Information for Players

Hi! And welcome to the Redwood City AYSO web site. Here we'll tell you a few things that you might want to know about playing soccer.

How Old do I Have to be to Play?

If you can read this and you're not 19 or older as of July 31st, or a four year old reading prodigy, then you can play.

Will I Have Fun?

AYSO is all about the fun of learning and playing soccer. It is not just about winning. If you show up to practices and get to the games ontime in your uniform, then you are guaranteed to play at least half of every game. In reality, almost everyone gets to play 3/4 of each game and many kids get to play the whole game. Sometimes if it's hot and you get tired that can even be too much!

Will I get to Play with my Friends?

Yes. Your team will probably have some of your schoolmates or other kids you know on it. Even if you don't know anyone on your team, you will quickly get to know a whole bunch of new friends!

How Much Time does AYSO Take?

Playing AYSO fall season soccer means that you'll usually have to come to practice 2 times a week and play one game on Saturday. Every week. For about 10 weeks from late August to November. Can you do that? Or are you also playing volleyball; going away for a couple of weeks; or are going to be very busy with school? Do you really want to play or are your parents pushing you? Make sure that you set time aside to go to all the practices and the games. You don't want to let your friends down by not showing up! And besides, soccer should be fun, not something that stresses you out because you don't have enough time.

What's a Division and which one am I in?

AYSO organizes divisions by age groups. This means that the other players on your team and the ones on the teams that you play against will be close to your age. This doesn't mean you'll all be the same height, or the same weight, or all run the same speed, or kick as hard. Even kids that are the same age are all different. But you'll learn that soccer is a team sport where every player has something to contribute. The divisions and birthday cut-off dates are shown below:

Want us to figure out what division you are in? Type your birthday here and we will figure it out for you.

Children born on or after	and on or before	Play in Division
August 1, 2008	July 31, 2009	U5
August 1, 2007	July 31, 2008	U6
August 1, 2005	July 31, 2007	U8
August 1, 2003	July 31, 2005	U10
August 1, 2001	July 31, 2003	U12
August 1, 1999	July 31, 2001	U14
August 1, 1997	July 31, 1999	U16
August 1, 1994	July 31, 1997	U19

Can I Play AYSO and Still Play on my High School Team?

Yes. The AYSO season is carefully set up so that the upper divisions are finished before the winter soccer season starts. You can't be playing in AYSO or a club team (CYSO) at the same time that you are playing for a high school team. If you are a young freshman who is playing U14 and you definitely want to try out for your High School JV or Varsity team, you may want to ask to play up in U16 instead.

How do I Sign Up?

You'll have to get your parents to register you. If they want to know how, take them to the registration page.

What Equipment will I need?

We will give you your game uniform consisting of shorts, jersey, and socks. You'll need to wear this to every game. You'll need to provide the rest of your equipment including shoes, shin guards, and a ball. Your shoes should be soccer cleats (not baseball cleats!). You need to bring your shoes, shin guards, your ball, and water to every practice! Don't wear your uniform to practice, it's for games only. You can wear last year's uniform to practice if you want though.

Will I get a Trophy?

Yes! Everyone who participates during the whole season will get a trophy. You may get more trophies, medals, or pins if you also play in tournaments.

Player's Code

Play for the fun of it, not just to please your parents or coaches.
Play by the Rules.
Never argue with or complain about the referee calls or decisions.
Control your temper and most of all, resist the temptation to retaliate when you feel you have been wronged.
Concentrate on playing soccer and on affecting the outcome of the game with your best effort. Work equally hard for your team as for yourself.
Be a good sport by cheering all the good plays, whether it is your team’s or your opponent’s.
Treat all players as you would like to be treated.
remember that the goals of the game are to have fun, improve skills and feel good. Don’t be a showoff or a ball hog.
Cooperate with your coaches, teammates, opponents and the referees.

I have more Questions!

I'm sure you do! Your coach will try to answer these for you during the season. If you think there should be more answers on this page, please and he will try to do a better job of explaining things. Here are some resources you may find useful from SoccerClinics.com:

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