There are three sections to the Volunteer FAQs:
-General Volunteer FAQs
-Volunteer Coaches FAQs
-Volunteer Referee FAQs
General Volunteer FAQs:
Should I volunteer for AYSO?
Yes! AYSO is a volunteer-based organization. Coaches, referees, and administrators are all volunteers. Nationwide, over 220,000 parents, neighbors, relatives, and friends lend their time and talents so that each child gets a terrific AYSO experience.
What are my options as a volunteer?
We are always looking for volunteer parent coaches, adult and youth referees, and if you want more........ask us about our board member positions.
How do I volunteer? Can I sign up to be a volunteer online?
You can sign up to volunteer while you are registering your child. The first step is to sign up online via our website www.AYSO186.org. Once you have created a profile, click on "volunteer" on the left side tool bar and then click on the "find volunteer roles" icon.
During the registration process, select the appropriate program and role that you would like to sign up for and enter all required information.
***If the system tries to charge you a $20 fee, you have registered yourself as a player as the system interprets the "participant" role as a player. Do NOT pay the $20 fee.
If you did not sign up to volunteer while registering your child, you can sign up at a later date.
Log in to your account and click on the Volunteer tab >> and then click on Find Volunteer Roles.
Select the program, division, and role that you wish to sign up for, hit Next, and enter all required information.
Once you are a volunteer, the role will display in your account like the image below:
Are the volunteers subject to a background check?
Yes. All AYSO volunteers go through a thorough background check per AYSO policy before approval.
Information for Volunteer Coaches:
If I want to be a volunteer coach, do I need to have soccer experience?
No soccer experience necessary! Volunteering as a coach at AYSO is easy and very rewarding! Your main jobs are to make sure all players get equal playing time and everyone is playing safely.
I don't know if I can commit to being a Head Coach. What is the role of the Assistant Coach?
The role of the Assistant Coach is to support the Head Coach and fill in when the Head Coach is not available.
Can a Head Coach pick an Assistant Coach to partner with?
Yes! We encourage parents to work together!
How much training do I need to take?
All coaches must take three online courses:
1) AYSO Safe Haven - covering all aspects of child safety
2) CDC Concussion Awareness
3) an age-specific coaching course.
Additionally, all 10U/12U/14U coaches must take an in-person class.
Are coaches provided all of the equipment they need?
Yes. Coaches receive ball bags with soccer balls appropriate to the age group being coached, cones, pinnies, ice packs, and goalkeeper gear for teams of children 9U and older.
Do coaches have any additional soccer resources?
Yes. Professional coaches from Tri-Town Soccer Academy will be at team practices on Mondays and Tuesdays in addition to games on Saturdays. Additionally, Tri-Town Soccer Academy will send out weekly foot skills guides for all volunteer coaches.
Are there coaches’ meetings prior to each season?
Yes. The Regional Commissioner, Coach Administrator, and Division Managers hold meetings for the coaches by age groupings one to two weeks before each season begins.
How are volunteer coaches insured?
AYSO provides liability insurance up to $1 million per incident for all coaches who have met the above-listed training requirements.
One of the volunteer roles is team parent. What is the team parent role?
The team parent role supports the head coach and assistant coach.
Information for Volunteer Referees:
Who referees the games?
All adult and youth referees at AYSO are volunteers.
What age groups are referees used in at AYSO?
AYSO uses referees for U10, U12, and U14 age groups.
At what age can I become a youth referee.
Anyone 12 years of age or older is eligible to be a youth volunteer referee with AYSO. The first year will be spent as an Assistant Referee.
What type of training is required?
Once registered with AYSO186.org, all referees are required to take online courses through AYSOU, which is the AYSO training portal:
-Safe Haven
-Concussion Awareness
-Regional Referee Training
Additionally, AYSO hosts in-person and live webinar trainings.
What are the benefits of becoming a youth referee at AYSO?
There are several reasons:
-Becoming a youth referee with help your son/daughter understand the game better.
-If your son/daughter is looking to become a paid referee in the future, becoming a youth referee at AYSO is the first step in that process.
-Your son/daughter will be eligible for youth volunteer hours.
How are volunteer referees insured?
AYSO provides liability insurance up to $1 million per incident for all referees who have met the above-listed training requirements.
AYSO reserves the right to change or modify the FAQ's.