each player brings a white (light) and dark shirt to wear. Any color of socks and shorts will work.
Sept 8 COLLECT clothing items for the shoe/equipment sale which will be the following week.
FIELDS SET UP. Ask district to mow the fields the week BEFORE Labor Day. Marking will be done on Sept 6 and 7 so there are lines for the birthday party on Sept 8
- Fields volunteers can be lining fields on the night of uniform pick up on Sept 5. Maybe others can help out too when they see how much fun the volunteers are having.
- There are metal pins in the ground at all corner marks. Chris has a metal detector to help find the pins. Board member(s) would find the pins and mark with screwdrivers for volunteers
- Donation of old screwdrivers are needed to have in place to attach the string to paint lines. Anyone who has screwdrivers they can donate or sees some bargains, snag them. 50 is a nice number to add to what Doug has already collected. The more we have, the more fields can be ready for painting for the first time around.
FIELDS SET UP FOR SPRING 2018. Line the fields April 5, 6 and/or 7.

AYSO Extras - (Board Retreat break out session.)

Programs : Summer program, Winter program (Futsal), Adult (post 19U thru 16U)

Objectives: Look at current and requested programs and develop a strategy to implement including identifying interest, identifying coordinator, considerations of cost, considerations of structure within AYSO umbrella

Summary: Logistics of programs discussed and potential coordinators identified. Break out group supported implementing these programs thru designated coordinator or other person identified if those designees can coordinate logistics and concerns as expressed during discussions.

Discussions:

Soccer over the summer

Pick-up game style, (so walk on ready to play)
Coordinator: current idea - Doug for Youth
U10 and up to15U
(coordinater responsibilities not specifcally discussed but general idea is that they would publish times and location and responsible to make sure adult/child ratio meets AYSO guidance)
Registration would be May
If this is an AYSO event
Need to have youth to adult correct ratio (8 - 1) and gender considerations for players below 19U
Cost will be: the field cost - e.g. $20/season? (TBD) + insurance ($17.50/person) if they are not currently registered in AYSO
(Current registrants have paid that fee thru the year, new year begins Aug 1 for AYSO)
Will solicit interest from people by email

Adult program (for AYSO, Adult is considered 16U and above)

Pick-up game style, (so walk on ready to play)
Coordinator: Anton Grube
Registration would be May
If this is an AYSO event
Need to have youth to adult correct ratio (8 - 1) and gender considerations for players below 19U
Cost will be: the field cost - e.g. $20/season? (TBD) + insurance (If not current , would require $30 for insurance for adult over 18, otherwise $17.50 for non-registered youth)

Winter program

Futsal (alternative or complementary to current Indoor), Soccer on a basketball court (6 v 6) w keeper & referee
Pick-up style but requires more coordination with locations and officiating than Winter Indoor e.g. Sports park $45/ for 6 games
Coordinator: Futsal Jason Hower?
Registration would be ? (TBD)
Cost will be: ?? the court cost - e.g. $20/season? (TBD) + insurance

Group Breakout 2 - Group: Registration

registration events,

Open up MY18 on April 10th - after first game

pricing, & late registrations,

Goal is to get them BEFORE the cut-off that takes us from OPEN reg. to going to wait list which goes on at Limited openings
Joan thinks that it won't make a difference because has been an incentive to offer a discount in the past. Which was only a couple years ago. Also had more REFUNDS which makes Joan cranky.
Earlier you register, team formation has more flexibility for placements and could state that in registration advertising. - (meaning their notes for this or that preference might actually be accommodated- but we don't want to market that specifically)
How many really registered AFTER the last game? Only 150, or so in June and then another 200 end of summer-early Fall
Make the late fee significant? - NO, just increase refunds
NON-refundable late fee???? - that goes to scholarship - AFTER CUTOFF from Open Reg.
- This could work !!!! Joan approves - 200 registrations with a nonrefundable late fee, thinks those people tend not to request refunds at that point. They really want on.
We want an early PRICE that is good for the budget, not less than the budget
People who are late, then pay more
After the June cut off - then the price goes up???
NORMAL price is $85 and discount is $80???
All options look like they would just increase refunds.

RECOMMENDATION - NO LATE or EARLY fee - don't mess with it - however a non-refundable fee after open cutoff could still be option if really desired. Could try it and see if there are more than usual refunds.

scholarships,

Joan, Juan, Andy to develop better process because after May dates, Juan & Andy did not know how many they had left…..

RECOMMENDATION - Plan to use the shared drive for all to update live and they can check for a certain number. Shared document

registration strategy (Andy),

Need computer lab
Volunteers - how many do we need
Didn't really discuss much
No cash, no checks - Joan doesn't want them

RECOMMENDATION: - No Checks - but cash is OKAY - we can use volunteer CC if cash is handed over (or some other gift card process). This may need more discussion. There was some strong opposition to using cash and forcing gift card instead.

Correcting bad registrations

Add wording at new account creation to explain it is a PARENT account if possible - pop-up?
But, if Youth volunteer -need their OWN account
How to communicate that at the time of registration!!???
Not much time spent discussing this.

February 2018

MINUTES FOR FEB 22, 2018

PRESENT: Elaine Markley, Anton Grube, Vince Waterhous, Juan Fernandez, Andy Ungerer, Eric Gleske, Chris Nelson, Catalina Segura, Bob Vingelen, Danny Aynes, Dan Herford, Mary Cotton, Luke Cotton

BUDGET REVIEW: Everyone is asked to look over the budget review that Joan presented and get any changes or additional line items to her so she can finalize the proposal for they MY2018-19 and have it ready for the retreat on March 10, 2018.

FIELDS: Luke has been working with Corvallis 509-J staff to develop a field use contract for our Region. A change in the previous agreement would show that Region 149 will need to pay $5,000 per year for field use throughout the district. A reduction of rental for building space is also proposed. Past rental for fields would be approximately $32,000. The district will use the money to purchase field equipment to support field maintenance for the Corvallis School District. The district will allow approved AYSO volunteers to use the field equipment on the Adams fields, per agreed letter from Kim Patton, Director of Facilities and Transportation. Continued negotiations will take place after June 30, 2018 for the next year of field use. It was moved by Chris and seconded by Eric that AYSO will pay $32,000 to Corvallis 509-J for the purchase of field equipment per agreement letter from Kim Patton. The motion carried unanimously. Luke will continue to check with AYSO lawyers for language of the contract.

SPRING SEASON: Luke will send a follow-up communication to all coaches asking key questions such as when and where practices will be held, which players are not returning, what equipment is needed, etc. Team mangers will get a note from Catalina making sure coaches and team managers are on the same page with player return. The email will request all information be returned within the week. Specific dates for training sessions are being set up for referee and coaches. More details should be available by the retreat date. A field set-up sign up will be developed to send to fields volunteers. Luke will set this up.

TEAM FORMATION: Only new teams will be added in 6U or 8U if there is enough interest. Elaine sent flyers and posted information to Corvallis School District and flyers to Philomath advertising Limited Open Registration which will run through mid March.

MARCH 10 BOARD RETREAT: We will meet at the Grand Oaks Clubhouse from 8:00am-noon on March 10 to finalize organization for the spring season and look ahead to MY2018-19. Possible topics include: Registration for players and volunteers, volunteer training, special programs such as 5U and 19U, budget, player evaluations, late registration fee. Breakout groups will be identified to cover many of these topics.
Elaine will provide the snacks. Please bring your own coffee cup/mug. Bottled beverages will be provided.

NEXT MEETING: Retreat on March 10, 2018 at 8:00am-noon at Grand Oaks Clubhouse.

Respectfully Submitted
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

January 2018

RETREAT NOTES FOR JAN 4, 2018

TASKS/NOTES - Not in order

January

Email to coaches/managers letter/roster
who is not coming back
*letter to family expect to be contacted/tell to ?contact
*early March mentioned
*email to managers/coaches with roster
Email EXTRA coaches to see who is returning
Email Riptide coaches about league placement
Order new EXTRA Jerseys' as necessary

February

Open limited Reg website/BS
Would like team records from Fall for balancing teams
With open spots From John?
Wait List Setup?
Bob to confirm w/Joan the $ within the EXTRA programs
Sort Out Trainings and Refreshers

March

Early march start filling open roster spots
Submit Sat/sun field availability to EXTRA league
Start filling open spots
Notify uniform coordination
Game Schedule
Kickoff Newsletter
Advertise Shoe/Equipment Sale
Volunteer Sign-up for game day volunteers
Field Setup Events
Intermediate Trainings

April

Trainings
Refreshers
Weekly Emails
5-a-side advertising
5-a-side Blue S. sign up
April 29 - 5-A-Side Event
Open Blue S MY18 Core

May

Registration Lab Open
Silent Saturday
Ref Appreciation
EXTRA registration
Coach Appreciation
TM Appreciation
EXTRA Team Formation
Player Evals

June

2 weeks before meetings before august meeting, list of volunteers from previous year
Close registration
mid-June start team formation
recruit coaches, assts, refs

July

19th - team formation team #s and names to John

TEAM VOLUNTEER SURVEY EVALUATION

TEAM MANAGER

Section 1: TM/Your Experience

Overall TM experience average 6.9 out of 10 (n=46)

Coach positive attitude to TM average (3.7) somewhat to strongly agree

A couple coaches were more intense, but the coaches for my team were positive, as were most that I witnessed.
I hear the complaints. I think we are somewhere between Somewhat and Strongly Agree. My unscientific evaluations suggests we have definitely passed the 50% threshold of families that would agree with that statement.
poor communication. Hard to get a hold of.
I appreciate getting email feedback after writing to the coach, that wasn't so strong this season.

Spectator positive attitude to TM average (3.0) close to strongly agree

parents negative coaching from sidelines
Spectators always seem to be the most challenging to get them to understand the AYSO way of doing things.
I think our families are generally good, but it does not take many bad apples, as it were, to spoil the proverbial barrel. We should work harder to have families read and sign pledges to better buy in to the "Big Family" Kid's Zone notion.
Parent verbal support wains at the 15U level.
I notice a difference in competitiveness and comments from the parents in 15u. A ref has to stop the game and address the parents for unsportsmanlike comments. I thought the Red handled it very well.
I heard too much coaching from the sidelines from parents.
Majority of parents are awesome at supporting all kids on the team. Too bad there are still a few parents that can work on their attitude and word choice - luckily not the parents on my kid's team.
There are a couple of parents on our team that can be very loud and tend to yell instructions or negative comments. I would like to know how to get them to be quiet.
A man verbally attacked me as I exited my car. It was right near the sheds.

Referee Support TM average 3.6

There was some inconsistency among how referees called the game (esp. off sides and fouls). Most were positive, though.
The youth referees were sometimes uncomfortable explaining things to the kids. Maybe training on how they can explain a rule in an age appropriate way to the younger kids would be helpful.
Most of the time definitely. I think our referees work very hard to do as good a job as they can, and on Saturdays they face an uphill battle with some coaches.
We had two instances when referees were a bit too harsh and girls ended up in tears after the game.
We had great refs all but one game. The younger refs (older kids and teens) are especially focused on doing a good job. I also really thought the ref volunteer from our team did an outstanding job -- he was there in uniform every week even if he didn't ref just in case he was needed.
I wouldn't really say for me but they were great with the kids
Love having the youth involved in reffing! Great examples for the kids and helps emphasize sportsmanship.
Our team referees were usually the only ones at our games, no other teams provided any.

Section 2: Player Experience

Overall observed player experience average 7.5 out of 10 (n=46)

Coach positive attitude to player observed average (3.5) somewhat to strongly agree

Parents informed me that they kids really appreciated the patience of our coaches.
My son thinks his coach is the best. I can't speak for other parents but I like our coach's enthusiasm. He communicates clearly with the players and has positive words for each player about what they're doing right.
a head coach on one of the teams I manage didn't rotate the girls much at all, there is was a lot of sitting at talking during practice, the coach even was coaching from behind a goal at one game.
Some experiences that I would have liked to see handled differently: 1) Coach yelling "You're okay!" when my daughter was walking off the game field after being struck in the stomach by the ball. 2) More coach collaboration on making the play more even when there was a 6 point lead. 3) More positive reinforcement on game day for all players, i.e. more equal treatment for all skill levels

Referee positive attitude to player observed average (3.6) somewhat to strongly agree

The refs always seem to be good about helping the kids or explaining rules to them.
They were great, so even better than others

Spectator positive attitude to player observed average (3.2) somewhat to strongly agree

I don't know how much my son notices other spectators besides his family members.
Everyone was nice and supportive
I heard too much coaching from the sidelines from parents.

Section 3: TM Support/Equipment/Software

Support Support to TM from Region 7.2 out of 10 (n=18)

Luke Cotton was always willing to answer my questions and provide support.
Good support, Luke is just stretched too thin.
The only time I contacted the board, for clarification on Fields duties, I never got a response.
What a whiny bunch of...no, wait - wrong group. I feel like we've all been experiencing growing pains the past three years, with all the changes that have been made to our programs. It's been stressful and rewarding, and it's interesting to see the new members figuring things out.
Luke provided lots of support and continually answered questions quickly.
I think Luke is amazing and always does his best to communicate, but there was one problem I ran into with equipment. I was really frustrated this season when we were short one uniform and it took 4 weeks to get the missing uniform ordered. I checked every week about it and sent emails, and was told each week it would be there the next. Our uniform-less kid was pretty sad about it and so I was especially upset that it took so long to get handled correctly. I try to remember that everyone's a volunteer though, and mistakes happen. :)
Because of the new system and various other issues, there were a lot of questions. I did not get answers in a timely fashion.

Scheduling Blue Sombrero experience average 5.1 out of 10 (n=29)

Equipment provided to TM was sufficient for most (38 of 46).

My child didn't receive his jersey until about half way through because AYSO forgot to order it. The coach checked weekly before the people at the shed finally realized it had not been ordered. it was a simple mistake, i am not sure if it could have been avoided or not.
We were short one uniform and it took more than 4 weeks to get it ordered. I asked via email and each week at the equipment shed and was always told it would be there the next week. I think the parent of the player with the missing uniform finally had to get involved to get it ordered. It was not a great experience, but I try to remember that everyone is a volunteer and mistakes happen.
The team was short 2 uniforms
Practice goals for young teams would be nice. I purchased some for my kid's team to use on practice days.
We didn't receive enough balls for practices - perhaps that's normal?
Initially no, but then we got more uniforms. It was sad for the kid that didn't get a uniform while the others had theirs.
Uniforms were enormous and missing a few for multiple weeks

Section 4: TM Training & Policy

Training, new TMs somewhat agreed that they were prepared (2.8, n=46), with the comment below.

I thought the trainer was great. The Blue Sombrero Site was a nice idea, but was a disaster. I felt it was not useful, it never worked right and we ended up needing to use sign up genius for game day tasks, regular email through my personal email for communication and blue sombrero. it was an inefficient website. it actually added an unnecessary step. the parents and coaches on our team agreed. nobody enjoys having to use three platforms for communication about one team.
Very hard to get all the training on Blue S. because it was new to everyone. But, what I got was very good and allowed me the ability to learn together with everyone else. I got both in-person and online.
My 7 year old played in a league at age 6 in Ohio that taught much more advanced soccer, positions etc. and the kids delivered and did well. She was bored and unengaged on the field in this league as other girls also seemed. They are capable of more at this age.
I think given that Blue Sombrero was a new platform there as fair amount of confusion. Particularly with regard to joining accounts
Training helped but still had a lot to familiarize with
Team manager training detailed and thorough. Very helpful and much better than in the past. Great tips for blue sombrero
Luke taught the managers training that I attended and it was well done and comprehensive. There was a lot about Blue Sombrero and how to use it.
It was helpful to have some direction with blue sombrero being new, and hearing about changes for volunteer sign ups, but I feel an email would have been just as good. Maybe an optional training.
Didn't realize when I sign up how much you were expecting out of me
I was not able to attend the in person training due to signing up so late to be team manager. I think there should be recorded team manager training.
Luke led a very informative training for team managers -- I learned new things that were helpful (this is my 3rd year in this volunteer role)
I felt the training covered what was already required within the Safe Haven and didn't add many useful tools, templates, timelines, outlines that could have been used to make it easier for team managers to communicate with their parents.
It can be a challenge to know who has signed up for what volunteer positions and who I need to reach out to to get them to volunteer
90 minutes for team manager training is WAY TOO MUCH!! Training manuals would be much more useful. What I learned could have taken 30 minutes.
Blue Sombrero is difficult, especially if you're not using it regularly. Hard for parents too.
Other than bluesombro, which I could of figured out myself, the training didn't offer any information that I didn't already have with my experience. For people with 2 years experience, training should be optional
Keep in mind that less is more and that it would be better to reduce the number of communications to one very succinct and complete communication. People are getting frustrated with the confusion and amount of time it takes try to figure out things. Just because it is easy and free it doesn't mean another email should be sent out. Ask yourself if you had to put a stamp on it whether you would send the message.
Since it was new to everyone there were some things not covered by the training.
The new system needed more training. Also, it was often unclear who to contact for various issues. And changes to volunteer info were impossible for me to make, and difficult to make when contacting board members, which was frustrating to the volunteers.

Section 5: Comments / Recommendations

TM Again? 44 of 46 indicated that they would ref again

I'd be willing to manage again. My frustration this season was that we had multiple non-communicative parents. Some (not all) were native Spanish speakers, but I tried to send information bilingually, and that didn't help. We had several practices with only 4-6 players, and our team lost every game. It would be nice to have more materials from AYSO available in Spanish.
My only criticism is something that I'm sure you can't change at the local level but the registration is always pretty cumbersome. Another suggestion (although possibly beyond your ability to address) is to possibly try to get a practice schedule set ahead of team assignments so that if the practice is on a day that you can't get your kid there, you can be assigned to a different team. Thanks for all you do to make AYSO so much fun for the kids!
I'm not an organized person. This probably isn't the best fit for me. I'll be fine in the spring but will probably choose another role in the future.
Volunteers do a great job. The 15U team balancing could be a LOT better. The team I managed was blown out most games and had two close games they won. The Region also needs to address unnecessary, inefficient, redundant, and unclear process with respect to volunteer and parent involvement.
It was my impression and the impression of other managers that often managers felt like "the middle man" the information they are supposed to pass on to the parents is information that they get from an email that could have been set to everyone to begin with. A part of me agrees : We need to think of ways to de-centralize the management. On the other hand redundancy is important.
I was disappointed with the level of participation of my team parents. The coaches and one referee did there jobs, but only one parent signed up to work game day jobs. I checked regularly and prodded them all several times. If there is some way we could make them volunteer in the spring that would be great. I guess I just get tired of parents getting a free ride when others do so much. Maybe there kids can't play next year if they don't fulfill at least one 2hr shift. Might be a little harsh but it would work.
Still struggling with Blue Sombrero. I found it easier to just do my own emails and schedules outside of BlueSombrero. I won't give up though.
Suggestions for Blue Sombrero: *A place for non volunteer parents to sign up to be included in emails *To have the ability to select email frequency & to send individual emails vs always the general discussion. *Having clarification and clear paths with joint accounts and the paired training website; it mixed ours up saying my spouse had completed the training I just had.
It was challenging filling our volunteer roles this season; I think I need to improve my powers of persuasion/coercion.
It is extremely difficult to get parents to volunteer for coaches, referees and fields. I would love to see admins help in assigning parents to these positions prior to the team manager. In my case I was only assigned a head coach and had to find every other volunteer which resulted in just three families filling all of the major volunteer positions. Disappointing!
Volunteer assignments (including Field Prep) need to be in one place. Hard to manage communications when half the parents don't use/like Blue Sombrero.
I put player experience at a 7 because we have too many players on our U10 boys team. So much so, that if every kid shows up to the game, each player must sit out half the game!

COACH

Section 1: Coach/Your Experience

Overall coach experience average 7.1 out of 10 (n=60)

Coach positive attitude to coach average (3.7) somewhat to strongly agree

I wish there was an easy way to may sure the two U8 teams were more balanced or it was clear if there was a "better" side.
They always shook my hand and thanked me for volunteering. There were a couple of coaches that were over the top competitive though, it made it awkward.
Our coach was overcommitted and therefore completely inflexible in being able to accommodate any schedule changes that didn't fit his pre-determined practice times.
This past season I had quite a few younger/inexperienced players and some of the games were pretty unbalanced. For the most part opposing coaches seemed to try and balance things out, but not all.
We don't keep score and the girls are focused on skills not the outcome of the score
My son struggled being in the league with kids who were so much older than him. I think he would have been much better off in u6 and my experience would have been much more positive. He essentially skipped from u5 to u8. If I would have realized ahead of time, I think I would have asked to switch him to the lower league.
There were a couple of teams that were negative and down as the game progressed. I believe that this was a reflection of the coach's attitude and competitiveness more than the players. I have coached through many blowout games (my team being blown out) and kept positive and supportive and my players followed suit. There was a few teams as well who displayed this attitude and everybody enjoyed the experience greatly.
Good time, fun games. Only concern was having 14 kids on the team made it difficult to manage on game days with equitable playing time, and transitions between quarters. It required bringing the whole team over and reassigning positions, which stressed some of the refs because of the extra time it took.
6U is a tough age for me but that is where my son is at, short attention span, mood swings week to week. My assistant coach was very competitive and felt strongly about his son needing to have success
My directions might have been a bit too direct for some of our players.
I enjoyed seeing the progress in the girls and helping them reach their potential. Some of the teams we played had many skilled players which made for some uncompetitive games that weren't fun.
Enjoyed my coaching experience. And appreciate the support and training given to us by the AYSO region and volunteers.
Most games were blowouts. Most coaches were worked to address the imbalance. A couple were all about the win.
One opposing coach has upset (his team was behind by 4 or so goals) but wasn't really willing to participate in leveling the field (e.g. he didn't want to add a few players, etc)
I have a great group of committed, hard-working girls, which makes coaching fun/easy. In previous years, that has not been the case, and I find that to be the most frustrating part of coaching.
Not a fan of being over-rostered with players. Makes it harder to manage games and have equal playing time. In addition, this season I was rostered with a lot of inexperienced players which made it very difficult to be competitive. We lost every game this fall.
Overall good but the rosters were too large and I had kids sitting out half the game. I think we should stick to AYSO written policy of 12 players to team, and if needed make more teams. We could be more firm about parent volunteers to get the number of coaches. Cultivating new coaches by having two assistants or a coach- in- training volunteer position that might help someone ease into the role of coach in the future. Also my Assistant Coach missed several practices and games and it would have been nice to have a designated person who could fill in at times like those.
A few coaches just yelling too much at players and not letting the kids play.
There were coaches which lost their perspective related to the goals of AYSO, they did refrain their teams when the game already was a washout.

Referee positive attitude to referee average (3.4) close to strongly agree

There were many times that referees didn't show up for U8 and I had to ref my own games.
The hardest position to fill with volunteers, the people that stepped up were fair a and just in their calls and direction to kids.
I think the referees could have done more to hold players accountable. For example they let poor throw-ins slide after I had asked them to keep an eye on it.
Had one referee that warned us before the game she was going to call fouls and she did. The girls were playing great soccer but were being penalized for contact. It was on both teams so I guess that made it even. Sometimes it's hard for girls to play hard when they worry about getting fouls the will game.
There were usually not referees (8U)
Refs are great except the one senior ref who inappropriately joked about belly button piercings to my 10U girls a year ago.
Refs were great, Just understand that if a coach has 14 players on his team it's going to take a little more time to transition Subs between quarters.
Not all of the refs knew what they were doing, at times there was lack of control. I feel the refs have unique position to teach the game by doing a good job. Some did not keep time well
I have issue that referees call any slightest aggressive move during a girls game to the point of stopping the game to talk to the player. This would NOT happen in a boys game and is something we have been working on at the 12U girls level. Referees need to recognize that girls are not flowers and will not wilt away if they come in contact with another player. If you need to make a call, then make a call and walk away rather than saying they can only be shoulder to shoulder as it is IMPOSSIBLE to run at top speed without moving your arms.
Sometimes refs were not ready for game time and did not time quarters accurately. Coaches at U6 level do not always want to switch ends of field at halftime and refs did not always listen.
Referees where always great. Taking the time to explain calls the to the players.
With the teams so big, takes time to do player swaps at quarters, and having ref interjecting to hurry things along doesn't help
Most referees were awesome. Especially appreciate the youth referees doing a great job.
One referee in particular was rude to one of our athletes telling her to "shut up" after she complained about a penalty called

Support Support Team average 8.3 out of 10 (n=3)

The off-field and on-field training sessions were both good. I also got a quick response when I asked for advice.
Eric and Luke are great at getting back to volunteers.
Responsive. Good input.

Section 2: Player Experience

Overall observed player experience average 7.4 out of 10 (n=60)

Coach positive attitude to player observed average (3.6) somewhat to strongly agree

The kids seemed to have fun. I didn't see any overly negative coaches or parents. I do think sometimes coaches / refs talked/guided too much, but it was in a positive way.
The opposing players were respectful and enjoyed the game. There were a lot of teams that had a strong showing with many good players.
We played the Lebanon team in U15 girls and that was really the only coach that was not positive. It was a strange game for sure with the ref asking the assistant coaches to address the parents at half. But the rest of the games were enjoyable.
Coaching was done at practice and game day was more about positive reinforcement
The coaches were great, there for the kids, most of them stepped up b/c others wouldn't. Some of them lacked game plans for subs, splitting up teams, etc
My fellow coach was very positive and worked to help improve the players skills and have fun.
I thought the coaches were all very positive. However, some of the teams were not very organized and did not see to have any positional awareness. I am not sure if the players were taught and just did not understand or if the coaches did not understand/know how to teach those aspects.
I put this somewhat lower for my player because of the too large roster and kids having to sit on the bench for half a game some weeks. Kids don't want to sit that much. It ruins the overall experience for everyone to have too many players on a team.
There were coaches which lost their perspective related to the goals of AYSO, they were highly competitive, made athletes from my team to cry, through the instructions given to their teams and comments made beside the field. Players from my team voluntarily and independently informed the following from a same coach: 1st player: "Step on her, step on her" when this player was running down the side line towards the goal. 2nd player: "It seems these girls don't even know how to play"

Referee positive attitude to player observed average (3.6) somewhat to strongly agree

Most refs I did see were great. Only one was overly guiding (pass the ball, spread out, etc)
Some games got too rough. I think some coaches should watch more carefully for pushing, or reckless play.
Most refs were great, although a few seem to be calling any physical contact quickly with the girls, which parents have told me is different for the boys. One ref. not knowing his size, age, etc., scared a player to tears when explaining his call. "He pointed his finger at me."
Good experience and when they did have a concern the referee always listened
There were games where referees could have been more assertive which could have created less confusion for players
Overall, the refs did their best. There was one ref who called a lot of penalty kicks which seemed to me to send the wrong message to the kids.
I would like to see more consistency in refs calling offsides in particular, as it was not consistent and when I train them to not commit offsides and then they see certain refs not call it on the other team it breaks down training.

Section 3: Coach Tools/Equipment

Equipment provided to coaches was sufficient for most (50 of 60).

I had to buy some of my own cones because 10 was just not enough. Some of the balls were flat and lost air quickly.
We needed more soccer balls. I asked for more and got enough for the team.
The players wanted goal keeper gloves. I needed extra cones, so I bought my own.
We didn't have enough balls for every kid. We also didn't have enough cones to set up much. Also we were missing some of the uniforms at the beginning.
More pennies, two different colors would be nice.
We needed more cones so the other coach and I bought more.
needed more pennies for the larger team. If we get 14 players I need at least 7 pennies, minor point but would have helped to have more,

Section 4: Coach Training & Policy

Training, new coaches somewhat agreed that they were prepared (2.9, n=60), with the comment below.

I did enjoy the field training and the booklet was helpful. I would like more direction about when to introduce skills and what is a good arc to the practices as far as skills.
I had taken field training in the past and the classroom this year provided me with the coaches manual, which I utilized greatly. I used quite a few new games, like Sharks and Minnows and others. I had utilized the Numbers Game in the past and still do.
A big part of coaching was getting to know each player, and figuring out what each player needs, and what the team needs as a whole.
I enjoyed the training provided, and John Williams ( think that's who it was) is a really great guy, great ideas, etc. Highly positive feedback from me on him and his training.
Training was good, but would like more opportunities for learning in the following: Teaching ball handling techniques Teaching field positioning strategy
Training was good for first time coaches but it would be nice to have advanced options.
Training is always helpful, but when it comes to you and girls itso always more challenging to keep them focused. Luckily I have an amazing coach that lives and breathes soccer. It may be helpful for the coaches training to focus on teaching players certain skills. Like specifically how to strike the ball. Our coach has a list of skills the girls need to learn for the season and we work on one every week. Then at the end of fall they did a skills challenge to see how much they learned. It was fun for the girls and challenging. It created a new focus for several kids and a drive to be better.
Eric and John did great jobs in classroom and on field, respectively. Even after coaching for >5 years the training helped me this year.
At one of the coach training sessions, one of the trainers talked about how our coach book had sufficient lesson plans for all the weeks, and I did not find that to be the case.
I enjoyed the classroom and outside training. I found it so valuable for the time and experience.
I did the concussion trying. I have coached previously (30 years ago)
I've had classroom and field training in the past so felt perfectly comfortable coming into the season.
I had taken field training before. Also, have sought help from other coaches and board members. This year was the first that I had a coaches manual, so I utilized many of those games, also
I did not go through field set up but figured it out on the fly, seeing a Saturday play out definitely helps, not sure you can train that
I could have had more technical training on how kids can learn to dribble and kick in steps, like having a level of skills that students could graduate and clear. No need to test the kids, but if we have some ways to evaluate the kids in our mind, we could instruct them better. I think.
The online training was helpful.
Already certified, so I didn't go though any training. I did review the new 8U material. There are some areas of clarification in the 8U program that would be good to address,.
A bit of guidance on how to deal with kids' behaviors at this age would be helpful. We had some kids refusing to participate and other kids acting out, but we didn't know how to handle it.
Unable to attend the training sessions as they were at odd times or announced after I already had other commitments.
The volume of material is quite large. It requires less time and training to become a 509j staff employee. I believe there are diminishing returns. The content is sound. The delivery is flawed.
Field training is excellent.
John Williams does a great job of sharing drills and strategies for developing players.
The one coaching day is good to give interested coaches the idea of what to look for, which is great. Naturally a one day will never be enough.

Section 5: Comments / Recommendations

Coach Again? 59 of 60 indicated that they would coach again

I like the small sided games for U8 (and U6 last year). However, they make it really challenging to actually coach the teams and keep the playing time fair and the teams balanced.
Maybe. Our team was filled with a lot of first time players that really just wanted to play with each other during practice making it very difficult coach. We also had 4 players that would not show up to practice or the games consistently or would show up very late. It was a difficult first year for me.
It has been a rewarding experience.
Yes, I will continue to volunteer coach with AYSO. Overall it's a good experience. My only complaint I've expressed for a few years is in team creation. Last year or two our teams were constantly lacking. We would borrow 3 to 4 players from opposing teams each week. Other teams were stacked with many skilled players + many subs. Same thing this year. Not enough players, and the replacements we got had 0 yrs soccer experience, more detriment than help. Fair & balanced is one of the 6 AYSO pillars
After 5 years of AYSO, it was so shocking to find that a team could be so poorly put together. Our kids won zero games, barely scored any goals an felt totally unmatched to any team. It was a demoralizing and defeating experience. In addition, coming onto a team to discover that your coach would take zero input from the team on practice days/times and showed zero flexibility was just awful. Parents work, siblings have other commitments and our son was on a team where he could barely practice.
I recommend switching back to setting the divisions to the school year rather than the calendar year. Children often will mature to their grade level more than to their age level. There seems to be a bigger range of maturity between a 2nd and 4th grader than there is between a 7 year old and a 9 year old that are just one school year apart. Coaching to such a wide maturity range this year in the 10U division was much more challenging than in previous years for the U10 division.
My first years of soccer were through AYSO and I'm appreciative of the start I got there and will continue to give back.
Our team would love to host at least one game in Newport if not more. We have a new turf field available to us. Also, our uniforms tend to be on the large side for our team size
AYSO Region 149's volunteers are generally great. The issues with the Region revolve around unnecessary, inefficient, and unclear process.
I'm a maybe. It was a tough transition from my child which kind of soured the experience.
Had a great experience! Our team mom had quite a bit of difficulty getting parents to volunteer for field duties so that was frustrating, but not sure much can be done about that.
I was pleased with the setup and organization for the games played in Corvallis. I enjoyed 90% of the opposing coaches and thought that a few of them were spectacular! I had a tough time coaching during games this year trying to manage one sided games and still make it fun and educational for both teams players.
The AYSO did a wonderful job helping me to assimilate to coaching in Corvallis. I had great team managers, assistant coaches, and volunteers that made that process even better.
Love AYSO. My only concern this season was the size of the roster, 14, but understand we want everyone to get to play.
I am saying yes b/c I plan to coach the team in the spring. I will reevaluate after spring with commitments, added time required with next division and my son's desire to play.
I'm looking forward to the 2nd half of the season this Spring! We had a great group of young players who, overall, worked hard and wanted to improve and do their best.
AYSO is a wonderful program
more competitive selection of players for AYSO EXTRA U15 BOYS.
AYSO remains one of the very best youth sport organizations in Corvallis. Congrats!
I think it would be very beneficial to make it easier for coaches to contact each other to facilitate better coach communication and help build more of a community.
Our team experienced some extremely uneven games (0-10, 1-7, 2-8). These games were really disheartening. I would love to see move conversation around evening the playing field. Those that play extra should not be grouped onto one team, even if their evaluations from the spring might suggest as much.
I really enjoyed coaching and will continue to volunteer. My only suggestion is that team volunteers get a little more guidance at the beginning of the season on what to expect. There were some days that were very confusing where we didn't know who was doing snacks, where the equipment was supposed to go, who was refereeing, etc. But that can all be accomplished. :-)
I think the volunteers do a great job, and the league runs well. Support when needed is available and helpful.
The team that I coach has multiple club players as well as extra players. While other teams have no club players. This is a huge challenge when it comes to keeping games close. No team should ever have more than one advanced player let alone 3 on the same team.
I love coaching. The times I get frustrated during coaching are when players/parents do not put much/any effort forward to make practices/games. I also get frustrated as a coach and a parent when opposing coaches don't work to prevent blowouts.
Don't exceed maximum roster standards again.
I was not able to access all the online training and could not log in. I contacted AYSO by email but never got a person to help me.
Reference: usyouthsoccer.org/assets/1/3/us_youth_soccer_player_development_model.pdf
It is frustrating having so many subs that most kids only get to play 2 quarters. The board is doing a great job! Thanks!!
I have been following AYSO region 149 for 2 years now, as a parent, later as an assistant coach and now as head coach. In this period what most caught my attention was the disparity in the balancing the teams. From the three years, the present one is the most striking. Taking away the Newport team, two local teams are way ahead on experienced players.

REFEREE

Section 1: Referee/Your Experience

Overall referee experience average 7.5 out of 10 (n=40)

Coach positive attitude to referee average (3.5) somewhat to strongly agree

I had mostly positive interactions with coaches and no major issues to report.
Coaches, in general, were good. I felt like coaches were respectful and stayed positive even when they didn't like one of my calls. I do think they tend to forget that not everyone who wears a yellow jersey has the same level of experience, though, as I felt that some of the coaches were not as patient as they could have been with the parents who were new refs.
I had no coaching problems this year, there were a few questions, but nothing that warranted anything more than a friendly word
I saw a few coaches trying to influence calls of youth referees who were AR s. Especially when they were on the side right by them.

Spectator positive attitude to referee average (3.8) close to strongly agree

In general, I saw fine behavior from spectators.
Would really appreciate it if other parents watching educate negative parents or those coaching their child from sidelines about keeping a positive attitude and letting coach be in charge of players
I have been surprised by the overwhelming show of support, appreciation, and thanks given to me as a ref by the spectators.
A few cases of fan dissent, but mostly quiet and/or positive.
At a couple of games I had parents making/yelling comments about calls
Other trained parents filled in as refs when the team we were playing did not provide one.
I was surprised to see that spectators at little girl's games could be kind of catty sometimes.
Seemed like the parents did a lot of griping from the sidelines this fall. As a center ref I don't notice it as much, but as an AR when I tried asking spectators to take it easy on the negativity I got serious push back. Maybe I just had a run of bad luck, though.
Only one issue and it was an away game (Lebanon) that I dealt with promptly

Referee Support Team average 9 out of 10 (n=8)

Section 2: Player Experience

Overall observed player experience average 7.9 out of 10 (n=40)

Coach positive attitude to player observed average (3.7) somewhat to strongly agree

It seemed fine the player/coach interactions.
The coaches were supportive of their players.
The coaches gave good direction and teaching to their players.
The coaches wanted fair games, and would encourage the super-talents to sit out or play back.
Never say much negative things
The coaches provided/encouraged a positive experience for the players. The coaches are doing a great job at giving equal playing time to all players and balancing the team for matches.
Coaches showed good support and attention to players toward development rather than just winning, partly a success of the build-out line at U10
There was more than one coach for our team, they had very different styles.
All of the coaches that I saw seemed very focused on making the experience positive for the kids.

Spectator positive attitude to player observed average (3.3) somewhat to strongly agree

They cheered for the kids and did not yell at them.
The spectators were very supportive of the players.
There were a few that seemed to be a little downtrodden by their kids' playing.
Spectators help the play of the game
I did not observe any negative spectator attitudes. Spectators also let the referees and coaches do our job without interference.
Aside from the usual parents coaching from the sidelines, the spectators were fine with the kids

Section 3: Referee Tools/Equipment

Scheduling Horizon Web Ref experience average 7.1 out of 10 (n=25)

Scheduling self-scheduling / choosing games 8.0 out of 10 (n=25)

Equipment provided to referees was sufficient for most (39 of 40).

Section 4: Referee Training & Policy

Training, new referees somewhat agreed that they were prepared (3.1, n=40), with the comment below.

The training was good, it took a few games to get more comfortable with making calls, but I don't think there's any way to change this.
I learned all the rules well and had very little trouble with rules during the games.
You can only get so much in the classroom. Mentor on the field , even for asst ref position, if the volunteer is new would help. Maybe just the first time out or upon request.
The content of the training was outstanding as it pertains to the laws of the game, rules, scenarios and situations. I think an addition that could be made includes match readiness and preparation...ie. game cards, equipment checks, time management, coach interaction, player interaction, coin toss and preferences/selections (field and ball), CR/AR pre-match roles, etc. It would be helpful to address these match mechanics.
I did not attend training this season due to other commitments, but I don't think it adversely affected me.
could always use more refreshers...
The center referee training was so helpful. It really helped to build my confidence in centering a game. The mentors at the field were super helpful.
I attended the coach/referee training sessions, and I can say without hesitation that the coaches were not prepared to deal with referees properly. I would get attitude from other team's coaches about asking girls to put shin guards under socks, to take off earrings and other jewelry, and other such things. Also coaches had annoying habit of either coming onto the field to give instructions or pulling girls off the field for impromptu coaching sessions, or subbing at times other than the appointed sub times. All of this should have been circumvented with proper training.
The training was great. Somehow I was told I needed the full ref training/certification class even though this is my fourth year refereeing, but it was a good refresher.

Section 5: Comments / Recommendations

Referee Again? 38 of 40 indicated that they would ref again

The support from other referees was excellent. I got good positive feedback throughout the season which I appreciated.
I have ref'd for AYSO for years. I am hoping to continue to do so. I had a very challenging work scenario this season, and the times I volunteered to referee, I was unable to find an open slot that didn't interfere with the other multiple AYSO teams I was coaching. Therefore, I was unable to referee a single game this past autumn. I hope to do so in Spring 2018. My answers in" Your Experience" and "Player Experience" were only answered so that I could submit the survey. They were required.
I enjoyed my first time mentoring new referees. I hope to do it again.
It is a great organization and I love what they're doing.
I really hope you have the center/new ref training in the spring, as well as the mentors roaming at the games it really helps you to feel supported as well as the feedback was super helpful.
I had an experience last spring as a referee that I was not sure how to handle. A U6 player was defiant towards me and physically aggressive towards other players. I should have had his parent take him home.
I will continue to ref this year, but not certain about ref'ing after that. If my daughter continues with AYSO as opposed to Storm, I will probably give it another shot, even though it would necessitate more training.

PLAYER FOCUS NOTES

BALANCED TEAMS:

Balance Factors - make a list

Quality of coaching
Coaching training - Doug's idea of practicing with a pool practice, help the new coaches
Geography,
Following rules - Practices - make sure they are only doing the correct number
Athleticism of players
Club players or not

External evaluation process

Speed of players is a raw skill and endurance - tends to separate the athletes from the others - Can we test that up front?
Coaches in each age group, short sided games, watch them and see who's an athlete, give each kid a ranking - 5-a-side possibly
Coaches can test the speed - run a certain distance, time them
Last Sat. in May? - if parents want balanced teams, they will show up.
Make it like a photo day - Eval Day - Ranking Day

Board Evaluation Process (Refs & Coaches)

Let's have 3-5 people that are assigned to go around and eval players - can use the numbers by team
- Bob and Doug volunteered
- Bob did this last time - and it seemed it wasn't used. Juan would only ask if he didn't have a ranking from another source
Need rosters with names & numbers
Do a trial, 3 evaluators - watch 2-3 games a week.
Ref can do this easily as well
Need to do it twice since some players don't come each time.

Education on Balancing Process:

Coaches know a lot of the players
Have not used coaches opinions for a while -biased positive and negative?
Need people to analyze the goals scored data - used to have a database
Some coaches don't really know how to DO a player eval - better training on that?
Have them empowered and knowledgeable
Develop a Ranking Checklist-Process - a consistent system, a structure, do it frequently since skills change throughout season
Spot check will still have holes
Comment heard is things are rigged - by "them" more education on balancing process and challenges
Require the # and name cross reference for each team to help with roving evals
Coaches MUST have a consistent system to get ranking into the system - evaluate against the players that you play against! - not against themselves
Parent evals at REGISTRATION (?? One of the questions)- what if we had a 1-5 ranking (whatever) with brief descriptions on the registration questions -
- ask the parents to compare to other players from last year or other soccer.
- One more data point. Write it is needed for better balancing of the teams.

In-game balancing:

Eric's article - if you win and if you are losing, what to do to help player experience
Balance - don't want kids to play down - maybe a written policy for when a team is winning too much!
Add players to the team - only if the game is conceded at that point.
Re-seed in the Spring - already doing that
Coach Training - Pool practice idea
Do we have data where the blow outs are happening? Luke says YES

Indoor is easy to rank players there:

Indoor rating was done by the parents - were very balanced according to Danny with 12U
Having kids that also play club and AYSO Core - he was only there at AYSO one time - inconsistency of roster with the good players not showing up or ALL showing up.

OTHER ISSUES:

Spectator education - more active agreement and understanding with Kids Zone
Too large a roster

VOLUNTEER FOCUS NOTES

Key walkaways from volunteer focus group...

Creation of Position Checklists - Help to clarify tasks and expectations.
Tasks Training - Focus on training to specific tasks.
Team Manager & Coach Communication - Help with communication between team volunteers and encourage a split of tasks.
Equipment Issues - Create clear details about equipment ordering and equipment requests.
Fouls Recognition - Look at differences between divisions and genders, help with proper foul recognition.

December 2017

No Meeting

November 2017

MINUTES FOR NOV 16, 2017

Attendees: Luke, Matthias Mueller CSC, Juan, Eric, Jason, Rube Peterson CSC, Toby, Catalina, Dan Stevens, Gibby Reynolds Area 2S, Bob, Chris, Dan H, Mary C, Andy, Vince Waterhouse, Steve Simmons CSC, Doug

December board meeting is canceled.

Prior Meeting Minutes Approved.

Eric moved, Chris seconded, approved

Welcome & Introductions

Round Table Introductions
Corvallis Soccer Club – Rube, Matthias (President) and Steve
AYSO Area 2S – Gibby Reynolds

Conversation about Soccer/sports in Corvallis with CSC.

Presented by Matthias Mueller - See Presentation Materials.
Where we were. Where we are. Where we want to be.
Wants to address history, preconceived notions
He wants the whole soccer community together and working together as one.
Reviewed Mission and Visions comparing CSC and AYSO
- CSC community, Culture, Passion, Inspiration
- Major differences is cost, coaching staff and league.
- All the kids get to play in CSC. Might depend on how many kids there are, but 50% is normal or more except when doing Presidents and Founders Cup,
- Paid Trainers, prof. staff and some part-time admin
- Cost = staff, fields, equipment, corporate fees, trainers
Start with Basic Dev. U06-U10, recreational U11-HS, Competitive U11-HS
- Beyond that development academies (Timbers & Thorns), College & Pro
Questions Comments, concerns - requested authentic, open and honest conversations regarding what has held us back from working together more effectively. Major concerns? Issues with the club/ayso relationship
- Kid Management of the CSC program - unresolved - not as fully developed as the soccer parts
- Favors were supposed to be traded. There was concern that CSC didn't contribute as promised.
- Best scenario is kids using the orgs in complementary ways - can be a good thing
- Strong negative history is prior to club being re-launched recently as CSC
- Concern that CSC is profit based. Matthias shared the budget.
- Transparency was discussed as an issue in the past. Coaches coming out to AYSO field on the sidelines to recruit. Wanted to set up a booth at least to make it clear what is happening instead.
- Concern that CSC can't coach in AYSO without AYSO certification. Some came to get certified and there were some problems getting it together to share some coaches. CSC was supposed to and wanted to help, but AYSO insurance and certification (training on the AYSO way) was a barrier. Gibby gave some explanation on the reason for AYSO certification and volunteer registration is necessary.
- Couldn't get player cards from OYSA this year for the first time, for our EXTRA program. CSC managed to get them for our boys, but girls EXTRA had some issues. Issues with confusion on the old Eugene AYSO program (Gibby gave some history on the issues this year). Should not be repeated.
- AYSO doesn't have competitive travel to faraway places. AYSO United rolled out last year as "AYSO club soccer". We can have a plan to get competitive soccer. It is currently being put together for the AREA.
- Perception that "club groups" are strict in the way they want to do things. AYSO Lost 2 regions to club teams because they undercut the member prices in a very deliberate, intentional way. Many parents are complaining (to AYSO) about kids not getting to play enough and wanting to go back to AYSO.
- AYSO programs exists because there are people who want to run the program within AYSO guidelines. If they don't want to do it, we don't have that program. This program flexes with what parents/volunteers want to do. Huge portion of it is the enrichment of the parents and other volunteers. Not true of CSC.
- AYSO $17.50 membership fee is for mostly insurance and making sure volunteers have a clean background.
- AYSO spends a huge amount of time training parents and volunteers to be coaches and referees and to do other things.
- Perception is that CSC is all about competition, but that is not true. They do compete, but the mission is to develop the player. Their technique of executing is different with prof. coaching, etc. They also have recreational programs.
- AYSO is about mentoring to children. Help them see their improvement and not care about level of play.
- CSC is wanting to provide pathways.
Ideas for going forward:
- Pick a few people from each side and work together to find the synergy and using the organization strengths in a complimentary way.
- Fields - new - can't share the equipment/fields with non-AYSO teams because of insurance
- Create a sub-committee

Each org. has a member on that sub-committee
Luke and Matthias will be the co-sponsors and create the sub-committee without needing to attend meetings of the sub-committee
No decisions would be made without bringing it back to Luke and Matthias and then to respective boards.

If interested, contact Luke.

Season Recap & Thank You

Season Successes
- Roster Emails.
- Parent/Team Meetings.
- PDI Adoption.
- 2 Teams in One Bundling.
- In Person Trainings (over 50 coach/refs 6U & 8U)(over 70 Team Managers)
- Youth Volunteer Numbers.
- Refund Request Details.
Volunteer Thank You
- Arianne - Work pertaining to uniform requests & late team changes.
- Chris - Quickly picking up complex referee scheduling demands.
- Joe - Work handling the 41 Youth Referees.
- Doug - Getting field safety issues resolved.
- Juan - Handling a tough 12U division situation.
- Andy - Handling a tough 12U division situation and registrar duties.
- John W. - new game scheduling system and late team changes.
- Board thanked LUKE for doing so much for the program. It comes up in groups and from parents all the time. Luke thanked us all for being supportive and helping him.

Goals for Winter (See Below List Previously Distributed)

Each Board Member's Goal for Winter is listed below and was sent out to the board as a group and to each individual.
Anton - has a goal as well, Adult indoor soccer and Futsal
- Bob suggested we might include older U19
Chris - Surveys - will be compiling some of the information
John - will have all the team cards and build brackets for 10U & 12U.

Spring planning meeting January 6th 8am-12pm.

January retreat and board meeting in January
Need for an additional board meeting in January will be determined by the amount of work that still needs to be done after the Jan. 6^th

MY18 planning meeting March 10th 8am-12pm.

March Retreat and board meeting in March.
See number 29 below.
Luke wants to have a 5-a-side in the spring. Used to be on a Sunday. One day tournament
EXPO - 1st weekend in March. This 2^nd Board retreat will allow us to deal with changes and updates from the EXPOs.
New Board members or people with a new role, may want to go. We have a few options to support some people. Wait until you see the class list before deciding. Can be a very encouraging and educational opportunity.
People who attend an EXPO expect to provide a review for the board at the March retreat.

Regional Commissioner Training Attended by Luke last week

Saw many improvements that are in the works for Blue Sombrero.
Volunteer registration will be much more the way we think it should work. They are changing it for all their customers. We have a lot of volunteers and this helped them to make it better. Other customers were asking for similar features.
Blue S. is adding a survey feature

Reflections on Fall MY2017:

Required Team Manager Training worked well. Live training very effective.
Want to try and pay special attention to people who have done a really good job in our volunteers - TMs, Refs, etc. Send emails perhaps.
Could look at who was active with the systems, using emails and thanking them especially.
Could use some of the really good TM emails as examples in the training.
Indoor Soccer Registration - completely online and went very, very well with Blue S. Much better than with the past methods. Last year was a TON of hours. This year data was already in there. Asked parents to rate players. Asked Blue S. to average and got only one team not balanced that well.

Goals for Winter as Previously Distributed

Andy - Part 1: Create the Winter 2 season, duplicate of W1, and document how that process could be done for MY18, have the Winter 2 season ready before mid-December. Part 2: Take lessons learned and develop an action plan for registration in MY18, have an action plan ready for the March retreat.
Arianne - Assemble a spreadsheet with full inventory, inventory details, and put together the order that would be needed to right size existing uniform sets before the March retreat. (We would place the order in mid-May after confirming MY18 numbers.)
Bob - Identify ways to improve the tryout process, keep in mind Blue Sombrero's ability for pre-signups, and have a plan ready for the January retreat.
Catalina - Create a comprehensive plan for team volunteer recognition driven by the team managers, have the plan ready for the January retreat.
Chris - Review all region surveys concluding in November, fall season referee engagement, and develop actionable items to improve on the desired outcomes before the January retreat.
Dan - Identify and document qualities needed to be a master/lead coach for 5U before the January retreat. (In other words, what things should we look for in a person that would indicate a good master coach?)
Daniel - Pick Juan's brain about the formation process; learn Blue Sombrero for team formation before the January retreat.
Danny - Provide an analysis of the two teams bundling approach for 6U, how is that approach working, what are ways to improve the 6U program, and have your review/action items ready for the March retreat.
Doug - Develop a pickup group program, where parents can sign up players and be given the opportunity to participate in pickup games, create the proposal to be presented at the March retreat. (How could we make that program work?)
Elaine - Put together a simplified guide/package to running the shoe swap in the same manner it was run in fall, and have the materials ready before the January retreat.
Eric - Work on creating coach-training opportunities before spring and identify volunteers to be targeted for advancement and/or training to be coach instructors before the January retreat.
Humberto - Gather ideas for program growth, and how to market to High Schoolers. Put together some ideas for the January retreat.
Jason - Facilitate conversations to develop a partnership/agreement with the Corvallis Sports Park prior to the start of the Winter 2 season. (Set the groundwork for future agreements with CSP by including conversations about approaches for winter 2018.)
Jeff - Familiarize yourself with the AYSO CVPA job and be prepared for the CVPA work expected before March.
Joan - Have Area complete an audit before the end of January.
Joe - Build a marketing flier for all youth volunteer opportunities (referee, coach asst, others?), include key points that address concerns that are common and prepare the flier for review before the January retreat.
John - Identify a method to offer coaches field continuing education opportunities and outline ways to entice/encourage coaches to show for the continuing education / technical clinics. Package the proposal to be distributed before the January retreat.
Juan - Take lessons learned from fall and develop an action plan for formation in June, and dealing with late additions in September, prepare your plan for the March retreat.
Kelsey - Ideas?
Laura - Identify ways to help improve early registration numbers for MY18 in May, and have your plan complete by the January retreat. (Getting returning players to sign up early, encouraging returning families to tell others... ideas/how?)
Luke - Finalize a field use agreement with the School District before the end of January.
Marty - Ideas?
Mary - Identify areas for marketing and develop a marketing plan, specifically targeting the younger ages, and present your plan at the March MY18 meeting.
Steve - Pick Andy's brain about formation processes and learn Blue Sombrero for team formation before the March retreat.
Toby - 1: Evaluate risk of having volunteers operate 509J field equipment; provide report with your findings as soon as possible. 2: Look into ways to help remove the vermin on the fields, create your proposal before January.
Vince - Organize a well-attended intermediate training before the start of the spring season.
Walt - Develop a zero tolerance policy for spectators "yelling" at region volunteers on game day and the form that must be signed for them to return to spectate again. Package a comprehensive proposal before the January retreat.
January Retreat Additional Items - Spring Season Calendar, Final Policies & Protocols Addendums, Final Field Agreement, Draft Region Assessment Complete, Digital Player Evaluation Form, Board Equipment Proposal, 5-A-Side Proposal, Partnership Approach, March Retreat Additional Items - New Programs Proposal, EXPO Updates Review, Blue Sombrero New Features Demo, New AYSO U Classes Review, Region Document Share,
March Retreat Additional Items - New Programs Proposal, EXPO Updates Review, Blue Sombrero New Features Demo, New AYSO U Classes Review, Region Document Share,

Respectfully submitted:
Mary Cotton, Schoolyard Coordinator
AYSO Region 149

October 2017

MINUTES FOR OCT 19, 2017

PRESENT: Chris Jordan, Andy Ungerer, Luke Cotton, Juan Fernandez, Eric Gleske, Dan Herford, Elaine Markley, Mary Cotton, Doug Conrad

MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER: It was moved by Mary and seconded by Chris the minutes be approved as edited in email stating that training will resume in the spring, rather than try to complete in the fall. The motion carried unanimously.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Applications for CVPA and Girls Team Formation were discussed.*Stephen Crandall applied for the Girls Team Formation. Andy has not had conversations with Stephen. Jeffrey Goodwin applied for CVPA and has had conversations with various Board members at the field about his interest in helping Region 149, having been in Region 870. It was moved by Mary and seconded by Andy that both Stephen and Jeffrey be appointed to these Board positions. The motion carried unanimously. Dan Herford was present at the meeting and has applied for Assistant Boys Team Formation. Dan has coached a variety of divisions and brings knowledge from younger to older divisions. He felt he could start with the 8U and 10U this spring and move up in the next membership year. It was moved by Juan and seconded by Elaine that Dan be approved as the Assistant Boys Team Formation Coordinator. The motion was unanimously approved. Welcome to the Board, Jeffrey, Stephen and Dan.

PICTURE RETURN: There has been no follow up with requests for information about pictures at this date. It is the hope that NW Sports Photography will have the team and individual pictures to us by October 28 in time to distribute at the last game. Communication is the biggest problem with this company.

LAST GAME OF SEASON: Luke will send out a reminder to all teams about how to prepare the field if they are the last game scheduled on October 28. Goals need to be rolled off to the side of the field and all nets returned to the brown equipment shed being placed in the trashcan that matches the field number. This way we can fit the correct nets on the goals in the spring.

INDOOR SOCCER: An email will be sent out October 20 reminding everyone that the registration for the indoor program closes that weekend. Luke will teach Jason how to form teams using the online program. For the first time, parents rated their child for skill level to help with team formation. We will see how that goes! Jason will have a quick referee session to train volunteers on rules of indoor when they arrive at the sports park. All soccer balls and pinnies will stay at the indoor sports park until the season is over. Luke reported that he has not seen a contract with the sports park. The Indoor Soccer banners and flyers will be up at the field on Oct. 21 reminding everyone to sign up.

SEASON REVIEW SESSIONS: Luke would like different Board members to combine knowledge of the past season and have a sub-committee meeting in the next few weeks. Groups identified were:
Team Formation/Registration/Blue Sombrero: Juan, Andy, Dan, Danny, Mary
Referee/Referee Support group: Chris and staff
Coach: Eric, John W. and any other Board members
Fields/Catch All: Doug, Luke
The Board member in charge of each subject will facilitate and call the meeting with their group. Summaries will go to Luke.
Chris mentioned that the dates for the next referee training session have not been set.

RC TRAINING: Luke will attend the Regional Commissioner training November 10-12. He will focus on getting answers to issues with Blue Sombrero!

SPRING PLANNING SESSION: Mark your calendars for January 6, 2018 for a half day planning session. This will replace a full day Board retreat and after EXPO and membership year 2018 has been discussed, another "retreat" day will be planned. The location will be announced at a later date. Luke felt is is better to work with what we know and not second guess what will come from National for the next membership year.

FIELDS REPORT: Luke sent the following report of fields to Board members prior to the meeting. Mary volunteered to ask a contact she has about donation of grass seed.

In Progress:
-1- I am working with 509J on the tractor item, and what agreement would work to get that progressing.
-2- The plan is to have the last teams help with takedown, removing nets, and moving goals for 10/28.
-3- I am working with 509J on getting the fields aeriated, and to look into issues with trees, fences, and water cannons.
-4- I am working with 509J to get field closed signs up for work on specific areas and to work on a plan for improvements at Garfield.
-5- I am drafting letters to grass seed companies to get donations/discounts (could use help with this).
-6- I ordered new Team & Spectator signs, they will show after the season.
-7- I ordered new trashcans for all fields, they will show after the season, I am still working on the signage for the cans.
-8- I am drafting a letter to a few roofing companies to get help with the blue shed (could use help with this).
-9- I plan to have a meeting with facilities staff regarding a timeline for spring.

Season Changes Report:
This season we have been trying a few new strategies:
-A- Each team needs to supply a field volunteer for lining a field for a designated game day (see attached). An email is sent each week with directions and a reminder (see below).
-B- First teams and last teams are sent a take down or setup notice by email (see below).
-C- Board volunteers are asked to not do the job of assigned teams or volunteers, creating greater visibility of areas needing help.

I have to admit the communications/coordination/training work is time consuming, but has ultimately left us with more volunteer engagement. Getting re-liners trained and forcing teams to feel responsible for the fields will ultimately help us in Spring.

Season Difficulties:
Initial Setup: Getting help with initial setup was tough. The number of trained markers and measurers makes initial setup tough. I will be trying an assigned approach for teams that did not need to reline, they will be charged with helping with spring season setup.
Signage: some of the signage is not setup yet (on goals), but the idea is to add more to everything. Stronger zip ties and a few goal improvements will hopefully reduce issues.
Adams Practices: better communication is needed with teams that practice at Adams. A set of directions regarding goals and field use is needed (no more Saturdays of goals needing to be fixed)
Field Damage: Issues w/ voles, moles, squirrel things, and elementary school students digging holes. Multiple practicing teams are doing heavy use, this will be bigger a problem in spring.
Practice Locations: Some key locations could benefit from greater attention, Garfield is the most used location according to the school scheduling tool.

Field Relining Assignments - sent Thursday to team volunteers signed up online (if no volunteer, Team Manager is sent the email):
Hello Field Volunteers & Team Managers,

Please complete the field relining before game time Saturday 10/21. Training is available Friday 10/20 5pm-5:30pm at the AYSO sheds. In some cases, you might find that the lines are easily visible and in good shape, please review lines for that field and consider relining a field that has not been done.

If you have lined the fields before, please feel free to use the code "JADE" to get the needed equipment, everyone else email me or come to the training Thursday. Do not rush and do not let kids do the job; we are looking for visible and continuing straight lines. This can be straightforward once you see how the inverted spray cans are set in the device and how you need to walk behind the device to get a straight line (and not paint your shoes).

NOTE: You can paint lines rain or shine, ideally it is shine.

Field Marking: https://www.corvallisayso.org/about/fields.html#marking

Marking Assignments This Week:
Item First Name Last Name Notes

https://www.corvallisayso.org/teams/fields-signup.html

Tips:
There is string in the brown shed and screw drivers to keep the string in place if you feel like this would help keep them straight. If the line is too narrow that you are painting simply twist the can a quarter turn and it will come out wider. If you have not lined before its very simple, pull the liner out of the brown shed "JADE", and start to look at the setup and test the sprayer. Remember to shake the can, and ensure it is centered on the prior line to get the few inch wide line matched up. The lines should still be slightly visible, so you should have something to follow and reline.

Team Setup Notifications - sent Thursday to all team volunteers for each team that is first on a field:
6U Coaching Gear: Please pick up your field bag with 12 size 3 soccer balls, & 20 disc cones from the area outside the AYSO Brown Shed. Missing or damaged equipment? Talk to the volunteer at the information shed.
6U Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 4 goals, 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, 1 team field sign, 8 corner flags, and 2 spectator team signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, to field 61.
8U Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 4 goals, 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, field signs, and the 8 corner flags, found at the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 82.
10U Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 101.
10U Field Goals: Please double check the goal for safety and patch any open holes. Please be sure a sandbag is on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.
12U Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 122.
12U Field Goals: Please double check the goal for safety and patch any open holes. Please be sure a sandbag is on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.
12U Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 2 red goal nets, 1 trashcan, 1recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 123.
12U Field Goals: Please setup the red nets and double check the goal for safety. Please be sure a sandbag is on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.
14U+ Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 141.
14U+ Field Goals: Please double check the goal for safety and patch any open holes. Please be sure a sandbag is on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.
14U+ Field Equipment: Please setup/take the 2 orange goal nets, 1 trashcan, 1 recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 142.
14U+ Field Goals: Please setup the orange nets and double check the goal for safety. Please be sure a sandbag is on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.

Team Takedown Notifications - sent Thursday to all team volunteers for each team that is last on a field:
6U Coaching Gear: Please pick up your field bag with 12 size 3 soccer balls, & 20 disc cones, and take it to the AYSO Brown Shed.
6U Field Equipment: Please return the field 61 pop up goals, trashcan, recycle bin, team field sign, corner flags, and spectator signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
8U Field Equipment: Please return the field 81 small goals, trashcan, recycle bin, field signs, and the corner flags to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
10U Field Equipment: Please return the field 103 trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
10U Field Goals: Please leave the goal nets and anchor sandbags on the field 103 goals.
12U Field Equipment: Please return the field 121 trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
12U Field Goals: Please leave the goal nets and anchor sandbags on the 121 goals.
12U Field Equipment: Please return the field 123 red nets, trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
12U Field Goals: Please take the red nets down and be sure you leave the sandbag on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.
14U+ Field Equipment: Please return the field 141 trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 141. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
14U+ Field Goals: Please leave the goal nets and anchor bags on the 141 goals.
14U+ Field Equipment: Please return the field 142 orange nets, trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pick up trash around the field.]
14U+ Field Goals: Please take the orange nets down, be sure you leave the sandbag on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, November 16 at the OSU Oceanography Administrative Building. Rube from Corvallis Soccer Club has requested to be on the agenda to discuss soccer in our community. Elaine will be out of town so Mary has volunteered to take minutes for that meeting. Thanks Mary.

Respectfully submitted:
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

September 2017

MINUTES FOR SEP 21, 2017

PRESENT: Juan Fernandez, Eric Gleske, Elaine Markley, Catalina Segura, Chris Jordan, Mary Cotton, Luke Cotton, Andy Ungerer, Danny Aynes

BLUE SOMBRERO: Mary will take the Team Worksheets that were sent out by Luke to the Team Formation folks. She will divvy them out between Andy and Juan. All three volunteers will start forcing Blue Sombrero volunteers to have the role the have on the team worksheet. From that point they will start getting emails they need from the Coach and Referee Administrators and Team Managers. Any training missed in the fall can be picked up in the fall.

CALENDAR: Picture Day will be October 7 with October 14 as the make-up date. The Knights of Columbus Shoot Out will be held the same day. Goals will be set up on an open field for the competition. Pictures proofs should be back to the team managers by October 21. Indoor Soccer registration will be October 14, 21, and 28. Indoor games begin November 4 and run until December 16.

BOARD RECRUITMENT: Dan Herford will be applying as an assistant for Boys Team Formation. He also offered to help with the scheduling of fields at Garfield since SchoolDude does not have the correct options for the space available. If we can get enough assistants, it is possible to go back to the old model of having one person own a division for team formation. Mary also talked to the 05U parents about getting involved and might have someone form another AYSO region interested in helping Region 149. Stay tuned for applications being submitted.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND RAISERS: Elaine reported that we made almost $500 at the shoe/equipment sale. The location was perfect to get a lot of traffic. Even if it rains in the spring, we will keep the sale across from the concession and safety buildings and be under tents. Only about 3 families used the sale for consignment. There was discussion that we should charge a percentage fee for sales made. Nothing was decided on that. The concession sales was down from previous years but we still took in approximately $800 that day for the scholarship fund. The volunteers for the shoe/equipment sale were all extremely enthusiastic and committed to the concept of the sale.

INDOOR SOCCER: Jason has made contact with Corvallis Indoor Sports Park and there is space for 26 teams for indoor this winter. The cost to each player will be $47. $42 will go directly to the Sports Park and the remaining will offset the cost of the credit card cost. All registration will be done on-line. No scholarships are available for this program. Jason will be sure to distribute the necessary information about the program.

COACH REPORT: Eric reported that we have 16 coaches that need to complete the 12U training before the end of the fall season. Luke would like to see that the 06U-08U coaches get trained earlier in the fall. If we have more early volunteers step up, this can be accomplished. Eric will remind coaches of October 7 picture day in advance so they can be on time for their games.

REFEREE REPORT: Chris reported the number of referees who have fulfilled their game obligations thus far (104) but there are 23 who have not scheduled themselves for any games. It appears approximately 1/3 of the referees do not have children in the program and 1/3 are youth referees. Joe's mentoring program was praised for all the positive results with the youth referees. T-shirts are going to be designed for the youth referees as a "thank you" for their contribution. Intermediate and Advanced training sessions will be held in December.

TREASURER REPORT: Luke reported that the uniform/equipment is over budget. We can save the uniforms for next year. There is an overabundance of uniforms in 06U and 08U divisions. It was discussed that it might be money well spent to buy the additional uniforms needed to match the team size now, while the uniform is in stock, and not end up wasting an entire set if we can not get additional uniforms of that style next season. Blue Sombrero costs are still an issue.

CVPA REPORT: Luke reported there are still some bugs that need to be worked out. Most ID's were checked at the training sessions. There were a few with red marks that needed to be dealt with.

TEAM MANAGER REPORT: Catalina reported that the biggest issue right now is the frustration some managers have with Blue Sombrero. There hasn't been much to put in the folders until the week before picture day (September 30).

FIELD REPORT: Luke praised the work of Doug, Walt, Joe, Chris and Brian for the work they did pre-season to get the fields ready. Chris and Joe will spike the corners and center lines now so they are ready for the spring. All goals will have sand bags left on top of the back of the goals. Luke will move the sawhorses and rope to block off the grass area near the highway to keep people from parking on the grass.

EXTRA TEAMS: Thanks to Bob and John for the work they have done to keep the EXTRA teams involved in our program. It appears games have been scheduled and payers are enjoying their experience.

MINUTES FROM AUGUST MEETING: It was moved by Danny and seconded by Eric that the minutes from the August 17, 2017 meeting be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously.

BOARD MEMBERS HELP NEEDED: Board members are reminded to sign up to help open or close the fields. The sign up in on the website.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be on Thursday, October 17 at 7:15pm at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building

Respectfully Submitted
Elaine Markley, Secretary…with the help of Mary Cotton for the first 20 minutes of meeting
AYSO Region 149

August 2017

MINUTES FOR AUG 17, 2017

PRESENT: Juan Fernandez, Luke Cotton, Eric Gleske, Danny Aynes, Andy Ungerer, Arianne Custer, Mary Cotton, Chris Jordan, Catalina Segura, Elaine Markley, Joan Ruekauf

MINUTES: It was moved by Eric and seconded by Chris that the minutes from the July 26, 2017 be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE: Chris reviewed the draft of the PDI rules that he developed. There were a few suggestions and changes that will be edited and he will send out the final draft this week. Any new rules will be indicated in the document to catch reader's attention. It was suggested that in 6U and 8U reference be made to volunteer Coach/Referee throughout the document. It was moved by Eric and seconded by Juan that the document be approved as changed. The motion carried unanimously.

GAME CARDS: Game cards will not be kept in 8U this season. Coaches will be asked by Eric to monitor goals scored and keep watchful eye on amount of time each player is in the game. Keeping good records will help with rating players in the spring. Game cards will be counted out and given to coaches at equipment distribution. Chris will send cards to UPS Store and Arianne will pick them up.

REFUND POLICY: Issuing refunds when credit cards are used to pay is presenting issues. If a player requests a refund in the Core program, they will get back $60 if they paid with credit card and $61.50 if they paid by cash or check. All scholarship refunds will be $15. Luke will finalize the language and post that. The deadline for a refund will be until the first game in September.

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS: It was moved by Eric and seconded by Danny that the following will be considered "partners" with Region 149: AYSO Region 870, Knights of Columbus, UK International and NW Sports Photography. Any other outside organization seeking to advertise on the fields will have to seek Board approval and discussed with the Regional Commissioner. The motion carried unanimously.

TRAINING DATES: All dates are posted on the Website.

TEAM PICTURES: The tentative date is set for the second week of the season which is September 23, with September 30 being the backup date. Luke will finalize those dates.

GAME DAY VOLUNTEERS: Toby will create the online sign up for the game day volunteers for concessions, safety, special event (shoe/equipment sale). Elaine will send the time slots to him for posting. A new concept for lining the field was presented by Luke. He is suggestion teams are assigned to line the fields during the week and will be notified when they are chosen to do that.

TRACTOR: The tractor is still in discussion. National suggests the school district presents Region 149 with a bill for the fields which would be the amount of the tractor. The district would use the money for field use to purchase the tractor. Not all Board members were convinced this is the way to go. Luke will continue discussion with the district.

EXTRA UNIFORMS IN TEAM SETS: It was suggested that coaches turn in any extra uniforms they received on the first game day and we will store them until the spring. If they have a new player added to their team, we have the uniform stored and will not waste money buying another one. It was suggested that the Team Manger be the one to return the uniforms. This will be discussed at the Team Manager training so they know to do that.

INSURANCE FORMS: Mary will create a report with the insurance/emergency forms and take to UPS Store to have printed. She will sort them by team and will bring them to the equipment distribution event to give to the coach/team manager. Thanks Mary!

VOLUNTEER WORKSHEET: It was suggested the Team Manager either take a picture of the completed volunteer worksheet or have someone the team do so before turning it into the equipment distribution station. We are keeping the originals! We don't have enough electrical outlets to have a copy machine at the field those evenings.

TEAM FORMATION: Luke praised both Andy and Juan for the work they have done in forming teams with the new software program. When teams are completed they are posted and families get notification. 15U ratings were not turned in so it was hard to balance that division. There is a shortage of coaches/referees in Philomath in relationship to the number of players from that area. The boys teams are all formed except in 8U. There are enough coaches and team managers for one per team but they are still working out the final balancing. Andy requests Laura be on the email list for the Board so she is in the loop. There has been a good reaction from families with the Blue Sombrero notices when they have been placed. The program is quick to send out a lot of information.

REFEREE REPORT: Chris reported they are still working out the training schedule. Watch the website for the final training sessions. Mary will work with Chris on the "gray areas" of the program and communication with referees. Youth referees must have their own unique account. This is a roadblock for getting them registered right now.

COACH REPORT: We are looking for one 5U coach since there are enough players for 2 teams. Dan will coach 2 teams each week. If you know of anyone who would be a good fit, let Eric or Luke know.

TREASURER REPORT: All is well with the money at this time. The Score uniform order may need to be adjusted so either a refund will be needed or pay additional cost for the extra uniforms.

COMPREHENSIVE MEMORANDUM: Luke is working on preparing a comprehensive memorandum with the Corvallis School District in terms of buildings on the property, field use, longevity of use, etc. Chris will ask the advice of a volunteer who has a law background in the best wording for these documents. A memorandum per issue was discussed as a better way to break up the discussion rather than one long document. This will be discussed next month.

ANNUAL PARENT MEETING: Tuesday, August 29 and Wednesday, August 30 will be the dates for the annual parent meeting held at the Adams fields. The first division will begin at 6:00pm and the second one at 7:00pm. A portable PA system will be used. Luke's dad has lights that can be used after dark and there are LED lights in each of the concession and safety buildings. Equipment will be distributed to coaches along with game cards and emergency insurance forms. If all the volunteer worksheet blanks are filled in, a team could receive their uniform that evening. Elaine will help with girls teams, Arianne with the boys teams. All Board members need to come help out in some way both nights if possible.

NEXT MEETING: Our next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday, September 21 at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

July 2017

MINUTES FOR JUL 26, 2017

PRESENT: Luke Cotton, Humberto Nation, Elaine Markley, Chris Jordan, Bob Vingelin, Andy Ungerer, Eric Gleske, Laura Schell, Vince Waterhouse, Danny Aynes, Doug Conrad, Anton Grube, John Williams, Joan Ruekauf

MINUTES: Humberto moved and Anton seconded the motion that the minutes from the May 18, 2017 meeting be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously. There was no formal Board meeting in the month of June, as subcommittees met and worked on specific tasks.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Catalina Segura applied for the position of Team Manager Coordinator. Her application was discussed (she was unable to attend the meeting) and favorable comments had been given by Juan. She is bi-lingual so that is a plus in bridging the gap with the Spanish speaking families and helping team managers communicate with those families. It was moved by Elaine and seconded by Chris that we accept Catalina as the Team Manager Coordinator. The motion carried unanimously. Laura Schell applied for the position of Assistant Registrar. Laura gave the Board a brief background of her interests and how she can help the region. It was moved by Eric and seconded by Andy we accept Laura as the Assistant Registrar. The motion carried unanimously. Welcome Catalina and Laura.

CORVALLIS SOCCER CLUB: Luke has been working with Rube on how each organization can benefit from the other. It appears the values and missions are more in line with AYSO than they have been in the past. It is possible that Corvallis Soccer Club can assist with the coaching of the 5U and/or 6U teams, but as John pointed out, they would have to go through the AYSO training in order to do that. Good two way communication is needed as we move forward. We will proceed with caution on how much field use they are asking for and what they are doing to enhance the field conditions. Concern was expressed as the weather gets wet later in the fall.

FIELDS REPORT: The water cannons are operating with some tired moments. It is important that proper maintenance takes place for the longevity of the cannons. Focus has been on the EXTRA fields that are being used, but water will be used on other fields prior to the start of the season. Fields 81 and 82 will be labeled as such, not using the numbers 83 and 84 since the teams will split and use the area for games. The U8 teams just go the assigned field and then move accordingly similar to 6U. Luke is trying to work out a memorandum with Kim Patton from the school district for field usage. That is still in the works. The purchase of the tractor for the school district was discussed. Chad Smithson from the Corvallis School District submitted a bid for the tractor that they would prefer. We have a limit of $26,000 to spend. Anton was concerned about additional cost of the cab and other features that made the total above our budget. Laura will check with her husband for other bids from local dealerships such as Linn Benton Tractor. The $2,000 cost for shipping was also a concern for the total price. The total amount of fertilizer donated to the Philomath School District was reduced from $5,000 to $2,000 this year.

EXTRA REPORT: John reported that the girls are practicing 4 times per week: 2 days with size 4 balls and the other 2 days with size 5 balls. The girls will play in the fall league through Kid Sports. The boys have three teams and are looking for about 5-6 more players for the 12U group. Player cards are no longer being issued by OYSA so Corvallis Soccer Club will take care of the player cards for us for the boys program which needs to be done by August 18. The girls pay $14 each through Kids Sports.

BLUE SOMBRERO: There are still a lot of bugs to be worked out with the new system. The fee for credit card use was discussed. At this time no teams have been formed and will not be formed prior to August 1. The goal is to have teams in place by August 14. Blue Sombrero can produce reports of number of key volunteers and emails can be customized to match our needs. Mary and Luke can access reports for those who may want one. Board members are reminded to register for the MY2017 through Blue Sombrero. Time will tell how this will work for every region!

TRAINING SESSIONS: A variety of training sessions will start taking place from August 19 through September 9. A complete schedule will follow. Currently there are many missing volunteers and we need to send out an email blast recruiting key volunteers. Locations will vary as will times and dates. Saturday, September 9 will be used for adult/volunteer training day. The first game of the fall season will be September 16.

PICTURE DAY: Luke needs to follow up with Leanne to see if the contract with NW Sports was signed and we sealed the date of September 23 for pictures. There isn't an OSU football game that day so that is hopefully when we can have the pictures taken.

TEAM MEETINGS: This year the team meetings will be held at the Adams soccer fields on August 29 and August 30. 8U and 15U will be on the first night and 10U and 12U will be on the second night. Luke will have a short presentation and then teams will discuss who is filling each volunteer spot. All Board members are encouraged to be at both evening meetings if possible to help with various stations. Contact Luke if you are able to attend one or both evenings. All teams will receive equipment those days. If they have their volunteer sheet completed, they could select their uniforms. If not, an alternate date will be set up to turn in volunteer form and get uniforms.

NEXT MEETING: The next scheduled meeting would be August 17. Luke did not mention this date, so perhaps Board business will be done after the parent meetings. Information and the specific date of the meeting will be send out by Luke.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

MY17 Email Archive

Spring 2018 Email Archive

[CorvallisAYSO] Thank You & Core Team Sites
Sat 5/19/2018 10:15 PM

Hello Volunteers (User: |User First Name| |User Last Name|),

Core Team Sites Closing: Sunday Night 5/20, I will be closing the Core Program for 17-18; this will close your core team websites.

Thank You: I want to thank all of you for your work this school year. We worked our way through a new online region management system, new online learning management system, and still developed/delivered quality youth soccer to children that were enriched because of your efforts.

Region 149 is Turning 40: I hope you will choose to join us for our 40th year in 2018-2019. We are working on some season changes based on lessons learned and will be sending out a survey next weekend to get your feedback about the proposed changes.

Volunteer Registration: Please remember to register for next year, and complete any special requests (register here) (special requests). Volunteer requests are considered before all others. In Blue Sombrero, please keep in mind that each volunteer needs to have their own account, to get your family accounts linked, you need to get invited by your primary account and create your account from that. (I have no way to link you after the fact :( )

Thank You for helping to create a fun, family environment.

See you in Mid-August,
Luke Cotton - Board Members
Catalina Segura - Team Managers
Chris Jordan - Referees
Eric Gleske - Coaches

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[AYSOEXTRA] Time 4 EXTRA - 5/20 5pm & 5/21 5pm
Sat 5/19/2018 3:42 AM

Thank You for pre-registering your child for the EXTRA program.

On each team formation day 5/20 5pm & 5/21 5pm, please have your child arrive at the main sheds by 5pm ready to play (shin guards, cleats, water). There will be tables where we will check players in and direct them to a field. Once the majority of players have arrived (hoping for 5:15) there will be a brief parent informative presentation by John (Girls EXTRA Coordinator) and Bob (Boys EXTRA Coordinator). We will go over some program details and field any questions.

We will not be making any team formation decisions till after the second day of formation is completed Monday. Please make every effort to have you child attend both Sunday and Monday sessions. If your child cannot attend one of the sessions please contact the coordinator directly to notify them. John (here) Bob (here).

Our goal is to place every child on a team, but unfortunately this is not always possible. We have min/max player number requirements for both U12 and U14 teams and volunteer requirements which must be met prior to teams being formed.

If there are more kids then available spots on teams will will need to designate practice only players. In some cases coaches will need more time to determine and identify the practice players, thanks for your patience with this process!

We will not be collecting money or checks during formation, once you have heard back from the coordinator that your child has been offered a spot on a team, payment will be required and submitted via Blue Sombrero.

FAQ'S:

How much does it cost to play EXTRA? The cost to participate with an EXTRA team is $150 for the year. This includes full jersey set, both Fall and Spring League Fees, Membership Fees, Field Use Fees (Line Paint), year round training, and friendly scrimmages. Practice Only players pay a fee of $5 to cover the Field Use Fees and are eligible to participate in all training sessions and occasional friendly scrimmages. Practice Players are first in line to fill any open spots that become available.

How soon/often will my child's EXTRA team train? This is up to each Coach and Team. Some teams decide to start training immediately in June while other teams may prefer to take a summer break. If there is enough interest a team may decide to participate in a summer tournament which is not included in the $150 annual dues. Summer tournaments typically cost an additional $40-$50 per player. Practice frequency can range from one training per week to two training sessions per week.

Does my child have to play both Core AYSO and EXTRA? YES, in an effort to keep our Region 149 Primary (Core) Program strong, all kids must play on a Core team to be eligible to play with their EXTRA team. Priority is to be put with each child's Core team first, such as practice and game attendance, before they can participate with their EXTRA training or league game.

What age group is my child? If your child is going into 7th or 8th grade for the 2018/19 school year they are considered 15U and will play 11v11 on a full size field with a size 5 ball and heading is allowed. If your child is going into 4th, 5th, or 6th grade they are considered 12U and will play 9v9 on a smaller field with a size 4 ball and no heading. In some cases a player born in 2006 going into 6th grade may move up an age group to offer consistency between Core and EXTRA programs.

What happens when there are two teams formed within an age group? As in past years we may have enough players and volunteer coaches to form two teams within 12U or 14U. We will look into every option to determine the best way to divide players to achieve maximum fun and a positive experience for everyone involved. Some options may include an "A" team and a "B" team, a Philomath team and a Corvallis team, a team of older age/grade players and a team of younger age/grade within an age group etc. We make every effort to be transparent and fair with this process and make collaborative decisions that are best for everyone involved. This process can take time, so we appreciate your patience and understanding in advance.

How many EXTRA games will my child be playing each season? Currently there are 3 different league options for our EXTRA teams to participate in. Each of these leagues play 8 games in Fall and 8 games in Spring. 4 of these games will be home at Adams and 4 of these games will be away typically within 40 miles (Eugene, Salem, Albany). Some leagues offer both Saturday and Sunday games. All EXTRA games played on Saturday will start at 3pm or later to allow every player to participate with their Core game and have time to rest and eat between games. All EXTRA games played on Sunday will be after noon to allow families their Sunday morning time. Some leagues start prior to or extend past our Core season, this can be helpful to alleviate double headers every Saturday during the overlapping Core season.

What if my child cannot attend a game? Please communicate this to your coach and team manager. Communication is essential with both your child's Core Coach and EXTRA Coach. Remember these coaches are all volunteers putting in a ton of time and energy, please show some consideration and communicate directly in advance when there is conflict so they can prepare and plan ahead.

How much playing time will my child get in EXTRA? Every child will play at least 50% of every game as EXTRA operates with the same guidelines and philosophies as the AYSO Core program.

Still have questions? Please contact the EXTRA Coordinator or ask during the formation meeting.

Thanks!
Bob Vingelen

{CorvallisAYSO} Saturday Reminders 5/19
Sat 5/19/2018 4:27 AM

Coaches, (Thank You for Coaching)

Please ask team managers or help to remind parents about the following items in person…
(Your team folder at the brown shed will have some items for your team)

Registration/Programs: Registration help can be found at the information shed from 9am-12pm today.

Fall 2018 Core Recreational registration is open online born 2000-2014 (5U-19U). Registration & placement requests (form link found in program FAQ page) after May will be less likely to be considered (unless they volunteer as ref, coach, or tm). The guidance to team formation has been to prioritize buddy requests from volunteers, then families that registered in May. Note: we still have player scholarships, but the family needs to talk to us today at the info shed.

EXTRA Team Formation for players born 2004-2010 (10U-15U) that want to play more soccer. EXTRA melds the desire from players that want to play more and coaches that want to coach more. AYSO helps with that and opens up opportunities to play outside groups/leagues. It is common to have players that are practice players or participate in events with coaches that just want to offer practices/games over summer (at a cost that is more of a pay as you go & not the school year league cost of $150). Pre-registration is online and is free. Players & Volunteers will need to show at the team formation events, this is also free, on Sunday 5/20 5-7pm @ Adams & Monday 5/21 5-7pm @ Adams. Again, parents need to pre-register to get more details, if they cannot show, at least pre-register and email the coordinator.

Summer Camps are in each month over the summer, one in June, July, & August. They are a full week and are a ton of fun with the UK coaches. (your folder will have some more handouts)

5-A-Side had too few players in most divisions except 12U Boys & 8U Boys. Players wanting to participate in those divisions can show up on Sunday 5/20 @ 8:30am. We will find a way to get everyone playing, at least, a series of hat draw games. I will need some more volunteer help to get things rolling.

Coaches: Remember to return your team equipment Saturday.
(Return required: pinnies & keeper shirt | Shred your paper player forms | help us keep costs low: balls, ball bag, & first aid kit)

If you are coaching in 10U from current 8U, please consider returning your size 3 balls.

If you are coaching in 15U from current 12U, please consider returning your size 4 balls.

Side item, you want to participate in a tournament in Albany?...

This is to tell you about a great opportunity for individuals or teams to play on Saturday May 26th.

Soccerfest is a 5v5 tournament for 10U to 19U and a jamboree style for 8U. All participants this year will receive a Soccerfest T-shirt thanks to our sponsors Primasing Motors of Lebanon and No Dinx of Albany. There will be trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. All teams are guaranteed at least 3 games. Games are 15 minutes long. 7 minute halves with a 1 minute half time. Food will be available for purchase courtesy of Stick-a-pork in it. Enjoy BBQ pulled pork, Porkadilla, Spicy Taco Nacho, Cuban Steak Sandwich, and more. Kona Ice will also be there serving up their delicious Flavor Wave Smart Snack approved flavored ice.

Come and join AYSO Region 870 for an amazing Soccerfest experience. Registration for Soccerfest is now open and will close on Monday May 21st.

To register a team or as an individual free agent go to our website. Rules and detailed information about Soccerfest is available at the link.

> http://www.albanyayso.org/soccerfest <

Thank you,
Duston Denver - Tournament Director AYSO Region 870

{CorvallisAYSO} Saturday Reminders 2 Parents
Sat 5/19/2018 4:01 AM

Team Managers,

Please help to remind parents about the following items in person.
(Your team folder will have some items for you & your head coach)

Registration/Programs: Registration help can be found at the information shed from 9am-12pm today.

Fall 2018 Core Recreational registration is open online born 2000-2014 (5U-19U). Registration & placement requests (form link found in program FAQ page) after May will be less likely to be considered (unless they volunteer as ref, coach, or tm). The guidance to team formation has been to prioritize buddy requests from volunteers, then families that registered in May. Note: we still have scholarships, but they need to talk to us today.

EXTRA Team Formation for players born 2004-2010 (10U-15U) that want to play more soccer. EXTRA melds the desire from players that want to play more and coaches that want to coach more. AYSO helps with this meld and opens up opportunities to play outside groups/leagues. It is common to have players that are practice players or participate in events with coaches that just want to offer practices/games over summer (at a cost that is more of a pay as you go & not the school year league cost of $150). Pre-registration is online and is free. They will need to show at the team formation events, this is also free, on Sunday 5/20 5-7pm @ Adams & Monday 5/21 5-7pm @ Adams. Again, they need to pre-register to get more details, if they cannot show, at least pre-register and email the coordinator.

Summer Camps are in each month over the summer, one in June, July, & August. They are a full week and are a ton of fun with the UK coaches.

5-A-Side had too few players in most divisions except 12U Boys & 8U Boys, players wanting to participate in those divisions can just show up on Sunday 5/20 @ 8:30am. We will find a way to get everyone playing, at least, a series of hat draw games.

Please ask coaches if they have returned the player evaluations.

Please remind 8U+ coaches to return team equipment Saturday.

[AYSO5-A-Side] Sunday 8:30am
Sat 5/19/2018 3:53 AM

Hi Everyone,

Remember to show up Sunday at 8:30am, I will have a check in table so we can confirm numbers and that teams as designed will work.

We have space for more players in 8U boys and 12U boys. We need more referees & team organizers.

Please feel free to invite teammates to join us on Sunday (if there parent is a referee or coach, even better). This is a suggested donation event.

See you Sunday,
Luke

Hey Coach! You made it!
Fri 5/18/2018 8:01 PM

Hey Coach,

You made it!

Here we are, at our last Saturday of matches, and, well, that’s it for now. Time to turn in your gear and enjoy the summer. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our kids. But wait -- we’re already working on the fall season, and you can help. Here are a few things we need you to do before you leave the fields tomorrow.

First, Equipment Return - To help keep costs down, we ask that you return some of the team equipment, specifically the practice jerseys (pinnies), goalkeeper jerseys, and balls. Equipment should be returned to the safety shed after your match. When you return your gear, we’ll give you two Coach Bucks you can use in the Snack Shack. Assistant Coaches can also claim their Coach Bucks, too.

Registration - Make sure your players and families know that registration is open for fall. The earlier they register, the easier it is for all involved to make sure they get placed on a team. And don’t forget to register as a volunteer for next year - you are coming back again, right…?

Player Evaluations - If you have not yet completed your player evaluations, you’ve likely received a reminder already. Please complete these important evaluations, as they are used to help us do a better job in creating more balanced teams. Your feedback makes the difference for the fall. Players need to be rated in Psychosocial, Physical, Technical, and Tactical categories. More information about what this all means is here: https://www.corvallisayso.org/docs/CoachPlayerEvaluations.pdf

Team Formation - Have you ever wondered how we arrive at the teams we get? Consider volunteering to assist during team formation, which usually occurs in early July. Leave your name at the safety shed if you are interested.

Also, remind your players that we have an Extra Program for those players want want more competitive play. https://www.corvallisayso.org/programs/extra.html And for those who want to keep learning soccer over the summer, information about the AYSO Soccer Camps is also available. https://www.corvallisayso.org/programs/camps.html

That’s it - for now. As always, I can’t thank you enough for your time and dedication, and I hope you’re planning to return in the fall. There will be announcements in late June and early July about training opportunities and an All Coaches meeting in August to get us prepared for the next season. I'll be at the Safety Shed for most of Saturday if you have any questions or concerns you want to share.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the Board, thank you for stepping up and helping out this year.

Eric
--------
Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

{CorvallisAYSO} 19U RedTide This Saturday 5/19
Fri 5/18/2018 5:30 AM

15U Warriors Team,

AYSO This Saturday: Coach Appreciation, Registration w/ Limited Help, Calendar, Game Task, & Your Game.

Coach Appreciation: We do not have teams/programs without volunteer coaches. They are the cornerstone of each team and volunteer more hours than any other team volunteer. This Saturday remember to thank them.

Registration Online: Saturday from 10am-12pm players looking to apply for Recreational Core (here), Summer Camps (here), and EXTRA (here) can get help/information at the AYSO information shed. We will have a few computers, but each item can be completed online with the provided links. If you need to show a volunteer ID, or player proof of birth date, you can do that Saturday at the information shed. We have some remaining scholarships available; you will need to show proof on Saturday.

Season Calendar:

Fall 2018 Registration is Open Online (here)
5/19 - Coach Appreciation Day
5/19 - Team Equipment Return and Soccer Equipment Donations @ AYSO Information Shed (8am-2pm)
5/20 - 8:30am 8U Boys and 12U Boys Soccer Event @ Adams Fields
5/20 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School Sheds - Night 1
5/21 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (details) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School Sheds - Night 2
5/26 8:30am - Albany AYSO Soccerfest Tournament (details)

Field Setup or Take Down Tasks:

14U+ Field Equipment: Please return the field 141 trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs, found around the AYSO Brown Shed, out to field 141. [Remember to pickup trash around the field.]

14U+ Field Goals: Please leave the goal nets and anchor bags on the 141 goals.

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FINAL GAME =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

[AlbanyAYSO] Sat May 26th Soccerfest Tournament
Fri 5/18/2018 5:05 AM

Hello AYSO Families that registered for EXTRA & 5-A-Side,

This is to tell you about a great opportunity for individuals or teams to play on Saturday May 26th.

Soccerfest is a 5v5 tournament for 10U to 19U and a jamboree style for 8U. All participants this year will receive a Soccerfest T-shirt thanks to our sponsors Primasing Motors of Lebanon and No Dinx of Albany. There will be trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. All teams are guaranteed at least 3 games. Games are 15 minutes long. 7 minute halves with a 1 minute half time. Food will be available for purchase courtesy of Stick-a-pork in it. Enjoy BBQ pulled pork, Porkadilla, Spicy Taco Nacho, Cuban Steak Sandwich, and more. Kona Ice will also be there serving up their delicious Flavor Wave Smart Snack approved flavored ice.

Come and join AYSO Region 870 for an amazing Soccerfest experience. Registration for Soccerfest is now open and will close on Monday May 21st.

To register a team or as an individual free agent go to our website. Rules and detailed information about Soccerfest is available at the link.

> http://www.albanyayso.org/soccerfest <

Thank you,
Duston Denver - Tournament Director AYSO Region 870
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner AYSO Region 149

Boys and Girls EXTRA formation starts this Sunday!
Wed 5/16/2018 5:23 AM

Hey AYSO Families,

Is your child wanting to play more soccer? If so, the Corvallis AYSO Region 149 EXTRA program is the perfect opportunity! The program is designed for kids to play a slightly more competitive level of soccer with their peers/classmates. EXTRA offers year round scrimmages, advanced training sessions, and league games versus teams outside Corvallis.

Everyone going into 10U-15U is eligible to attend our May formation event (Tryouts), which will take place Sunday May 20th and Monday May 21st from 5-7pm at Adams. We will meet at the main sheds and break into groups. Please arrive on time and pre-register via Blue Sombrero (here). We will form Boys and Girls teams using their 2018/19 age/grade level.

Volunteers: This program does not work without volunteers. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, and Team Managers are needed before we can form teams.

Fees: The Cost to participate will be $150 per player which includes practices, full jersey set, field use fee, membership fee, and both Fall and Spring league fee.

Structure: The focus of the EXTRA teams will be Fall and Spring league play versus teams outside the Corvallis area. Each season this is typically 4 home and 4 away games (Eugene, Salem, Albany).

Requirements: All EXTRA players are required to also take part in the Region's Core Program. Those not currently registered with AYSO can attend tryouts and be placed on a team but must register for Core prior to participating with their EXTRA team.

For more information or if you may be interested in coaching please contact:
John Williams, Girls Extra Coordinator.
Bob Vingelen, Boys Extra Coordinator.

{CorvallisAYSO} Hey Jazz, Buddy Ball? 5/20 8:30am
Sat 5/12/2018 1:47 AM

Howdy y’all,

After I close 5-A-Side for 15U, because we had two people, I get a small set of requests to play 5-A-Side. So, I have another idea… Buddy Ball.

What is Buddy Ball?
Show up with a friend, or not, pairup/signup and get a game rotation. You and your buddy get a series of game assignments. All other pairings will be getting the same thing, in the end you have games with one team consisting of three pairs & another team consisting of three pairs.

Please indicate your player’s interest here: https://doodle.com/poll/uk67fatzphuf5tfe
This concept is scalable, but we need a minimum of eight male players.

Please indicate your player’s interest here: https://doodle.com/poll/w28b69mewpsbhdui
This concept is scalable, but we need a minimum of eight female players.

I need more details Luke… give me the 2am brain dump.

We would not have a pre-signup, just show up, and we go with what we got.
Suggested donation of $5, goes to the fields.
Players need to be AYSO members. (If they played this school year, they are good to go)
Referees need to be a current referee.
Sponsors need to be a current team manager/coach/referee.
Pair’s adult needs to be on site the entire time.

Games are 15min, and are just like 5-A-Side.

Sunday May 20th 8:30-11:15am rundown…
8:30: Player & Friend register pair name.
8:50: Table 2 posted
9:00: Game 1
9:20: Game 2
…

Tables are the bestest…

Pair Name	Player 1	Player 2	Adult
Iron Men	Mike Ringer	Tim Golsalot	Christy Chyrzalot (S)
Sleepy Boyz	Nate Fumbler	Wren Quickster	Ron Bestdad (R)
Game Over	Tom Topcorner	Ryan Brickwall	Ed Brghtcokies
Brad’s Bruisers	Jeff Charypicker	Luke Bigfoot	Brad Redyplyrone
Lil Punks	Greg Backnet	Matt Boller	Erin Strateegry (S)
7min 2 Win	Juan Ownyou	Chris Crosser	Quin Orangees
Only 4 Cookies	Allen Lightfoot	Sark Goolz	Kari Squadz (R)

Table 2	Team Orange Pair 1	Team Orange Pair 2	Team Orange Pair 3	Team Red Pair 1	Team Red Pair 2	Team Red Pair 3	Orange Sponsor	Red Sponsor	Game Referee
Game 1 9:00am	Iron Men	Sleepy Boyz	Game Over	Brad’s Bruisers	Lil Punks	7min 2 Win	Christy	Erin	Ron
Game 2 9:20am	Only 4 Cookies	Iron Men	Sleepy Boyz	Game Over	Brad’s Bruisers	Lil Punks	Christy	Erin	Ron
Game 3 9:40am	7min 2 Win	Only 4 Cookies	Iron Men	Sleepy Boyz	Game Over	Brad’s Bruisers	Christy	Ron	Kari
Game 4 10:00am	Lil Punks	7min 2 Win	Only 4 Cookies	Iron Men	Sleepy Boyz	Game Over	Erin	Ron	Kari
Game 5 10:20am	Brad’s Bruisers	Lil Punks	7min 2 Win	Only 4 Cookies	Iron Men	Sleepy Boyz	Erin	Christy	Ron
Game 6 10:40am	Game Over	Brad’s Bruisers	Lil Punks	7min 2 Win	Only 4 Cookies	Iron Men	Erin	Christy	Kari
Game 7 11:00am	Sleepy Boyz	Game Over	Brad’s Bruisers	Lil Punks	7min 2 Win	Only 4 Cookies	Ron	Erin	Kari

{CorvallisAYSO} 15U Jazz Evaluation Reminder
Fri 5/11/2018 12:55 PM

Dear Coach Gerald,

Please remember to complete your player evaluations by 5/13.

Evaluations: Evaluate the player comparing them to players in the 06U division. We are asking for evaluations broken down into four categories Psychosocial, Physical, Technical, and Tactical. The evaluations should be from 1 to 5 in each, where 1 is below the expected and 5 is above. You can find some details about the expectations for each category here. In addition, you can find more details in the coach refresher slides or in your coach manual.

Psychosocial Evaluation: Respect, motivation, confidence, cooperation, competitiveness, etc. Also, include a player's ability to reason, learn, and solve problems.

Physical Evaluation: Speed, agility, endurance, strength, power, etc.

Technical Evaluation: Ability to master ball skills, i.e., ball control, shooting, passing, etc.

Tactical Evaluation: Capacity to use their skill and ability within a game environment, i.e., creating space in midfield, possession and transition, creating width, etc.

Evaluation Links: Below are all the players that were placed on your team at some point. Please evaluate all the players you can by clicking on the link and filling out the form.

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PLAYER EVALUATIONS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Notes: Submitting an eval form for a player twice from this email will overwrite the prior evaluation. We are asking both head and asst. coaches to submit evaluations, each will get a customized email, if they do not, email me.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
Eric Gleske - Region Coach Administrator

{CorvallisAYSO} 19U GreenWave This Saturday 5/12
Thu 5/10/2018 6:35 PM

06U Bats Team,

AYSO This Saturday: Team Manager Appreciation, Registrations, Calendar, Game Tasks, & Your Games.

Team Manager Appreciation: Please remember to thank your team manager this Saturday.

Registration Help: Saturday from 9am-2pm players looking to apply for 5-A-Side, Fall 2018, and EXTRA can get help in the Adams School Gym. You can also complete the applications online (here). Common Questions & Answers are (here). Families desiring help in Spanish, access to a computer, or are looking for a scholarship need to show this Saturday.

Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9am to 2pm at Adams School Gym

Season Calendar:

Fall 2018 Registration is Open Online (here)
5/12 - Team Manager Appreciation Day
5/12 9am-2pm - Open Registration (Computer Lab, Spanish Help, & Scholarship Applications)
5/12 - Player Evaluations Due from Coaches
5/19 - Coach Appreciation Day
5/19 - Last Game Day & Team Equipment Return
5/20 - 5-A-Side Soccer Event @ Adams Fields
5/20 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School - Part 1
5/21 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (details) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School - Part 2

Game Day Field Setup or Take Down Tasks:

No Field Setup or Take Down Needed This Saturday. We could use help with field relining (Signup Here)

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= GAMES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
(unsubscribe)

{CorvallisAYSO} 12U Timberwolves 5-A-Side Sunday 5/20
Wed 5/9/2018 3:05 AM

Dear 12U Timberwolves Team,

5-A-Side: You can signup online now (here) or use the computer lab in Adams on Saturday 5/12 from 9-2pm.

We currently have 06-08UB 10 players, 06-08UG 3 players, 10UB 6 players, 10UG 7 players, 12UB 10 players, & 12UG 8 players. The counts in 15U were not enough to proceeded.

5-A-Side Games - Sunday 5/20

A fun series of games for players to explore many positions, in an often high scoring game. The morning is filled with many opportunities to network, as you move from one 15min game to another. Signup Online

Cost is $5 per player, paid at the field on 5/20.
Games are 15 min w/ 5 min between games.
Depending on demand... 4 games from 9am-2pm.
Flowing substitutions at any point in the game.
Volunteers:

Team Organizer/Sponsor: Any current referee, team manager, or coach can fill this role. You are asked to help with organizing players, assigning positions, and running substitutions.
Referee: Any current referee can fill this role. 10U+ can signup for games in Web Ref, 8U referees will be assigned a block of games.

Teams:

Grouped by team name, then by ratings.* If two or more players signup with the same team/group name, we will try to keep them together.
Free agents are allocated based on rating to help balance teams.
The divisions are setup to allow players to play up if desired, if we do not get enough players for a division we will close it.
8U is 5 players on a team, games are 3 vs 3 on fields 61a, 61b, 62a, & 62b.
10U is 6 players on a team, games are 4 vs 4 on fields 81a, 81b, 82a, & 82b.
12U is 7 players on a team, games are 5 vs 5 on fields 101, 102, & 103.

Notable Rules:

On the fly substitutions like hockey / indoor soccer.
All restarts are direct.
10U will do throw-ins.
12U+ keeper kicks/throws cannot cross half in the air.
8U & 10U no keepers (no goal hanging allowed).
7min halves, 5min between games (all fields signaled by horn).
No offside.
No deliberate heading (except 15U) restart is a direct kick.
No buildout line.

*NOTICE: We reserve the right to choose not to place players based on team grouping, we would do this if it is evident that a team/group will overpower most other teams.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
(unsubscribe)

{CorvallisAYSO} 15U Warriors 5-A-Side 15U Closed
Wed 5/9/2018 3:10 AM

Dear 15U Warriors Team,

Unfortunately we continue to not have enough registrations in 15U, so I have closed the 15U division for 5-A-Side. We will try something else for next school year.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
(unsubscribe)

[CorvallisAYSO] Open Registration
Sat 5/5/2018 12:51 AM

Registration for Fall 2018 & Spring 2019

AYSO Core Recreational Program for players born between 2000-2014.

To register. Login to the Blue Sombrero website at www.corvallisayso.org/login and select the programs available button next to your participant (or add a new participant with the little three dot link in the participants header). We will have registration events on May 5 and May 12 from 9am to 2pm at Adams Elementary School Gym. The computer lab will be open and Spanish translators will be available to assist in the registration event.

Core Recreational Program includes the cost of the program ($62.5) & the membership to AYSO ($17.5), totaling $80. Scholarships (total price to $35) may be available to families who bring verification they qualify for the free/reduced lunch to a registration event (other types of proof like SNAP or TANF can be accepted). If applying for a scholarship, register on-line but do not pay here. We will need to adjust the registration fee before payment is made.

If a player is new to AYSO they must have proof of age (birth certificate, passport, or immunization record). You could bring it to the event or upload a picture in the registration process online.

If you have questions, check here for registration FAQ or here to learn more about the divisions or other programs.

Thank You,
Andy Ungerer - Region Registrar

P.S. - Special Request Form is here. Types of requests include Team Friend/Buddy or Play Up a division. We cannot guarantee requests will be honored. Please fill out two forms when needed, for example if you wish to play in a higher division with a friend, please fill out one form for each request.

{CorvallisAYSO} This Saturday
Fri 5/4/2018 12:35 PM

AYSO This Saturday: Silent Saturday/Referee Appreciation, Open Registration, 5-A-Side Registration, Summer Camp Registration, Calendar Updates, Game Tasks, & Your Games.

"Silent Saturday" is This Saturday along with Referee Appreciation day. See Silent Saturday details (here).

Open Registration for Fall 2018 & Spring 2019: Complete the entire registration online (here). Common Questions & Answers are (here). Families desiring help in Spanish, access to a computer, or are looking for a scholarship need to show at a registration event.

Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 9am to 2pm at Adams School Gym
Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9am to 2pm at Adams School Gym

5-A-Side: Additional playing opportunity, in a set of short games. This series of short soccer games on Sunday 5/20. Players can signup, and be placed together or placement could be with another player, signup (here). All AYSO members are invited to participate.

Summer Camps: 3 separate week long summer camps to choose from with UK Coaches. AYSO Soccer Camp is designed for children ages 4-14. Full day or half day programs are offered to children of any skill level by the UK International soccer coaching staff. Signup (here).

Season Calendar Update:

Fall 2018 Registration is Open Online (here)
5/5 - Referee Appreciation Day
5/5 - Silent Saturday (details)
5/5 9am-2pm - Open Registration (Computer Lab, Spanish Help, & Scholarship Applications)
5/12 - Team Manager Appreciation Day
5/12 9am-2pm - Open Registration (Computer Lab, Spanish Help, & Scholarship Applications)
5/12 - Player Evaluations Due from Coaches
5/19 - Coach Appreciation Day
5/19 - Last Game Day & Team Equipment Return
5/20 - 5-A-Side Soccer Event @ Adams Fields
5/20 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School - Part 1
5/21 5-7pm - AYSO EXTRA (details) Boys & Girls Team Formation @ Adams School - Part 2

[CorvallisAYSO] Silent Saturday
Tue 5/1/2018 12:28 PM

Silent Saturday & Referee Appreciation

When: May 5th 2018

"Silent Saturday" is used in AYSO Regions throughout the country with a great deal of success. Its main purpose is to just let the kids play and have fun without having to worry about how their performance is affecting the adults on the sidelines. "Silent Saturday" is a throwback to the old schoolyard days when kids would congregate after school and on weekends just to play the sport all day without regard to who was winning and repercussions for poor play and decision-making. Coaches are requested to communicate and reinforce this with spectators!

The objectives of holding a "Silent Saturday" are:

To emphasize that the game is about letting the kids have fun and play.
To show that kids can play well on their own with limited instruction.
To help the few parents and coaches who feel they must provide constant direction, understand how disruptive it can be.
To give players the chance to trust their skills and instincts without sideline input.
To encourage leadership skills among the individual players as they have the unique opportunity of giving their own instruction on the field.
To encourage a sense of true teamwork as the players must learn to rely upon one another and communicate with each other accordingly.
To support our volunteer referees, both youth and adult, by eliminating sideline interference and comments.

While the vast majority of adult verbal participation is intended to be positive and constructive, the fact of the matter is that games can (and have in the past) become so loud that the players often have difficulty hearing each other on the field. Taking one week off from any verbal interference may help adults gain perspective on just how loud they've been in the past. You will all be amazed at how quiet the field will be-come.

RULES FOR SILENT SATURDAY:

Spectators: We request that you make no verbal comments about the game or direct any comments to the players or referees (or coaches) on or off the field. Clapping IS allowed! Be creative in how you choose to cheer your child's team - make signs to hold up or bring a rally towel in the team's color and wave it wildly. There are lots of ways to cheer other than verbally. But please no noise makers and especially no whistles, or compressed air horns.

Coaches: It is recommended that you do not provide any direction - verbal or non-verbal - to players who are on the field. You may speak quietly to any players on the bench and have a conversational discussion about the game with the players before and after the game, and during halftime. If absolutely required, rarely and quietly call a player on the field to the touchline to provide tactical instruction while the game is in play (just like you are allowed to do during a normal game). Then let the player convey the message to his team.

Players: You are encouraged to speak to each other on the field as normal. You are free to support each other and provide direction to each other. Substitute players on the bench must be quiet as well and not cheer or provide tactical instruction to their teammates. Lest they simply replace the coach or act on his behest.

Referees: For this special day, referees are being asked to monitor the spectators and coaches adherence to these guidelines and to offer reminders if the recommendations are not being followed, including notifying the coaches and/or stopping the game if necessary. Continue to verbalize often during the game as you normally would and do not to be concerned about the fact they can now hear you off the field as well. You are there to help the players have a safe, fair and fun time.

Thanks,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

{CorvallisAYSO} TEAM Week 4
Fri 4/27/2018 5:25 AM

Dear Team,

AYSO This Week: Calendar Updates, Game Tasks, & Your Games.

Season Rundown Update: Below is the calendar of the spring season.

Rescheduled 5-A-Side Soccer Event to 5/20 - Registration is Open Online
5/1 - Open Registration Starts for Core Recreational Program & EXTRA Team Formation.
5/5 - Referee Appreciation Day
5/5 - Silent Saturday (more details in Monday email)
5/5 9am-1pm - Open Registration Lab (& Scholarship Help)
5/12 - Team Manager Appreciation Day
5/12 9am-1pm - Open Registration Lab (& Scholarship Help)
5/12 - Player Evaluations Due from Coaches (more details in Monday email)
5/19 - Coach Appreciation Day
5/19 - Last Game Day & Team Equipment Return
5/20 - 5-A-Side Soccer Event @ Adams Fields
5/20-21 - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Boys Team Formation / Tryouts
TBA - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Girls Team Formation / Tryouts
6/15 - Open Registration Closes

Game Day Field Setup or Take Down Tasks:

No Field Setup or Take Down Needed This Saturday. We could use help with field relining (Signup Here)

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= GAMES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
(unsubscribe)

{CorvallisAYSO} 5-A-Side Sign Up
Sat 4/21/2018 4:10 AM

Hello PARENT,

While at your players game, remember to talk with the team about 5-A-Side on Sunday 4/29. Sign ups for 5-A-Side close this weekend, and you can see more details about 5-A-Side here: https://corvallisayso.org/programs/5-a-side.html

Thanks,

~Luke

P.S. In Blue Sombrero you should see the available program, existing players should not see a charge for 5-A-Side online. Only sign up for one division, we are offering 5-A-Side for players from 8U-15U, the program is setup to allow you to choose to play up a division if desired.

Unsubscribe?

https://corvallisayso.org/form/unsubscribe.html

Lopsided Matches
Fri 4/20/2018 3:14 PM

Referees,
Just a reminder that you can help manage matches that become very lopsided (more than a 4 goal differential). However, you do not have any direct authority to change what happens in a match outside of the Laws of the Game. But, you do have the best seat in the house - you will see if players are becoming frustrated, if the winning side is rubbing it in, either intentionally or not. Your best bet is to talk with the coaches about implementing strategies for balancing matches. You can point to these guidelines that they have all received, or suggest a few of your favorites.

Your role is not to tell the coaches what to do, but you do have a role to remind the coaches about "Safe, FUN, and FAIR".

If the frustration boils over into player behavior, which it easily can, then you are forced to deal with players when they are angry, upset, embarrassed, and acting inappropriately. Now the LoTG come into play, but work to intervene way before it gets to this point.

If you do not feel comfortable talking with the coaches, or your gentle suggestions have not been well received - flag down a passing board member or senior ref. If help isn't right there, send one of your ARs on a mission to bring back support. Please help everyone to have a fun time by helping the coaches do their job.

Thank you for all or your volunteering with AYSO,
The Ref Management Team

Hey Coach - Your role in Balanced Teams
Thu 4/19/2018 11:05 PM

Hey Coach,

Thank you for working so hard to get our spring season underway. Our first weekend was a bit wet and windy, but fun to see. Thank you as well for your patience with our weather; we all missed the fun at Adams last week. The good news is that it looks like we're on for Saturday!

Yes, I've been quiet this spring, but now that we're underway, there are a few items I need to have you thinking about. First, at the Board level we're already working on getting ready for registration for fall - yikes! As we do each year, once registration is complete we will form teams over summer, and that means your work begins now. As I mentioned in the fall, we will need you to provide an evaluation of your players, This year we will use a new system for rating players, based on ratings you provide for your player's Psychosocial, Physical, Technical, and Tactical level. If those categories sound familiar, they should, as we talk about these in our Coach training. Each age group is different, but all four categories can be evaluated for every player. More information will be coming at your each week to keep this on your mind. So start making notes - or, better still, adding to those notes you made last fall.

Player ratings help us to form teams in as balanced a way as we can. Balanced Teams is one of our Six Philosophies, and far too often this seems more aspirational than functional. Your help with evaluations this year, and our new method, should help.

Meanwhile, we have the teams we have, and we've seen that they aren't as balanced as we would like. Some teams are different than they were in the fall, with players added or dropped - or both. On our first Saturday this spring, we had a few lopsided games. One was terribly lopsided. So, a reminder: we want want a positive experience for ALL of our players — win or lose. This means that if a game appears to be lopsided, it's on the Coaches to communicate with each other what can be done about it.

At our Board meeting tonight, this was one of our discussions, and so I've attached a PDF with some tips for managing lopsided matches. Here's the condensed version:

If you're up five goals, you're in a lopsided match. Yes, in the younger ages, 8U and 6U, there will be goals scored that have less to do with skill and more with luck and circumstance, and they run up the score in a way that does not indicate a true lopsided game,, but if a team is up five points, the team that is down five points is probably very aware of that fact, and at that age, they can get very discouraged by that kind of game. So at the five point margin, we want coaches from both teams to discuss the situation. If there are things that can be done, please do them. If you are unsure where to begin, please refer to the attached PDF, or view it here.
Your game on Saturday is an opportunity for ALL players to put into use what they've practiced the week prior, or learned from the last match. If the game is not working - and a blowout of more than a five point differential is an indicator that the game is not working - one option is to end the game, pull out the pinnies, and form two new teams, and try to play a balanced game with the rest of the time remaining. The kids are there to play and have fun, and they know if one team is totally over-dominating the other...
Blowouts don't help players develop - on either side of the score. Blowouts are not part of our Vision, Mission, or Philosophies.

If you have thoughts or concerns about lopsided games, please share them with me.

Thank you again for helping us with AYSO's Vision: to provide world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives. I hope to see you around on Saturday,

----

Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator
AYSO Certified Coach Instructor
AYSO Advanced Coach

Re: Intermediate Referee Training Class, Apr 20 & 27th
Thu 4/19/2018 7:49 PM

Hi all,

One more reminder,

The upcoming Intermediate Referee Training class
will be held at rm 204 at Corvallis High School
from 5:30 - 9:30 pm
on both Friday, April 20 & Friday, April 27

To Register for the class at: https://aysou.org/Home.aspx

Login

Choose Live Courses from the banner just below the AYSO U logo.
on the Calendar choose April 20.
Choose Sessions following the Intermediate Referee Course link
There you should see the class listed as:

Intermediate Referee Training - 2/S/0149 Corvallis, OR
Fri 20 Apr 2018, 5:30 PM - 11:45 PM PDT

Hope to see you tomorrow.
Vince Waterhous
Director of Referee Instruction
AYSO Region 149

{CorvallisAYSO} TEAM NAME Week 3
Thu 4/19/2018 1:40 AM

Dear TEAM NAME Team,

AYSO This Week: Fields & Practices, 5-A-Side, Summer Camps, Game Day & Field Volunteering, Game Tasks, & Your Games.

Fields & Practices: I expect locations to start opening up, but many fields are still trying to drain out. Please check the region website (here) for updates about practices or games. Please expect games this weekend, the weather looks great.

5-A-Side: Series of short soccer games on Sunday 4/29, where games are focused on flow, signup (here) as a free agent or part of a team. All AYSO members are invited to participate.

Summer Camps: AYSO Soccer Camp is designed for children ages 4-14. Full day or half day programs are offered to children of any skill level by the UK International soccer coaching staff. Signup (here).

Game Day Helpers: Please remember to volunteer for a spot in the spring season (here). Team Managers, please help with reminders.

Concessions Helper: helps on game day at the concession stand for a two hour shift. On-the-job training will be provided. You will be paired with another volunteer.

Registration Helper: helps at the open registration events by guiding applicants through the registration process. On-the-job training will be provided.

Safety Helper: helps operate the Safety/Information station on game day, answer questions about game day, general operations, and keep first aid supplies and forms in order for a two hour shift. On-the-job training will be provided. You will be paired with another volunteer.

Opening Helper: helps set out equipment for use during the game day, checks fields, and could do other field tasks (like lining fields, helping with nets, etc.). On-the-job training will be provided.

Thank You to the following teams that had at least one person signup:

Beetles
Blaze
Blazes
Blitz
Buffalo
Butterflies
Clash
Cowboys
Cruisers
Cyclones
Darts
Dragons

Dynamo
Eagles
Eclipse
Grizzlies
Hornets
Impact
Jaguars
Jewels
Kangaroos
Lasers
Mirage
Mustangs

Ninja
Pacers
Patriots
Penguins
Power
Pumas
Rockets
Sparks
Spiders
Thunder
Tigers
Timberwolves
Warriors

Fields Work Helpers: Please remember to volunteer for a spot in the spring season (here). Team Managers, please help with reminders.

Thank You to the following teams that had at least one person signup:

Avalanche
Bears
Blaze
Blitz
Bulls
Canaries
Clash
Colts
Cruisers
Darts
Diamondbacks
Dragons

Dynamo
Falcons
Force
GreenWave
Illusion
Jazz
Jewels
Juventus
Kangaroes
Kiwis
Ladybugs
Mirage

Mystics
Ninjas
Peacocks
Puma
Rockets
Seahawks
Shadow
Spiders
Sundevils
Surf
Tigers
Warriors

Game Day Field Setup or Take Down Tasks:

14U+ Field Equipment: Please return the field 142 orange nets, trashcan, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pickup trash around the field.]

14U+ Field Goals: Please take the orange nets down, be sure you leave the sandbag on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= GAMES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
(unsubscribe)

[CorvallisAYSO] Adams Area Fields Closed
Sat 4/14/2018 3:26 AM

AYSO Families,

I hope that you received an email from Blue Sombrero's automated system if your game was canceled. If not, here is another email.

Games played at the Adams area have been canceled for Saturday 4/14.
Teams playing in other cities still have games (15U Force, 15U Mercury, & 19U RedTide).

Practices for 8U-12U & 19U have been canceled for Monday 4/16. I will update the region website on Monday 4/16 @ 1pm regarding the remaining days of the week.

Thanks,
Luke

P.S. - Canceled games are not made up / rescheduled. Coaches/Teams can coordinate additional games independently if desired (once practices are allowed).

Intermediate Referee Training Class, Apr 20 & 27th
Thu 4/12/2018 8:29 PM

Hi all,

You are regional referees that have been on the field for a couple for years. Here is an opportunity to continue to develop and improve your skills on the field.

We will be offering an Intermediate Referee Training class. The planned dates are 2 consecutive Fridays from 5:30 - 9:30. This is scheduled as a 8 hour class but we will work to respect your time commitment. The dates are April 20 & April 27th.

You can Register for the class at: https://aysou.org/Home.aspx

Login

Choose Live Courses from the banner just below the AYSO U logo.
on the Calendar choose April 20.
Choose Sessions following the Intermediate Referee Course link
There you should see the class listed as:

Intermediate Referee Training - 2/S/0149 Corvallis, OR
Fri 20 Apr 2018, 5:30 PM - 11:45 PM PDT
(the time is set to leave it open for registration, not class time)
Click on Register

PLEASE LET REPLY TO THIS EMAIL IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND

The requirements to achieve Intermediate Referee Certification are shown below as well as the class content. You do not have to have the Game Count to participate but will need it before you are certified.

Thanks,
Vince Waterhous
Director of Referee Instruction
AYSO Region 149

AYSO Intermediate Referee Certification Requirements
MINIMUM AGE 14 years old
GAMES 25 as referee with at least 5 in U12 matches
TRAINING Complete the Intermediate Referee Course (this course)
TESTING 90% or better on the Intermediate Referee exam
ASSESSMENT

AYSO Intermediate Referee Course Content
Understanding More Physically Demanding and Challenging Matches
Fouls and Misconduct – Intermediate
Offside – Intermediate
Interaction with Coaches and Spectators
The Referee Team and Diagonal System of Control
AYSO National Referee Program
Course Wrap-Up & Intermediate Referee Exam

[CorvallisAYSO] Field Closures and Practice Cancellations
Thu 4/12/2018 12:43 PM

Dear AYSO Families,

All 509J school fields have been closed. Our region's policy is to cancel practices when the majority of fields are closed. 8U, 10U, & 12U Practices for Thursday 4/12 - Monday 4/16 are canceled at this time. We will know more about games early Friday 4/13 (I will update Blue Sombrero & the region website with details before noon Friday 4/13).

AYSO EXTRA & 15U teams can have practices at open locations (since they play teams outside Corvallis). Again, all 509J fields are closed, do not use them (the signs might not be up yet).

Sorry for the late notice & thank you for understanding,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

[CorvallisAYSO] First Spring Saturday
Fri 4/6/2018 6:33 AM

Dear AYSO Families,

High Winds & Rain: This Saturday we expect to have high winds mixed with rain. Here are some things to know:

Unsafe fields will have games canceled.
Referees & Board Members will evaluate conditions at the time of the game Saturday.
Fields 121 & 101 are the highest risk for falling debris (tree branches etc.). It is strongly advised that spectators and teams be moved to the south side of those fields.
Players and spectators should avoid seeking shelter under trees, please help warn them.
Players can wear warmer garments under the jersey...
- No garments should include significant metal or plastic (zipper items should be avoided or padded).
- Hoods need to be tucked in.
- You can wear dark athletic pants; you still need to have shin guards with socks.
- No hats, but beanies can be okay.
Umbrellas, Canopies, and Tents are not advised.
Anchor or tie down everything, we will have some additional sandbags at the brown shed.
Shoe Swap: We might move shoe swap into or closer to the information shed.

Additional Game Day Reminders:

Mark your soccer balls.
Dogs are NOT allowed on school grounds, even if you hold them.
Arrive early, parking is notoriously bad.
- Parking/driving is on rock, not grass or dirt.
- Carpooling, Biking, & Bus Route 8 are recommended.
Please pickup trash & orange peels.
Lost & found is deposited near the information shed.
Spectators:
- We try to mark one side of a field for spectators, and another for teams.
- 6U & 8U teams/players/coaches are in the middle section, spectators are on the outsides.
- Spectators are not allowed immediately behind the goals.
- You can find a code of conduct on the website. You will be asked/told to leave if you forget that we run a Kid Zone (cheerleaders, not critics). Please report concerning spectators/critics to referees in blue or board members.

Friday & Saturday:

4/6 5-5:30 - Uniform/Equipment Pickup/Order @ AYSO Info Shed
(You can also pickup equipment and uniforms at the coach refreshers)
4/6 6:30-9pm - 10U+ Referee Refresher @ Franklin Gym
4/6 5:30-6:30pm - 6U & 8U Coach/Referee Refresher @ Adams School Gym
4/6 6:45-7:45pm - 10U Coach Refresher @ Adams School Gym
4/6 8-9pm - 12U+ Coach Refresher @ Adams School Gym
4/7 First Game Day
4/7 8:15am-1pm - Uniform/Equipment Pickup/Order @ AYSO Info Shed
4/7 8:15am-1pm - Shoe Swap Equipment Sale @ AYSO Sheds (Details here)

A big THANK YOU to all the fields volunteers that helped Saturday and Thursday. Because of your efforts, we are in the best shape for a spring Saturday I have seen in 4 years. I want to highlight the volunteers that spent many additional hours marking, measuring, & prepping the fields:

Brian Dolan
Chris Jordan
Doug Conrad
Bob Vingelen
Vince Waterhous
Walt Mahaffee

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

P.S. - You can always see corrections or updates on the region website under the Spring section. This email has been sent to all 5U-19U players, volunteers, and unallocated youth referees. (less the unsubscribed folks)

Re: Referee Training, Spring 2018
Tue 4/3/2018 9:15 PM

One more reminder,

The Regional Referee Training will be this
Wednesday & Thursday, April 4 & 5 from 6 - 9 pm at
Corvallis High School in room 204.

Please enter from the east side off of 11th. There is parking on that side.
Enter the building from that side near the gymnasium and proceed across the Commons,
past Mr Spartan and up the steps. Room 204 is at the top of those steps

Please register for the class, if you can before the class. If not, we will work to get you registered during this time

To Register go to: https://aysou.org/Home.aspx

Login

Choose Live Courses from the banner just below the AYSO U logo.
on the Calendar choose April 4.
There you should see the class listed as:

Regional Referee Course - 2/S/0149 Corvallis, OR
Wed 4 Apr 2018, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM PDT
Click on Sessions
then find the Course listed again, as above and click on Register

Really hope to see you there.

Vince Waterhous
Director of Referee Instruction
AYSO Region 149

{CorvallisAYSO} Team This Week
Mon 4/2/2018 8:05 AM

Dear Team,

AYSO This Week: Fields & Practices, Week 1 Rundown, Shoe/Equipment Sale, Game Field Assignments, & Your Games.

Fields & Practices: I expect some locations to start opening up, but many fields are still closed. Please check the region website (here) by 1pm today (4/2) to see your field status. If we confirm that the majority of used practice locations are closed this week, we will cancel all practices for the remainder of the week Tue-Fri (15U, 19U, & EXTRA teams are still allowed to practice, as they are playing teams outside Corvallis). Of the 18 teams practicing today (4/2), I expect Adams to open up, but I am unsure about the other locations (a mower got stuck at Garfield last week, so many are still too soft).

This Week: Below is the rundown of the first week of the spring season.

4/4 6-9pm - 6U & 8U Coach & Referee Job Training @ 509J Western View Center (Signup Here)
4/4 6-9pm - 10U+ Referee Training P1 @ Corvallis High School Room 204 (Signup Here)
4/5 6-9pm - 10U+ Referee Training P2 @ Corvallis High School Room 204 (Signup Here)
4/5 5:30-7:30pm - Fields Setup Event @ AYSO Game Day Sheds (Signup Here)
4/6 5-5:30pm - Uniform/Equipment Pickup
4/6 6:30-9pm - Referee Refresher @ Franklin Gym
4/6 5:30-6:30pm - 6U & 8U 4vs4 Coach Refresher & Season Highlights @ Adams School Gym
4/6 6:45-7:45pm - 10U 7vs7 Coach Refresher, Season Highlights, & the Buildout Line @ Adams School Gym
4/6 8-9pm - 12U+ 9vs9 Coach Refresher & Season Highlights @ Adams School Gym
4/7 8:30am - First Game Day (Game Day Helpers Signup Here)
4/7 8:15am-1pm - Shoe Swap Equipment Sale @ AYSO Sheds

Shoe Swap: Shoe and equipment swap event this Saturday, April 7th from 8:15 AM - 1:00 PM in front of concessions. It is simple: Fill out the form beforehand (here), write your name and the price for each item on a piece of masking tape and attach it to the item, and bring the items to the event. AYSO will keep 50% of the total items sold as consignment for the scholarship fund. No forms are required if donating items. If you want to volunteer during the swap, please sign up (here).

Game Day Field Setup or Take Down Assignments:

14U+ Field Equipment: Please return the field 142 orange nets, trash can, recycle bin, 4 corner flags, 2 half line flags, 2 referee flags, and field signs to the AYSO Brown Shed. [Remember to pickup trash around the field.]

14U+ Field Goals: Please take the orange nets down, be sure you leave the sandbag on the back bar of the goal for anchoring.

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= GAMES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

{CorvallisAYSO} 4v4 Referee Refresher
Sat 3/31/2018 11:25 PM

Referee,

On Friday Apr 6th 5:30pm we have a coach/referee refresher at the Adams School Gym. Please consider attending to get spring season details and review 4 vs 4 strategy.

Let's Get Started!
~ Coach Luke

P.S. You can find the slides in the Info Center: https://corvallisayso.org/about/infocenter.html

{CorvallisAYSO} 9v9 Coach Refresher
Sat 3/31/2018 11:15 PM

Coach,

On Friday Apr 6th 8:00pm we have a coach refresher at the Adams School Gym. Please consider attending to get spring season details and review 9 vs 9 strategy. (15U coaches are welcome to attend to get season details at the start.)

Let's Get Started!
~ Coach Luke

P.S. You can find the slides in the Info Center: https://corvallisayso.org/about/infocenter.html

{CorvallisAYSO} 7v7 Coach Refresher
Sat 3/31/2018 11:10 PM

Coach,

On Friday Apr 6th 6:45pm we have a coach refresher at the Adams School Gym. Please consider attending to get spring season details and review 7 vs 7 strategy.

Let's Get Started!
~ Coach Luke

P.S. You can find the slides in the Info Center: https://corvallisayso.org/about/infocenter.html

{CorvallisAYSO} 4v4 Coach Refresher
Sat 3/31/2018 10:55 PM

Hi Coach,

On Friday Apr 6th 5:30pm we have a coach refresher at the Adams School Gym. Please consider attending to get spring season details and review 4 vs 4 strategy.

Let's Get Started!
~ Coach Luke

P.S. You can find the slides in the Info Center: https://corvallisayso.org/about/infocenter.html

{CorvallisAYSO} Game Day Help
Sat 3/31/2018 5:50 PM

Hello User_First,

Your user account in Blue Sombrero indicates that you are able to help with game day tasks. Please remember to signup here: https://corvallisayso.org/teams/volunteer-signup.html

We need your help to have a smooth game day,
~Luke

P.S. You can find the game schedule here: https://corvallisayso.org/teams/schedule.html

{CorvallisAYSO} Fields Help
Sat 3/31/2018 8:00 AM

Hello User_First,

Your user account in Blue Sombrero indicates that you are able to help with fields. Please remember to signup here: https://corvallisayso.org/teams/fields-signup.html

We need your help to setup the fields for games,
~Luke

[CorvallisAYSO] Helpers Needed
Thur 3/29/2018 8:00 PM

AYSO Families,

Coaches, Referees, Team Managers, and Board Members spend many hours each season volunteering. All other families are asked to help on game days and/or on the fields each season, please remember to signup below.

Game Day Helper Signups - Signup here. We have signups for Shoe Swap Equipment Sale Helpers, Opening Helpers, Closing Helpers, Concession Sale Helpers, & Safety/Information Helpers.

Field Helper Signups - Signup here. We have a work session this Saturday, we could use your help from 9-noon. We also need help with relining fields. This task is flexible and can be completed Thur or Friday before the games on Saturday.

Thanks,
Luke

P.S. - You can see all prior emails and any corrections (here)

Referee Training, Spring 2018
Wed 3/28/2018 10:20 PM

Hi all,

THANK YOU for stepping up to support AYSO Soccer.

You are listed as Referees and, according to my accessible records, you need Referee Certification.

The Regional Referee Certification class will be offered

Wednesday, April 4 and Thursday, April 5 from 6 - 9 pm.
Corvallis High School (CHS) room 204.
Please enter from the east side off of 11th. There is parking on that side.
Enter the building from that side near the gymnasium and proceed across the Commons,
past Mr Spartan and up the steps. Room 204 is at the top of those steps

Please register for the class at: https://aysou.org/Home.aspx

Login

Choose Live Courses from the banner just below the AYSO U logo.
on the Calendar choose April 4.
There you should see the class listed as:

Regional Referee Course - 2/S/0149 Corvallis, OR
Wed 4 Apr 2018, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM PDT
Click on Sessions
then find the Course listed again, as above and click on Register

In addition to the Referee Certification, Safe Haven and Concussion Training are required. Most of you have this but some may not.

If you need to check your certification, go to:

https://corvallisayso.org/login

and click on Volunteer on the left side to see your certifications

If you need to take Safe Haven &/or the Concussion certification, go to: https://aysou.org/Home.aspx

I look forward to seeing you at the training.

Vince Waterhous
Director of Referee Instruction
AYSO Region 149

[CorvallisAYSO] Spring Prep Email
Wed 3/21/2018 9:00 AM

Hello AYSO Families,

Bundle Index: Spring Intro, Communication, Team Changes, Blue Sombrero Changes, Game Schedule Online, Game Day Helper Signups, Field Helper Signups, Season Highlights/Rundown, & Volunteer Trainings.

Spring Intro - We are on our way to a great & sunny spring season. I am excited to say that years of continued work is showing at our game fields, we fully expect to have games on 4/7. We need help to get things setup. You can signup (here) to help with getting goals and lines setup. Teams that practice at Adams are asked to signup to help setup.

Communication - This season we will be sending out weekly email bundles at the beginning of each week. This communication platform is how we will send them out. Team managers are asked to help with confirming receipt of this information or communicating this information to families without email. You can see an archive of all group communications (here). This web page will also include clarifications if something is unclear/inaccurate in these emails.

Team Changes - Many teams have had players or volunteers drop or are added (submit a team change here). We are continuing to process some registrations and drops for spring. A bug in Blue Sombrero has some people that are dropped getting notifications; Blue Sombrero is working on it. In Blue Sombrero (here) you can see your team name next to your registration, this should also have a link to your team website. If we add a new player, we work to order a uniform for that player, if you want to be sure or double check you can submit this form (here).

Blue Sombrero Changes - AYSO is continuing to work with Blue Sombrero to fix bugs and make improvements in the system. Some notable changes relate to the user interface, security improvements, and a variety of fixes related to volunteer registration/training. You can get help with issues related to Blue Sombrero by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 866-264-2048 M-F 8am-3pm.

Game Schedule Online - We have posted revision 1 of the game schedule in Blue Sombrero (here) & on the region website (here). Below are the notable items in the schedule:

Brackets were built for 10U & 12U Boys & Girls; some teams could play each other 2-3 times.
15UG has four games at Newport Middle School turf (NMS), please look at the schedule for those games.
Unlike fall, 10U & 12U are on overlapping time blocks, this was setup to help with expected referee shortages.
15UB some teams are doubled up on Saturday, please be sure you look to see if you are playing two games on one day.
8UB has a new team called Ninjas; this removes the need for teams to play self in the schedule.

Signups for Game Day Helpers - The signup slots for game day volunteers is online (here). We have signups for Shoe Swap Equipment Sale helpers, Opening helpers, Closing helpers, Concession Sale helpers, & Safety/Information helpers.

Signups for Field Helpers - I am first going to open up the signups (here) for field relining helpers. After that, I will assign teams not signed up already.

Season Highlights/Rundown - Below is the rundown of the spring season, we will include updates & more details about items in the weekly email bundles.

3/31 9am-12pm - Fields Setup Event @ AYSO Sheds
4/4 6-9pm - 6U & 8U Coach & Referee Training @ 509J Western View Center
4/4 & 4/5 6-9pm - 10U+ Referee Training @ TBA
4/5 5:30-7:30pm - Fields Setup Event @ AYSO Sheds
4/6 6:30-9pm - Referee Refresher & Clarifications @ Franklin Gym
4/6 5:30-6:30pm - 6U & 8U 4vs4 Coach Refresher & Training Highlights @ Adams School Gym
4/6 6:45-7:45pm - 10U 7vs7 Coach Refresher, Training Highlights, & the Buildout Line @ Adams School Gym
4/6 8-9pm - 12U+ 9vs9 Coach Refresher & Training Highlights @ Adams School Gym
4/7 8:30am - First Game Day
4/7 8am-12pm - Shoe Swap Equipment Sale @ AYSO Sheds
4/29 - 5-A-Side Soccer Event @ Adams Fields
5/1 - Open Registration Starts for Core Recreational Program, Summer Play Program, Adult Program, & EXTRA Team Formation.
5/5 - Referee Appreciation Day
5/5 - Silent Saturday
5/5 9am-1pm - Open Registration Lab (& Scholarship Help)
5/12 - Team Manager Appreciation Day
5/12 9am-1pm - Open Registration Lab (& Scholarship Help)
5/12 - Player Evaluations Due from Coaches
5/19 - Coach Appreciation Day
5/19 - Last Game Day & Team Equipment Return
5/21-25 - AYSO EXTRA (Competitive Play) Team Formation
6/15 - Open Registration Closes

Volunteer Training - We will be reaching out to volunteers missing trainings, and informing them of upcoming training opportunities. If you would like to be informed of training opportunities or signup for a training class, please use this form (here).

Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

{CorvallisAYSO} Kickoff Form Missing
Tue 3/6/2018 7:15 PM

Head Coaches, please complete this form for your team: https://corvallisayso.org/form/season-start.html

To help with team formation and placing new volunteers & players we need this form as soon as possible. It looks like we are missing your team form.

Head Coach Tasks (if no head coach >> asst coach):

Team Managers have hopefully finished confirming player participation for spring, please confirm all changes have been submitted & check if they need any help with contacting families.
Indicate if you have any excess uniforms for the team.
Figure out your practice location and times.
Submit your expected details (here), and remember to reserve the field with the school (here).

Notes: multiple forms are okay, we will take the recent copy; we have made most player changes, we are still working on volunteer changes; 509J email system is down, follow up with the school about the field reservation; be precise in the reservation times, so others can get on the field.

Formation Help Needed: We could use additional help with girls team formation, can you help us? Email me.

{CorvallisAYSO} 8U-15U Kickoff Form Needed
Sat 2/24/2018 2:45 AM

Head Coach,

Head Coaches, please complete this form for your team: https://corvallisayso.org/form/season-start.html

To help with team formation and placing new volunteers & players we need this form from each team head coach before Friday (3/2).

Head Coach Tasks (if no head coach >> asst coach):

Team Managers have hopefully finished confirming player participation for spring, please confirm all changes have been submitted & check if they need any help with contacting families.
Indicate if you have any excess uniforms for the team.
Figure out your practice location and times.
Submit your expected details (here), and remember to reserve the field with the school (here).

Formation Help Needed: We could use additional help with girls team formation, can you help us? Email me.

[CorvallisAYSO] Spring 2018 Soccer Check In
Fri 1/26/2018 12:30 AM

Hello AYSO Families,

If you are receiving this email, you or your player is in our system for the spring 2018 season.

Spring 2018: All players and volunteers from fall 2017 continue into spring 2018 on the same teams (no additional cost and no new registration needed). We look forward to another great season of soccer this school year... Practices can start April 2nd, with the first Saturday game day (of 7 game days) on April 7th. Registration to fill team openings/drops is in February. Game schedules and volunteer signups will come out mid-March before spring break.

Updating Player Contact Details: Team Managers will be checking in with all players. They will be working to confirm if you are returning this spring. If you have changed/added email addresses or phone numbers, please help them out by contacting them with the changes and updating that information online. After logging in (here), find the participant record and select the grey icon next to the name that looks like a pencil. You can change each player's registration details with that. To update your account (does not update existing player information) look for the icon in the top corner that looks like a cog/gear.

Updating Volunteer Contact Details: You can update your contact details online. After logging in (here), go to the Volunteer area, find the volunteer record and select the detail button below the name to update your information. Please remember to send your Team Manager a heads up.

Not Participating This Spring?: If you will not be volunteering or playing in our spring season please use this form (here) and email your Team Manager about your removal. Please submit the form for each player and volunteer to be removed.

See you in April,
Luke Cotton
Region Commissioner - AYSO 149

{CorvallisAYSO} t.TEAM_NAME Player Spring Check In Needed
Fri 1/26/2018 1:00 AM

t.TEAM_NAME Team Manager,

We need your help in confirming spring participation of volunteers and players.

Confirmations Needed: Team Manager, if the team has none, Head Coach... Please get a confirmation from each player and volunteer about participation in spring 2018. Español? Please email managers for help.

Drop Players or Volunteers: Please use this form (here) for roster changes. Unfortunately you cannot update roster contact details, but parents and volunteers can update the details online, please encourage them to update the information in their Blue Sombrero account (http://corvallisayso.org/login).
!! If appropriate, please arrange to get team equipment (soccer balls, coach bag, etc.) back from leaving volunteers !!

Spring Details: I will be posting updates regarding spring online (here), this web page also includes all mass emails set to volunteers & players.

Rosters: Below is a old snapshot of your team details, I will be sending another copy of this roster after your submitted updates on Feb 5th. The earlier we can get your team changes the more we can work to fill openings and re-balance teams.

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONFIRM PLAYERS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

tp.PLAYERS_HTML

All Player Emails: tp.EMAILS

#-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONFIRM VOLUNTEERS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-#

tm.VOLS_HTML

NOTES: The certifications data got messed up for many family accounts, if you did Safe Haven or Concussion in 2017, you are good to go. If you are missing job training that you took, email your admin (here). All team volunteer emails are in this email.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton

This email was only sent to those listed in the To or CC fields, this is not sent to the players.

Fall 2017 Email Archive

[CorvallisAYSO] Team Volunteer Surveys
Wed 11/8/2017 3:23 AM

Dear Team Managers, Coaches, & Referees,

Thank You for helping to develop and deliver a fun family environment for over 1,000 players and 700 families. This year was packed with many changes and I appreciate your flexibility as we leveraged new tools and followed new US Soccer guidance. The region board is working to review some of the changes from this year, and we would like your input regarding this past season. Please take 5 minutes to help review this season for each of your team roles...

Referee Survey (here)

Coach Survey (here)

Team Manager Survey (here)

Again, Thank You,
Luke Cotton - Region Commissioner

{CorvallisAYSO} Important Notes: Pickup Pictures & Takedown Fields
Sat 10/28/2017 3:39 AM

Team Managers,

Please Remember:
++ (IMPORTANT) Pickup your team picture pack with all items ordered by the team. (IMPORTANT)
++ Last teams on the fields have been sent specific directions to take down nets & move goals.
++ Our second part to the member year begins right after spring break. If any players know in advance they will not be returning for the spring season, team formation needs to know so that.

### At the Referee Schedule (Blue Shed) is a Thank You poster to 509J Facilities. Please have your family sign it thanking 509J for all of the help with maintaining the fields. ###

Hey Coach - With thanks...
Fri 10/27/2017 3:38 PM

Hey Coach - We made it.

This is our last Saturday of matches for the fall season. So you know how I’ll begin and end: Thank you.

In the middle, a friendly reminder that while the fall season closes, our work doesn’t end. A few things to do to button up your season include:

If you have had any player injuries, and you have not yet filled out an incident report form, you must do so, and drop it off at the Safety shed. You can find the form online (here). These forms are very important for a variety of reasons, including insurance, and also player safety.
Plan ahead for Spring: Remind your players and their families that our season begins right after spring break. If any players know in advance they will not be returning for the spring season, we need to know so that we can work to replace those players between now and then.
Plan ahead for next fall - rate your players now. We will be developing a new method of rating players between now and next spring, but a few things to note about each player include level in various skills, such as first touch ball control, passing, accuracy of kick, etc. By now you should be aware of how players see the game mentally, too, their “game sense,” and also their “coachability.”
Skills are relatively objective measurements; game sense and coachability are a bit more of a subjective assessment. When the spring season comes, it is good to have some notes about your players so you don’t have to spend time getting to know them all over again.

Finally, help us plan ahead for our future. Our region has undergone a number of changes, large and small, as we work to align more closely with the AYSO National Coaching Program. For those of you who have been around for a few years, the good news is that most of the biggest changes are behind us, but I still want to work on improving our coaching program. Just as we ask coaches to look at themselves and continue to evaluate if what they are doing with their team is working, so, too, must we as a region look at how we manage the coaching challenge.

Ours is an all-volunteer organization. Each year a large number of first-time coaches are freshly minted, and many others make the step up to the next level of certification. The ways we recruit, train, and continue to engage - and retain - our coaches is always up for review, and to look inward at our program, I need your feedback. If you are interested in either offering ideas, or, even better, time to put some ideas to work, please let me know. I will be reporting back to the board in November with some initial feedback and ideas, and working with interested folks over the break to prepare for spring.

So for all you’ve done, and for what you can offer to help make our program strong, and on behalf of the Board, I thank you for your time. We literally can’t do it without you, and you’ve made big difference to a lot of kids this fall.

Thank you.
Eric

[CorvallisAYSO] Team Picture Pack Pickup - 10/27 5-6pm or 10/28 AM
Thu 10/26/2017 9:16 PM

Hello Team Volunteers,

The final packs of pictures are arriving Friday, you can get the team pictures pack to distribute to players Friday 10/27 from 5pm-6:30pm or any time Saturday morning 10/28. The pictures will be in the team folders located in the brown shed after 5pm Friday.

If your team is traveling, the team manager or a team volunteer can come and get the pictures in your team folder.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton

A call to action
Wed 10/25/2017 7:22 PM

Referees,
Time for you and 31 of your closest friends to sign up for the last matches of the Fall season.

67 and Sunny is the forecast for Saturday.

More than 600 players on 52 teams are depending on you.

Special prize opportunities for all youth refs out there this week.

Helpful hints provided free of charge by parents and coaches!

Sign up and I promise not to send you any more emails about refereeing for at least 4 months.

Thank you,
All the players and volunteers of Region 149

Last game
Wed 10/25/2017 7:25 AM

Dear Managers

The last day of the fall season has come!

The last teams for the day are asked to take down all nets from all goals, and place the nets in the corresponding fields empty trash can.

Portable goals should also be moved by the last teams (except field 123), if they ask about sand bags we can take them at the brown shed or they could leave them with the goal.

Indoor soccer registration is only open to wait list, we will know more after the weekend, teams are being formed right now.

All the best
Catalina

Last week of Fall season!
Tue 10/24/2017 8:08 PM

Referees,

This Saturday the weather promises to be soooooo much nicer than last Saturday. Please come out to celebrate our last weekend of soccer at Adams in 2017. Ref a match, watch a match, ref another or two. What a way to spend a beautiful Fall afternoon.

Lots of opportunities remain on the schedule. Log in and see for yourself if you don't believe me....

Thanks for all your time and effort,
Chris

Hey Coach! The light at the end of the tunnel...
Fri 10/20/2017 5:15 PM

Hey Coach -

Let’s not talk about the weather forecast for the next twenty-four hours. Let us, instead, look backward.

Before we do that, however, let’s peek a bit forward, if only to remember that the signups for Indoor Soccer close after Sunday the 22nd - that’s this Sunday. Folks may wish to ponder playing indoor soccer instead of considering the weather forecast for the next twenty-four hours… At any rate, more information is here: https://www.corvallisayso.org/programs/indoor.html

Now: Looking back. We’re near the end, in the home stretch, we see the light at the end of the tunnel… Many of us are ready for the last matches next weekend...many of us are already looking ahead to next spring, and even to next fall (I know - next fall already? What???)

Now is the time to make notes for yourself. What worked - in practices, and on Saturdays? What do you need to remember about each player, so you can be ready for them in the spring, to pick up where they left off?

What can we do for you?

This is an important question, and I am sincere in soliciting your feedback. We are, all of us, volunteers, all working to the best of our ability to provide world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives. Many of you have done this more than once, and many of you are doing this for the very first time. Just as we ask our coaches to look inward and self-reflect, so to is your Regional Board trying to do the same thing. For those of you who have been with AYSO for a few years, you know that much has changed in our programs over the past four years.

Most of it has worked. Some it it - not so much, perhaps. The decisions we make as a Board are guided by AYSO’s Vision, Mission, and Six Philosophies. That said, we want to know that we’re making a positive difference in the way we provide our soccer program for youth. My corner of that board table is the coaching corner, and as you take a break between fall and spring, I’ll be working with some of you to improve the way we provide our coaching services. Training, resources, communication - what works and what doesn’t?

Look back over the season, and consider what I might need to know, as well as the Board, to help your job be better, easier, or even just plain less of a hassle in the future. One example I’ve mentioned in the past: We’re going to look at how we rate players. As coaches, you must have some idea about what might make it a better ratings system/process. So share that with me, and we’ll look into making it better.

It’s a lot of work to coach a team of young ones. I don’t know anyone from the Board who said it would be easy - which is why I am so profuse with my thanks. That’s all I have for you this week, and it will be the bulk of next week, as well. Look back at your successes, and your failures, and use them to prepare for the next round. And help me do the same at this level.

With my ongoing appreciation for your efforts to improves the lives of our youth,

----
Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

{CorvallisAYSO} Indoor Soccer Registration Closes After Sunday 10/22
Fri 10/20/2017 5:00 AM

Dear Parent,

You are invited to sign up for indoor soccer winter league session 1. Register Online with your Blue Sombrero account.

This league is an extension of AYSO and will remain consistent with its philosophies. All six games will be played at the Corvallis Sports Park. Games are about 36 minutes long and are often scheduled on Saturdays from 12-6:30pm, Wednesdays 4:10-5:40pm, and Fridays from 4:10-5:40pm (there are no practices). This session will go from about 11/4 - 12/22, team notifications will happen by 10/28, with a schedule expected soon after.

The fee is $47 and will need to be paid by Credit Card when you sign up.
Note: Youth not currently playing AYSO's Fall soccer often need to pay the AYSO membership fee of $17.50.

Like other AYSO programs we need volunteers for games to run, referees need to be trained as referees, but head coaches can be a current referee, team manager, or team coach. Please consider signing up to volunteer in Blue Sombrero.

Thank You,
Jason Hower
Indoor Soccer Coordinator (https://www.corvallisayso.org/programs/indoor.html)

P.S. Looking to play up a division? Submit your special requests (here).

It's that time again!
Thu 10/19/2017 4:28 PM

Time for your weekly guilt trip email from your friendly neighborhood referee administrator.

There are lots of wonderful opportunities this weekend to help with AYSO soccer games given your specialized and critical skills and knowledge as highly trained match officials!

Put on the stripes, come out and wave a flag, blow a whistle, gently correct a bad attitude - all in the name of fun and youth soccer.

Sign up before midnight tonight for special deals and prizes!

Thank you for volunteering with AYSO,
Chris

Youth Ref Snack Shack Coupon!!
Mon 10/16/2017 3:59 PM

To all the youth refs!

Want a $2 coupon to the snack shack? I have a deal for you.

Find me, Joe McVeety, at the fields on either of the next two Saturdays. Once you find me, tell me you'd like a chance to win the $2 coupon. I'll ask you one question. It could be about the Laws of the Game, proper ref signaling, or your favorite color (red, no blue!). After you answer the question you'll get the coupon.

Hopefully most of you know who I am by now. But if not, ask around. Here is a hint: Short guy in blue who isn't Luke.

Thanks to all the youth refs and everything you've done this season. I've been extremely impressed by all of you this year. You've been doing a great job.

Joe McVeety
Directory of Youth Engagement

Hey Coach - Plan Ahead
Fri 10/13/2017 10:05 PM

Hey Coach -

Our fifth Saturday of matches. It is time to plan ahead... But before I continue, I apologize for the tardy nature of this message - I had an inconvenient failure with the computer in the man cave I do most of my AYSO work on, Last night I spent time repairing things, thus the delay.

So some of you may have thought I was giving it a rest this week. Sorry to disappoint…

What do I mean by time to plan ahead? Well, we’re past the middle hump of the season; after this weekend, we have two more weekends until we take a break from soccer. So we need to plan that break. For starters, in the spring, we will ask our coaches to provide evaluations of their players, in the form of ratings. You’ve been with your players now for seven weeks; hopefully you’ve noticed early on where some deficiencies lay, put together practice plans to build skills up around those deficits, seen the results in games, built on success to take skills to a higher level…

Lather, rinse, repeat. After several weeks of this, and many games, you should have a good feel for your players. I’ll bet for tomorrow’s game, you’ve made the choice to put Pat at mid, keep Sean back to play more of a defender role, and move Addison up to get a chance to shoot on the goal if the ball moves up the field. Your choices are based on how well you’ve seen them play in different positions, and, I’m sure, to give each player a challenge they can succeed in, to build their skills, their confidence, and appreciate the work of a team.

Here’s how you can help them down the road, and help our entire program: If you haven’t already, start taking notes. And going forward, update those notes, so you can, over time, see how well players respond and grow. Each child is unique, and will develop as a player according to their own ability and skills. A player that has a great attitude and a lower skill set may be more coachable than a highly skilled ball-handler who doesn’t know what a team is.

We need to know who our players are, and you are our front line for that information. I’m not asking for it now - but I need you to know that I will ask, in the spring.

As you know, our second Philosophy is Balanced Teams. Philosophy is the appropriate word, rather than, say, Commandment, because balanced teams is too often more of aspiration than a law. Many coaches, as well as parents from teams have brought this up with me, and with other Board members. I’ve mentioned blowout games in past messages - these can be the result of un-balanced teams.

As you look at your players, so, too, should you look inwardly, at yourself. Our player development is a result of your efforts - are you doing enough for your players? Are your practices full of activities and motion, or just lots of X's-and-O's conversations? If players are not getting the conditioning to run for a game, is there something you can do to help get them to the next level that you are not?

During your match tomorrow, how will the substitutes’ time be used? Will you engage with those players next to you on the sidelines, or only give attention (yell) to the players on the field?

It’s time to plan ahead - our fall season will wrap up on the 28th. One thing you can do is to encourage your players to sign up for indoor soccer over the break; that will help players maintain and improve their skills between now and spring.

It’s easy to relax this far into the season - it’s all downhill, just a few weeks left, then I can get on with my life… It’s as dangerous to do so as it is easy. I encourage you to take a good hard look inwardly, and plan ahead to engage with each one of your players to ensure they are getting the most out of their limited time.

If you do it right, in a few weeks you’ll have players who can’t wait for spring to get here so they can play some more. If you know your players, you can make this happen.

As always, I can’t express my appreciation enough for the time you’ve given to our kids.

With thanks,

Eric Gleske
AYSO 149 Coach Administrator

[CorvallisAYSO] Makeup Pictures Saturday 10/14
Fri 10/13/2017 8:44 PM

Hi Everyone,

Makeup Pictures:
The makeup picture day is Saturday 10/14. If you missed your individual picture, your team missed pictures, or you would like to have a specific picture done... Northwest Sports Photography will have a Photographer at the fields from 9am-12pm. You can show up at any time for the individual or team photo. Note: AYSO's scholarship program gets some money from your orders and the head coach gets a copy of the team photo.

Indoor Soccer Registration:
All registration for indoor soccer is online. You can signup in Blue Sombrero, more details are here: https://www.corvallisayso.org/programs/indoor.html

Have a Sunny Saturday!
Luke

New Message Published (Administrator)
Thu 10/12/2017 5:46 AM

This Saturday 10/14 we will be offering two opportunities for referee team pictures. One time at 9:20am, and another at 11:40am. Please consider showing for one (or both) of the referee team picture times, and if you or your family want an individual picture (or a picture with your referee mentor), you can stop in and get a photo taken anytime Saturday morning.

NOTE: part of the proceeds from pictures go to the AYSO scholarship program.

Team Managers keep up the good work!
Mon 10/9/2017 8:43 PM

Dear Managers,

We just had our 4th game of the fall, so we have passed the half mark of the season!! I want to take a moment to say thank you for all you hard work as team managers. Most of you are doing a fantastic job! Please remember that our most important duty is to help our coaches. We provided assistance by

coordinating field duties (i.e. first game lining and last day cleaning up)
encouraging parents to volunteer in game days
coordinating volunteers for oranges/snacks
communicating events (e.g. shoe swap, picture day etc) to parents

Please let me know if you have experienced any difficulty as a team manager.
All the best,
Catalina

{CorvallisAYSO} Saturday 10/7 - Knights, Indoor, & Pictures
Fri 10/6/2017 8:25 PM

This email summarizes some of the events happening this Saturday 10/7.

Parking:
Each year we struggle to have enough parking for everyone, this year is no different. This Saturday will likely be the worst day of the season as people are staying longer at the fields for pictures and many traveling teams have home games. Please utilize carpooling, biking, the bus, and keep in mind that parking opportunities can be found in the neighborhood to the south (south of field 142) or at the church to the south of the fields (south of field 123). Please remember, do not park on the grass.

Pictures:
Pictures will be at the NE corner of the fields area. Players need the order form "IN HAND" with minimum of first name, last name, and team name written on it. Some additional order packets will be at the event. We will do everything we can to keep things on time (picture makeup day is 10/14), referees are asked to help ensure games conclude on time.

Indoor Soccer Registration:
Players from divisions 8U - 19U are invited to sign up for the 6 games of indoor soccer session 1 (11/4-12/22), Register Online (here) using your Blue Sombrero account. If you cannot pay the $47 cost with a credit card online, you can get help with registration and pay with cash or check (to AYSO) in person at the Information Shed from 9am-12pm. More program details can be found (here).

Knights Soccer Challenge:
From 9am-2pm KofC will have two goals setup between the Pickleball Courts and the Western View Center (at Adams area). The challenge, for 9-14 year olds, consists of 15 shots on the goal from the penalty line, a point system is setup by getting a ball through different areas of the goal. Prizes and further competition opportunities will be announced over the next few weekends. More details can be found (here).

Thank You,
Luke Cotton
Region Commissioner, AYSO 149 - Benton County

[CorvallisAYSO] Indoor Soccer Registration Online
Fri 10/6/2017 4:32 AM

Hello |User First Name|,

Players from divisions 8U - 19U are invited to sign up for the indoor soccer winter league session 1, Register Online with your Blue Sombrero account.

This league is an extension of AYSO and will remain consistent with its philosophies.We will try to form balanced teams based on responses to a question regarding player ability. All games will be played at the Corvallis Sports Park. Games are about 36 minutes long and are often scheduled on Saturdays from 12-6:30pm, Wednesdays 4:10-5:40pm, and Fridays from 4:10-5:40pm (there are no practices). This session will go from about 11/4 - 12/22, team notifications will happen by 10/28, with a schedule expected soon after.

The fee is $47 and will need to be paid by Credit Card when you signup. Cash or Check payments, to AYSO, will need to be done this Saturday 10/7 (we will have a few computers available for registration).
Note: Players not currently playing AYSO's Fall soccer often need to pay the AYSO membership fee of $17.50.

[> Signup Online <]

Thank You,
Jason Hower
Indoor Soccer Coordinator (here)

P.S. Looking to play up a division? Submit your special requests (here).

Hey Coach - Midway is here!
Thu 10/5/2017 9:36 PM

Hey Coach -

This Saturday marks the midway point of the season - three Saturdays came before it, three will come after it. It’s all downhill from here. This week’s message has but two topics...

PICTURE DAY

Yup, this Saturday is picture day. Most teams will likely see a "game reminder" from Blue Sombrero with the location as picture day. That is the time of your photos, and is often 40 minutes before your scheduled game start. My daughter’s game is at 8:30, so we have a 7:50 time slot. Lucky us!

Pictures will be at the NE corner of the fields area (near field 101, as seen on the map). Last week, order forms were distributed to teams, and on Saturday, players will need that order form "IN HAND" with minimum of first name, last name, and team name written on it. Some additional order packets will be at the event.

Note: People are not required to order photos at this time. Folks can go online afterword and order: www.4nsp.com Search Group: AYSO & Select 149

Also: A few teams will have their picture session on 10/14 as they are traveling on 10/7 - they should have received this information as well. So if you are a traveling team and hadn’t heard, there you go.

PHILOSOPHY TALK

The last, but definitely not the least, of our Six Philosophies, is 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.

Permit me to emphasize that last line: ...in order to maximize their enjoyment of the game.

AYSO’s National Coaching Program is built on our core Philosophies. (Here’s a fun test: can you name them, right now, on the spot? Try it.) When I train coaches, we discuss the importance of Development over Winning; we also discuss the science of AYSO’s age-appropriate training. Some things are obvious, for instance, we don’t teach 6U keepers how to to headers (yes, I typed it to be just that ridiculous).

Our coaching methodology follows an important set of building blocks that are the components of all the age-appropriate training. The structure looks like this:

TACTICAL
TECHNICAL
PHYSICAL
PSYCHOSOCIAL

We want to build our players in this manner for a reason. For example, players can’t do anything tactically without first having the technical skills to be applied. And the reason the Psychosocial component is at the bottom of the pile is because it is tied so strongly to our Philosophy of Player Development, and undergirds everything we try to do: To maximize their enjoyment of the game.

Young players will learn more, and develop better skills when they are engaged in and enjoy what they are doing. This applies to practice sessions and our game activities. Our Philosophy of Positive Coaching certainly plays an important role setting a good psychosocial foundation, as well. Positive Coaching serves the Philosophy of Player Development as much, or perhaps more, than any other core Philosophy.

Think about this as you practice, as you put together your game plan, and as the match develops on Saturday. Our goal every Saturdays is to promote a fun, family environment based on our Philosophies where kids can experience the game of soccer, to learn and grow as players, but also as people. For example, last week I mentioned blowout games - how do those situations reinforce the psychosocial foundation of our program?

I will admit that I inject a good deal of my personal spin in these messages. For example, those who have been in one of my Coach classes will hear me describe AYSO as a child development program that plays soccer. You need only to look at our Mission, Vision, and Philosophies to see that I’m not making that up.

We see three teams on the field each Saturday: Team A, Team B, and Team V - the team of adult volunteers - Coaches and Referees - working together to help our children get the most out of their game time on Saturday.

...to maximize their enjoyment of the game.

When we all keep this in mind, and work with all our teammates on Saturday to achieve this, it’s a wonderful thing.

Thank you for your help.
Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

[CorvallisAYSO] Picture Day - Saturday 10/7 @ Adams Fields
Thu 10/5/2017 5:51 AM

Hello |User First Name|,

Pictures are this Saturday 10/7, you will likely see a "game reminder" with the location as picture day. That is the time of your photos, and is often 40min before your scheduled game start.

Pictures will be at the NE corner of the fields area. Players need order form "IN HAND" with minimum of first name, last name, and team name written on it. Some additional order packets will be at the event.

Note: you can go online afterword and order: www.4nsp.com Search Group: AYSO & Select 149 (Few teams will have pictures on 10/14 as they are traveling on 10/7)

Image: Pictures are taken at the NE corner, Knights Soccer Challenge in NW Corner, & Indoor Soccer Registration (online or) at AYSO Shed. All events are at the Adams complex 1615 SW 35th St, Corvallis OR 97333.

Additional Details: Photos will be taken near the trees behind Field 101. Please be gathered as a team 5 min prior to your scheduled photo time. This is a tight schedule. If your team is late for your appointment, we will do our best to get your team in before your game or we may have to reschedule you for October 14th. A portion of each order will go to support our scholarship fund.

Thanks,
Luke Cotton - Acting Picture Day Coordinator (Apply Online)

Knights Soccer Challenge Saturday 10/7 9-2pm - North Adams Fields Area
Wed 10/4/2017 10:21 PM

Hello parent of a player between 9-14,

On Saturday 10/7 from 9am-2pm KofC will have two goals setup between the Pickleball Courts and the Western View Center. The challenge consists of 15 shots on the goal from the penalty line, a point system is setup by getting a ball through different areas of the goal.

More details can be found (here)

Thanks,
Luke Cotton

Hey Coach - It's the last September Soccer Saturday of 2017
Fri 9/29/2017 12:12 AM

Hey Coach -

A quick note of thanks, a thought or two, and a reminder as we head into our third Soccer Saturday. So let's get to it:

PRACTICE LIKE YOU PLAY

Each year a few coaches will ask me, “Why can’t we practice more?” The simple answer is that, as a part of AYSO, we try to follow AYSO guidelines for our programs. We ask our teams to observe the recommendations of the National Coaching Program when it comes to training sessions. For example, 10U and 12U teams can schedule 2 60-minute practice sessions each week. This is not a hard, fixed rule that “Thou shalt only have the players for 60 minutes.”

A practice can, and should, have some built-in time for warm-up, cool-down, and discussion. Not to mention that players will often - through no fault of their own - arrive late, or even early. But if a game is, for example, 60 minutes, a 60 minute practice makes sense. To those coaches who ask me about practice time, I often respond with another question: How do you use your time?

AYSO promotes the use of smaller-sided activities in all divisions as a way to promote player development through increased opportunities to play the ball. Our practice sessions should be built around small-sided activities, and when run efficiently, the players should be moving for much of the session. “Practice Like You Play” is a phrase my players learned early. When running through an activity, you can quickly build the speed up to game speed, and keep the players moving. Just like in a game, players should not be standing around, and have the opportunity to transition from a defensive role to an attacking role regularly.

Laps, Lines, and Lectures can, and should, be avoided. Let them play!

PHILOSOPHY OF THE WEEK

Each week, I like to touch on one of our core Philosophies, to remind us all what should be guiding our actions. I suppose I HAVE already hit upon Player Development above, but this week I wish to remind you of our fifth Philosophy: Good Sportsmanship. As coaches, we must be excellent models of ALL our philosophies, and on Saturdays, Good Sportsmanship is certainly paramount.

Normally, I try to keep a positive, cheery tone when I write to you. At this point, however, I must veer a bit from my normal path, and tell you the worst thing I heard from last Saturday: A coach, who will remain nameless, failed to - refused to - shake the hand of the other team’s coach, or the referees. That’s bad enough, but this coach also apparently encouraged a player to follow in this behavior.

I should not have to point out that this is unacceptable behavior.

Players, parents, guests, and everyone else at the field for each match watch the coach, because the coach sets the example of how to behave. Fun fact: If, during a match, a spectator is unruly and needs to be asked to leave, it’s not the referee’s job to do so - it’s the coach’s job. Yes, that’s not something I teach in training sessions, but I came across that one once. Because the coach is responsible for leading the team, and that includes the whole team of parents, guardians, friends, etc. who show up to supporr the players.
Sometimes the games get competitive; yes, that can be challenging. Sometimes it’s the opposite, and there is a blowout. That, too, can be challenging. No matter how the game is going, you have to be the cool one, and demonstrate our commitment to Good Sportsmanship. If it’s a blowout, work with the other coach to try to lessen the impact. Some useful tips for dealing with blowouts can be found here.

PICTURE DAY IS OCTOBER 7

Each year we set aside a day for Team Pictures, and this year it will be the first Saturday in October - the 7th. This is just a friendly, cheery reminder (have to get the tone back on track…)

As always, I can't thank you enough for what you are doing. We are an all-volunteer organization, and we can’t function without people like you who step up to give back to our kids.

I’ll be walking the fields, and hope to see you on Saturday.
Eric

Picture Day & Blue Sombrero App
Sat 9/23/2017 7:44 AM

Hi Managers,

Please read and communicate to you teams information of upcoming events/resources

Picture Day - Oct 7
Blue sombrero app
Day game sign up

PICTURE DAY
October 7 will be picture day. Make sure your team is aware that pictures will happen on this date. Normally this happens before your match, so you will want your team ready for photos about a half hour at the field. More details will come.

BLUE SOMBRERO APP
This APP is actually very nice to manage your team from your mobile device. I personally find it easier to navigate than the full online version. Consider given it a try!
http://www.bluesombrero.com/dicks-tshq-mobile-app/

DAY GAME SIGN UP
We have been doing a great job as a community signing up for this task. Take some time to thank your team for having sign up.

All the best,
Catalina

Youth Referees
Fri 9/22/2017 10:35 PM

Hello Fellow Refs!

As we progress through this season, it is especially important to remember to support our youth referees. They are 25% of our ref group. Many of our youth refs are extremely good at what they do. Some are just staring out and need our help. If you are on a match with youth refs, please be especially vigilant about any comments about the refs. Often we will have a senior ref helping the youth, but we can't cover every match at every moment. Remember PIE? Positive, Instructional, Encouraging. If you find a coach or spectator making *any* comments about the refs, please bring it to the attention of the refs in blue.

Have a great weekend refing! And remember, without you the games cannot be played. Thank you for all you do for our region.

Joe McVeety

Hey Coach - Our Second Soccer Saturday
Fri 9/22/2017 1:28 PM

Hey Coach -

Last Saturday was a great day. It was a great day because I walked around the fields at Adams, said hello to many volunteers, and heard the sounds of happy kids. Our first Saturday at Adams this year went so well, and that’s in no small part because of you. So a big THANK YOU for making the magic happen.

This week:

Picture Day - Oct 7
A Role for Everyone
Parking
AYSO Resources

PICTURE DAY

Each year we set aside a day for Team Pictures, and this year it will be the first Saturday in October - the 7th. Your team should be getting a reminder from your Team Manager this week, and this serves as a backup. Make sure your team is aware that pictures will happen next week. Normally this happens before your match, so you will want your team ready for photos about a half hour before you want them at the field to get ready for the match on a normal Saturday. I’ll remind you again next week, just in case...

A ROLE FOR EVERYONE

I remember going to one AYSO Expo for training a few years back, and one region’s attendees all had a similar t-shirt. Apparently, they would wear these shirts on their Game Days. On the back was a simple reminder that everyone who is at the field has a role to play to make the day a fun, safe experience for our kids. In big letters, the message was:

Players Play
Coaches Coach
Referees Ref
Spectators Cheer

It seems obvious to us, of course, but it’s worth remembering that not everyone understands their role on a soccer Saturday. Remind your families that the AYSO field is a Kids Zone, and that our referees are volunteers, just like you, and many of our referees are Youth Volunteers; many are also players on other teams or just siblings helping out. Be a role model - support our players and our volunteers, so that our spectators know how to act.

And on the subject of spectators: Coaches, please be aware that there are two sides to the field: The Team side, and the Spectator side. Families, friends, and other spectators should be directed to their side of the field, opposite the team, during matches. This helps the players focus on the game with you, the coach, and helps referees know where the coaches are - and if a noisy person is a spectator or a coach, so they can react accordingly… (I know, I know - our coaches don’t get noisy at referees!)

PARKING

Please remind your teams that parking is not allowed on the grass at Adams Elementary, or around the School District buildings on the northwest end of the fields. We are guests of the school district, and good guests don’t park on the lawn.

AYSO RESOURCES

Look, I know you didn’t sign up for this weekly e-mail from me, but it’s my job to communicate each week through the season. I appreciate your taking the time to read, and to respond. If you are interested in other AYSO communications, I highly recommend one in particular: The Whistle Stop. This weekly e-mail is geared towards referees, but I find it quite useful on the Coach side of the line, too. Understanding the game from a referee’s perspective is a great way to appreciate the whole game better. Many of our coaches do double duty as referees (double thanks to you all!), and it can be useful to understand the perspective from the middle of the field. You can check it out here and sign up for the weekly e-mail if you are so inclined.

The Coach side of the line is represented, too. Hey Coach is a weekly newsletter from the AYSO mothership for coaches. (Yes - I stole the name.) You can sign up for these and other newsletters here.

It is my opinion that Coaches are the most important volunteers in AYSO. Yes, there are many other volunteers in a variety of roles who also work hard to make the magic happen. Our fields are lined, our Safety and Snack shacks have helpful, happy people, and our referees are FANTASTIC. Honestly, we we can’t do our Soccer Saturdays without them. But Coaches spend more time than any other volunteers interacting directly with our children, in practices and in guiding them through through their matches. We are an all-volunteer organization, and we can’t do it without you among our many volunteers - so thank you for your good work.

----
Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

Extra Games
Mon 9/18/2017 9:08 PM

Referees,

Extra games are now on the schedule.

You can tell Extra from Core games by the team names and the Type. If you don't see them, check your search filter settings.

The three home teams are:

15U Lightning - a 7th & 8th grade girls team (there is only one division so skill levels of teams range).
12U Thunder - an all 6th grade team in the Kidsports Silver - Emerald division.
12U Shooting Stars - a 5th grade team in the Kidsports Silver – Cascade division.

Please help out the Extra program by taking on these games. More competitive play, louder coaches, more fun!

Thank you,
Chris

Concussion Awareness Training
Thu 9/14/2017 10:22 PM

Referees,

I know that BlueSombrero and AYSOU are not helping you get ready for this season.

If you can't get into the system to do your pre-season training (Concussion and SafeHaven), here is an option.

AYSO asks for SafeHaven every 3 years, our region says each year. So, if you were current last year, you are current for this coming game day. (This extension expires on Sunday, so please figure out your BlueSombrero and AYSOU logins and take the class before next Saturday).

However, by Oregon law and AYSO policy, you must have Concussion Awareness certification each season (since 8/1/2017), so take the class from the CDC website -

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/index.html

Email (or bring to the fields on Saturday) your certificate. This will cover you for the year.

We can't let you ref on Saturday without the Concussion Awareness training.

Thank you,
Chris and Luke

Hey Coach! Game Day Approaches
Thu 9/14/2017 10:59 PM

12U+ Coaches ========================

Hey Coach -

Game Day approaches - thank you for your hard work getting your team ready for the first match of the season. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you head into match play.

This week:

Planning for the Game
Planning Practice Sessions

MAKING A GAME PLAN

When you arrive at your field on Saturday, you and your team know what you’re doing, right? It may seem obvious, but make sure your team and families know what field and what time they need to be at Adams on Saturday. You should have your team arrive early enough to warm up, perhaps go over how you want your keeper to distribute the ball, how to play/cover a goal kick or a corner kick, and go over positions and substitutions. For many teams, 20-30 minutes seems to work. Don’t forget you will need a bit of time right before your match for the referees to inspect your team’s equipment and briefly go over the major rules.

It is important to be prepared, because your match needs to start on time. Saturdays are a complicated, interwoven schedule that combine teams and fields and volunteers to make a match happen. WIth many families having multiple players - and thank you doubly and trebly to our coaches who coach multiple teams! - there are a lot of moving parts to the Saturday schedule. If games start late, they will be cut short to end on time so there is no downstream impact on the next games for that field, or for referees scheduled elsewhere, etc.

I like to plan out my game the night before. Knowing who will be there (because we’ve talked with our players) makes it easy to plan out your quarters. Know who will be playing where on the field, and who will be sitting as a substitute for each quarter. Fill out your game card the night before. (Note: When filling out your game card, list your players by uniform number, not by name. This helps the ARs quickly mark off your substitutes each quarter.) If you have it all written out the night before, it makes it that much easier to focus on getting the players warmed up and ready to take the field after the referees do their inspection.

PLANNING FOR PRACTICES

What happens at your match on Saturday will inform what you will be working on next week at practice. To that end, it may be useful to take a few notes. At the very least, you can keep track of who played where or for how long. Maybe your team needs to work on throw-ins, or goal kicks, or just spreading out. Use your Coaching Eye to evaluate where to start tuning up your team.

And don’t forgot to pay attention to what works, too. Obviously, if someone scores a goal, something worked - and probably two or three plays before your player kicked it into their net something else worked first, making it all possible. Who made that penetrating pass? How many deserve an assist?

During the match, the best thing you can do is involve your players who are waiting as substitutes in watching the game as it happens. When it’s their turn to go in, they will already have found something to work on, and put it to immediate use.

Finally, when the match is done, don’t forget to demonstrate good sportsmanship. Thank the other team - and thank the referees, who are volunteers, just like you. It is important to remember that this is a new thing for everyone involved. Players are on a new team. Many coaches are new at this, or new to this age group. Remember the goal you set for the season (Have fun playing soccer!) and your philosophy of coaching. Your role is to provide a fun environment for players to play and to learn the game while they play.

I will never be able to thank you enough for taking the time to be an AYSO Coach. I hope your matches all go well, and everyone has a great time.

----

Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

10U Coaches ========================

Hey Coach -

Game Day approaches - thank you for your hard work getting your team ready for the first match of the season. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you head into match play.

This week:

Planning for the Game
Build Out Line
Planning Practice Sessions

MAKING A GAME PLAN

It is important to be prepared, because your match needs to start on time. Saturdays are a complicated, interwoven schedule that combine teams and fields and volunteers to make a match happen. With many families having multiple players - and thank you doubly and trebly to our coaches who coach multiple teams! - there are a lot of moving parts to the Saturday schedule. If games start late, they will be cut short to end on time so there is no downstream impact on the next games for that field, or for referees scheduled elsewhere, etc.

BUILD OUT LINE

One thing to remind your players before the match is how the Build Out Line works. You can review the guidance we’ve offered using this link. The purpose of the build out line is to offer players for whom keeper is a new position at 10U the opportunity to develop the skill of distributing the ball, putting it into play, without as much immediate pressure.

It’s worth noting that the question I’ve been asked the most frequently is: “Does my keeper need to wait for the other team to get past the BOL before putting the ball in play?” The answer is no, they don’t. Ideally your keeper will play the ball out to the side, and their teammates will learn to create a target for their keeper towards the side of the field instead of in the middle, in front of the goal. If a keeper can play the ball to a teammate before the other team is past the BOL, that is fine. Once another teammate touches the ball from the keeper, play is “On” and the opposing team can move to play the ball.

It is important to note that once a keeper controls the ball, the opposing team must move to clear the area behind the BOL, no matter how quickly a keeper manages to distribute the ball.

For those who have been around soccer for some time, this is, well, different. The Build Out Line was developed as a Player Development Initiative under US Soccer, and only introduced in the spring of this year. Many players, coaches, and referees are still getting used to it. Thank you for your help in getting this initiative off the ground.

PLANNING FOR PRACTICES

I will never be able to thank you enough for taking the time to be an AYSO Coach. I hope your matches all go well, and everyone has a great time.

----

Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

8U Coaches ========================

Hey Coach -

Game Day approaches - thank you for your hard work getting your team ready for the first match of the season. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you head into match play.

This week:

Planning for the Game
New game setup for 8U
Planning Practice Sessions

MAKING A GAME PLAN

When you arrive at your field on Saturday, you and your team know what you’re doing, right? It may seem obvious, but make sure your team and families know what field and what time they need to be at Adams on Saturday. You should have your team arrive early enough to warm up and go over positions and substitutions. Don’t forget you will need a bit of time right before your match for the referees to inspect your team’s equipment and briefly go over the major rules.

NEW GAME SETUP FOR 8U

This year we are moving 8U play to a new system: Instead of playing your entire roster in a 5v5 match on one field, you will split your roster into two smaller teams, as will the other team. Team 1 will have an A and B squad, and Team 2 will, too. A plays A and B plays B in 4v4 matches - and it is worth noting that “A” or “B” don’t mean one team is “better” than the other - you can balance your squads evenly. From week to week, you can mix them up to keep adjusting the balance, too.

The advantage of the 4v4 matches is that more players will get more touches in a match setting, building their ball handling and kicking skills. At the 8U left, our Coach/Ref volunteers manage the game, and can be on field with their squad. Between the two rosters, there should be a combined total of 4 Coach/Ref volunteers, which should provide proper coverage on each field.

Running the 8U matches this way is new this fall, part of the Player Development Initiatives under US Soccer. For those who have been around 8U in the past, this is, well, new and different. For an overview of the 8U program, with notes on what’s new, check here.

It is also worth noting, for those returning coaches, that at 8U we are no longer using lineup cards. With the changes to the match setting, and with the squads changing week to week, it’s not necessary to collect these cards from each match. With no lineup card in use, it is important that each coach pay attention to playing time for each player. All players must play at least half a match, and no player can play a full match unless all others have played at least three-quarters. You might consider keeping your own lineup card, with extra space to make a note or two about each player, and even to keep track of score to avoid lopsided games. This will be helpful at the end of the season when we ask for player evaluations/ratings, which will be useful when building teams for next year to help with our Balanced Teams philosophy.

PLANNING FOR PRACTICES

What happens at your match on Saturday will inform what you will be working on next week at practice. To that end, it may be useful to take those notes. Maybe your team needs to work on dribbling with both feet, or instep kicks, or just spreading out. Use your Coaching Eye to evaluate where to start tuning up your team.

I will never be able to thank you enough for taking the time to be an AYSO Coach. I hope your matches all go well, and everyone has a great time.

----

Eric Gleske
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator

[CorvallisAYSO] Region Information Center
Tue 9/12/2017 1:20 AM

Hello All Volunteers and |User First Name|,

This email will hopefully address some of the many questions we are getting regarding materials, players & rosters, uniforms, training issues, and other role specific issues. Since many of you are in various/mixed roles, registration limbo, or otherwise, this mass email is being sent to everyone with a volunteer role application/registration.

If you have not received an email from your role admin (Team Manager Admin, Referee Admin, or Coach Admin), please email them to get added to their distribution list (here).

Information Center
https://www.corvallisayso.org/about/infocenter.html

Items in Info Center: Division Breakdown, 6U Flier, 6U Coach, 6U Referee, 8U Flier, 8U Coach, 8U Referee, 10U Flier, 10U Coach, 10U Referee, 10U Field Measurements, 10U Buildout Line Details, 12U Flier, 12U Coach , 12U Referee, 12U Field Measurements, 15U Flier, 15U Coach, 15U Referee, 15U Field Measurements, Air Quality, Incident Report, Participation Release, Refund Form, Contact Form, Board Application, Game Cards, Lopsided Games, 6U & 8U Training Slides, Training Plan Worksheet, Underage Heading, Restart Chart, Laws of The Game, Referee Summary Sheet, Referee Training Slides, Team Manager Training Slides, Team Jobs Spanish, Team Worksheet, Region Board, Team Volunteers, Expense Reimburse, & Member Year Breakdown Spreadsheet.

Dropping / Removing Players

We have some reports of players that are no longer interested or are not planning to play in Fall 2017. We have a Wait List in almost all divisions, please have these players fill out this form (here) so we can remove these players & fill their team spot for Fall. Dropped players can signup for Winter Indoor in October or Spring Season in February.

Uniforms & Equipment

Many teams are short uniforms, we placed an order earlier to get things evened up for all teams. We expect to have some, if not all, of these additional uniforms on the first game day 9/16. Brand new players added in the past few weeks might not have a uniform until next week. If you are missing uniforms, have wrong equipment, or need more equipment, we will be at the information shed Saturday to hand out what we have, and order what is needed.

Online Training
https://aysou.org

AYSO U has a bunch of bugs. For this Fall, we will push forward the best we can. Please take the required training in any way you can. The alternate CDC training website is https://headsup.cdc.gov/ email a copy of the certificate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and AYSO support can update your record. The CDC course is required by Oregon Law every school year.

Many are reporting issues with taking training and having another name show. This is often for accounts that have multiple volunteers associated together, contact AYSO support for help (here). Please take the training, capture all details about the training (screen shots, print screens, etc.), and keep everything in your records.

Team Managers
https://www.corvallisayso.org/managers

Team Manager Training slides are in the Info Center.
Blue Sombrero Guide to Team Calendar: https://bluesombrero.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/228186367-Team-Calendar
Blue Sombrero Guide to Team Discussions: https://bluesombrero.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/228186327-Team-Discussions

Players & Volunteers on Team
Team rosters will continue to get updates as users change details or players/volunteers are added, please keep an eye out for additions (in some cases removals). If you are missing an Adult Volunteer on your team roster, their was likely an issue with the registration, please have them double check their registration for that role in your division. These adults should not be allowed to work with the players until they are on your roster. If a volunteer shows on the Blue Sombrero roster, they have been checked/verified. I have gone through the team worksheets, and added the people properly setup. All others are missing something, not properly setup for the role or division, and could not be assigned to the team. I cannot add one volunteer twice to a team roster. I cannot add a youth volunteer to a team roster.

User Contact Information
Blue Sombrero is built to have the user update their information. If you need an email updated or a phone added, the user can do this by logging in and going to My Account (gear/cog).

Teams Missing Required Volunteers
If you cannot get all of your required volunteers we will talk on Saturday 9/16. Each year we have paper volunteers (do not follow through), with the new program design, that will directly harm your team, these volunteers will need to contribute for you to have games or practices.

Fields Re-Lining Assignments/Signups
I will be assigning teams, and asking you get your volunteer to signup for the reminder. This suggestion gives me the best method to contact the lead fields volunteer about training. These field relining signups will be for 9/23 and each of the 5 remaining Saturdays.

Referees
https://www.corvallisayso.org/referees

6U & 8U Training slides are in the Information Center. Regional Referee Training slides are in the Information Center.

6U & 8U Referee Scheduling
Each team is expected to provide a referee volunteer. Coaches can serve as referees for games, but it is not recommended as both coaches will be needed to manage two games at once.

Schedule Yourself (10U+)
If you are assigned to a team, you are expected to volunteer for 7 games per team per season, if you do not, your team will likely have games without referees. Some people will cover others games (Thank You), but since you can ref your own team for U6-U12, your team needs you. Once you are approved in the web ref tool, please sign up using the TBA schedule. TIP: Web Ref uses icons for a lot, hover over the icon to see your options.

Signup URL: http://www.horizonwebref.com/getStarted
Our association number is "205404"

Referee Scheduling Notes (10U+)
The Horizon Web Ref tool is a little quirky. We are using a TBA system where referees sign up for the games they want. You are encouraged to select any game, if you are not available or a new referee, the system will restrict what games you can sign up for, if you have issues or would like a game that is not available, contact referees. TIP: in the personal schedule, you can view all games by clicking the link called public.

Resources
Each referee has a set of resources at their disposal. On game days you should look for the referees with blue uniforms, they can help with technical questions and help resolve issues. You can also look for assistance/equipment/support by the AYSO blue shed and the referee tents. Note: The blue shed will show the Friday snapshot of the referee schedule from Horizon Web Ref, this shed also has the box for returning game cards.

Referee Equipment
6U & 8U refs get a whistle that is it (get it at Referee Shed). U10+ New Regional Referees are provided shorts, socks, shirt, whistle, and coin. If you are missing equipment, please see a referee in blue to get help in obtaining the necessary equipment.

Game Cards
For 10U+ each team should provide game cards at the game. Please use these to keep track of the game, score, and report any issues. Problems with fields, spectators, or coaches should be documented on the cards and we will follow up. Along with marking the quarters players sat out, please include the names of the referees present at the game, and report if someone is missing. Drop the game cards in the box next to the printed schedule posted on the blue referee shed after each game.

Away Games
15U & 19U have interplay, some of those games are away, if you are going to an away game, it is suggested that you bring your referee gear, it can be hard to get a full squad of referees to these games.

Coaches
https://www.corvallisayso.org/coaches

6U & 8U Training slides are in the Information Center. We have extra 6U & 8U training books, you can get them from the Information Shed on Saturday. Blank Training Plan forms are in the Information Center (to help with planning practices).

Training
We will likely schedule an additional course for 6U, 8U, 10U and/or 12U during the season, as well as field sessions. Look for updates on the region website calendar.

Laws of The Game & Player Development Initiatives
All Coaches, new or returning, should review the Laws of The Game. There were no major changes this past year, but it’s always good to review the latest edition at the start of the season. The latest is in the referee area of the Information Center. This year we have made a few minor tweaks to the game in the lower divisions, aligned with new Player Development Initiatives from US Soccer. The Information Center has many of these details in the Division Fliers.

Incident Reporting
If there is an incident at games or practice sessions involving injury, threats, fights, etc, it is important for insurance purposes that an incident report form be completed and returned to the Safety Director. These forms are available in the Safety Shed, or can be downloaded in the Information Center under Forms.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton

P.S. I am a 4 days behind in email... contact another board member (here).
Call or email Blue Sombrero support for help with account issues: 866-264-2048 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RSVP in Blue Sombrero
Thu 9/7/2017 5:37 PM

Managers

Please note that by default Blue Sombrero is optimistic and it appears as if all members of a team have RSVP (yes) for all games or practices schedule. I suggest you point this out to your team members so that they update the RSVP to reflect any game/practice that a player is not going to be able to make.

Best
Catalina

Welcome to the new 6U season
9/06/17 9:50 PM

Greetings, and welcome to a new season of 6U. My name is Eric Gleske, and I am the Coach Administrator for our region. For many 6U families, this is their first soccer experience - for players AND coaches. To make the beginning of the season work well, and to answer a lot of questions like, "How do I run a session on Saturdays?" we have once again asked the folks at UK International to lend a hand.

UK International is the AYSO Partner that runs our summer soccer camps, and their coaches are very good working with the younger children. For our first Saturday, a UKI Coach will be available to work with each group, running activities, demonstrating the essential 6U skills of dribbling and kicking, and also answering questions for coaches.

If you're a brand new coach, knowing that season starts off on the correct foot can be a great relief. If you've already coached at 6U, you can ask the UKI coaches to show you how to improve your own skills. However you manage it, having the UKI assistance has proved valuable for many year, and we are happy to continue this support for our coaches.

If you have any questions or concerns about starting the season (remember, the season starts on Saturday the 16th), don't hesitate to ask.

AYSO is an all-volunteer organization and we can't provide our fun, safe soccer environment for our kids without your help. So thank you so much for leading your team this year.
With kind regards,

Eric Gleske

Hey Coach - Welcome to the new year!
9/06/17 4:53 PM

First, thank you for taking the time to volunteer in the most important job in AYSO: Being a Coach. We are an all-volunteer organization, and we can't do it without all of our volunteers, but it is the Coaches who spend the most time with our kids, working to help them grow as people and as players, and so I put you all on the highest pedestal.

Second, for those who don’t know me, I am Eric, your friendly neighborhood Coach Administrator. My job is to help our Coaches have the resources they need to bring the fun and exciting world of soccer to our players. This will be a longer "Hey Coach" than normal - you should see me in your inbox midweek every week during our season.

This week:

Training / Training Videos
Laws of the Game / Player Development Initiatives
Team Resources
Incident Reporting

As we head towards our opening weekend at Adams field, there are a few items that are important to keep in mind.

TRAINING

If you have not already, please complete the Safe Haven and CDC Concussion training modules available to you at AYSOU.org. We still have two classes this week, one for for 12U Coaches and Intermediate (anything above 12U). You can register for those courses at AYSOU.org as well. There will also be a field session for coaches on Saturday morning beginning at 8am at the Philomath JV soccer field, which can be easily accessed via the City Park off Applegate. This includes 10U Coach and 12U Coach sessions, as well as Intermediate Coach. If you want a refresher course on field activities, all are welcome.

I will likely schedule an additional course for 10U and/or 12U during the season, as well as field sessions. Look for updates at corvallisayso.org/coaches or in my weekly email.

AYSO’s last, but not least philosophy is 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. As we begin our season, it is important that you begin to develop your "Coach’s Eye," which will allow you observe, correct, and confirm how our players perform their technical skills. Knowing what to look for will help you help them grow. AYSO has created a number of videos to demonstrate basic techniques, which you may have seen in your training. I've put links to all of those training videos together in one document, in the order we introduce them by age division, for your reference. For instance, if you will be demonstrating a throw-in to your players at your next practice session, and you want to make sure you know what to show, the video is a good refresher.

LAWS OF THE GAME / PLAYER DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

All Coaches, new or returning, should review the Laws of The Game. There were no major changes this past year, but it’s always good to review the latest edition at the start of the season. Here is a link to the latest edition of the Laws.

This year we have made a few minor tweaks to the game in the lower divisions, aligned with new Player Development Initiatives from US Soccer. Here’s a overview by division:

6U Overview

8U Overview

10U Overview - includes information about the Build Out Line

TEAM RESOURCES

There are a number of resources available to you to help you manage your team, and your team families.

Players and Parents should know our Vision, Mission, and Six Philosophies.
There is a Parent Pledge and Player Pledge available (as well as a Coach's Pledge, too!) in the back of your Coach Manual.
Remind your families that Adams is an AYSO Kids Zone on Saturday, as are your practice sessions.
The CDC has excellent resources to help parents understand concussions (also in Spanish)

It is important to remember that this is a new thing for everyone involved. Players are on a new team. Many coaches are new at this, or new to this age group. Take time to communicate with your team and families your goals for the season (Have fun playing soccer!) and your philosophy of coaching. Your role is to provide a fun environment for players to play and to learn the game while they play.

INCIDENT REPORTING

If there is an incident at games or practice sessions involving injury, or even threats, fights, property damage, or calls to the police, it is important for insurance purposes that an incident report form be completed and returned to the Safety Director. These forms are available in the Safety Shed, or can be downloaded here.

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to be an AYSO Coach. I hope your matches all go well, and everyone has a great time.

With thanks,

Eric

Schedule is up---- Game day volunteering---Blue sombrero calendar
Tue 9/5/2017 8:51 PM

Dear Team Managers

Few things that require our attention:

Make sure your team knows that the game schedule is up in blue sombrero. Based on this information we can encourage game day volunteers to sign up for volunteering activities at convenient times based on their children game schedule. Please remember that people can go to: https://www.corvallisayso.org/teams/volunteer-signup.html. People who signup are required to enter a name and team name, this will help you identify the parents that are fulfilling their volunteer task.

You can add the practice schedule to the calendar in blue sombrero: Go to calendar, chose Create Event, then choose practice and add the details. If this option does not work use the “other " option. Some issues have been reported associated to conflicting practice times. Also, keep in mind that adding the practice to the calendar DOES NOT reserve the practice location

Please let me know if you have questions Best,

Catalina
Team Manager Administrator

[CorvallisAYSO] Practice Location Reservations
Sent: Thu 8/31/2017 4:13 PM

8U-15U Coaches (and Team Managers),

It's almost time to begin practices (you could start on 9/5). If you have not yet set up a practice time/space, when doing so, make sure you use the school district's online facilities reservation system to schedule your fields. When setting up your schedule, please indicate what team will be using the fields in your reservation.

More information about practices & location reservations (here).

Field use can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis; you can also make your reservation a recurring one until the end of the fall season. There are a number of practice spaces that are in high demand; for example Adams Elementary, and Garfield Elementary. If you have issues scheduling time because of a conflicting reservation, please do not contact the schools - they are busy getting ready for next week's start of classes. If there is a scheduling issue with another AYSO team, contact me - there is a limited amount of space in our town, and we are all on the same larger team, and perhaps I can help you work something out.

AYSO is an all-volunteer organization, and we, literally, cannot do what we do without the support and commitment of people like you who step up to make a difference in our kids' lives.

|User First Name| Thank you for your efforts.

Eric Gleske
----
AYSO Region 149 Coach Administrator
AYSO Certified Coach Instructor
AYSO Advanced Coach

P.S. Not a coach or team manager? You can correct your role in Blue Sombrero by clicking on the volunteer icon (person), find the correct role by clicking "Find Volunteer Roles", signup for that role, and eSign the form. Once you are done with that, you can delete the other role (if you are not assigned to a team). This will stop emails related to this role.

Welcome Message and Volunteering Positions
Sent: August 26, 2017 3:20 PM

Welcome Team Managers!

My name is Catalina and I am the Team Manager Administrator. I am new to this position and very excited to be part of the organization. As we all get ready for the season please make sure you have all the volunteering positions filled. Also, please make sure all volunteers have registered and are set to complete the corresponding training. In addition to coaches, referees, and managers, this year AYSO is implementing some changes to the PER TEAM: Field Volunteer position. This person will be in charge of making sure that the assigned fields for games are ready for game day during the season. Along with helping to setup or take down fields if the game is first or last on the field, each week different teams will be assigned a field re-lining task. Your team and the field volunteer will be expected to complete the task within the week before the start of the first Saturday game. Please identify a person in your team to fill this position.

In addition, we are combining the Safety, Events, Registration, & Concessions volunteers into a Day Game Volunteer. The idea is that if a parent is not volunteering as a referee, coach, assistant coach, field volunteer, or manager, they should sign up as a Day Game Volunteer. This is a one-day commitment in which the volunteer signs up to fill one volunteer slot on this webpage: https://www.corvallisayso.org/teams/volunteer-signup.html. People who signup are required to enter a name, email, and team name, this will help you identify the parents that are fulfilling their volunteer task.

Attached is the team worksheet to be turned in to get uniforms, I have also included the attached Spanish version of the back of the team worksheet. Each role listed needs someone who has completed a volunteer registration form to get uniforms, they do not need to complete training before your team can get uniforms, but they are expected to complete all the remaining pieces for the position before the first game day on 9/16.

Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

Also let me know if you would like to receive this email or any other information in Spanish (Español).
All the best
Catalina
P.S. Picture day will be October

[CorvallisAYSO] Division Orientation & Team Meetings
Sent: Tue 8/8/2017 12:20 AM

Welcome to AYSO Region 149's 2017-2018 Soccer Year,

Topics: Division Orientation & Team Meetings, Communications & Website, Blue Sombrero, AYSO University, Highlights for Coaches & Referees, Highlights for Team Managers

Division Orientation & Team Meetings
Near the end of August, we will have orientation and team meetings for each division. These events will consist of division specific information followed by team meetings for all teams in the division. Coaches can get equipment and teams with completed requirements can pick up uniforms. More information about team requirements and the events will be sent after team rosters are published (see note below). Please save the date for division orientation & your player's team meeting:

9/6 6pm - 6U Orientation & Team Meetings
8/29 6pm - 8U Orientation & Team Meetings
8/30 6pm - 10U Orientation & Team Meetings
8/30 7pm - 12U Orientation & Team Meetings
8/29 7pm - 15U Orientation & Team Meetings
9/6 6pm - Extra Uniform Distribution Day

Note: We will start publishing team rosters in Blue Sombrero on Monday 8/14. As we complete teams, you will get an email.

Communications & Website - How We Communicate
Our region communicates through our region website and email...
Mass emails can come from a few systems, corvallisayso.org for customized emails & bluesombrero.com for standard emails or team notifications. We use both systems to provide you with pertinent information. From either system we will include [CorvallisAYSO] in the subject.
The region website will be the primary site for information about volunteer jobs, division details, region calendar, board contacts, region rules, and current season details. We will continue to post updates on the website, you can find information about the current season and all mass emails on this page: https://www.corvallisayso.org/about/seasons.html
Read on for information about the region management website.

Blue Sombrero - New Information System
This year brings many changes. The biggest is the Blue Sombrero region management system (RMS). AYSO national has moved to a new system for managing all region registrations and teams. This AYSO version of Blue Sombrero will include the game schedule, team websites, team communications, team calendar, team roster, and many other features. This system is new to everyone this year and it is still being developed/refined. As we progress through the season, you will see new features and interface changes. You can get to our RMS site here: http://www.ayso149.org

AYSO University - New Training System
The new learning management system (LMS) replaces the old AYSO training site, and now includes all training related items. This system connects to your Blue Sombrero account (Volunteers can login with their Blue Sombrero account) and includes online training, training signups, and learning materials. AYSO National is still working to refine this site, so you can expect changes throughout the year. You can get to the national LMS site here: https://aysou.org

Highlights for Coaches & Referees
We are still working on updating the website and publishing training dates, please bear with us. Training dates will be published before the team meetings in late August. Each division has some changes this year, so please show at the orientation to get the summary for your division. AYSO University has the yearly required Safe Haven and CDC Concussion classes available, please feel free to login to aysou.org and take the courses (note a bug exists for youth volunteers, national is working on a fix).

Highlights for Team Managers
All team managers are expected to attend a job training this year, the dates will be communicated after teams are complete on 8/14. Team Managers will have three job training opportunities (each class will be an hour). Training will include guidance for using Blue Sombrero, managing the new team volunteer structure and the new approach to field volunteers.

Thank You,
Luke Cotton
Region Commissioner

P.S. I am happy you decided to join me for our 39th year in Benton County.

[CorvallisAYSO] ##UX Team Volunteers Needed
Sent: Fri 8/4/2017 8:00 PM

Hello User,

In the each program we are still working on team formation. While some teams have been completed, we are still missing key volunteers to help ensure the viability of many teams. We need more volunteers before we can finalize teams. Each team will need to have a head coach, asst. coach, team manager, and two referees.

Please consider signing up to volunteer for your player, if you have not already. You can confirm or signup in Blue Sombrero by going to http://corvallisayso.org/login, sign in, and click on "VOLUNTEER" in the sidebar. The button to signup or invite someone to signup will be in the top right called "Find Volunteer Roles", select the volunteer role and continue as yourself or invite someone else. Keep in mind that youth over 12 can referee. More details about volunteer jobs can be found here: https://www.corvallisayso.org/teams/jobs.html

Thank You,
Luke Cotton
Region Commissioner

Volunteer Application Open

Player Application Open

Open Board Positions

Latest Events

Thu Jun 21, 7:00pm- 9:00pm
Board Work Event

Mon Jun 25, 9:00am- 3:00pm
June Summer Camp - Start

Thu Jul 19, 7:15pm- 9:00pm
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Mon Jul 23, 9:00am- 3:00pm
July Summer Camp - Start

Mon Aug 13, 9:00am- 3:00pm
August Summer Camp - Start

Mon Aug 13, 5:30pm- 6:30pm
Team Manager Training

Tue Aug 14, 5:30pm- 6:30pm
6U Team Meetings

Tue Aug 14, 5:30pm- 8:00pm
Limited Player Registration

Tue Aug 14, 7:00pm- 8:00pm
8U Team Meetings

Wed Aug 15, 5:30pm- 6:30pm
10U Team Meetings

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