Keeping it Positive

With Week 6 upon us, here are reminders for parents and players alike to make the second half of the soccer season safe, fair, and fun:

• Soccer is more fun with another team to play with. If you gloat, taunt, curse, or threaten the players, referees, coaches, or other parents, then who will want to play soccer next week or next year? Today's opponent could be next year's teammate, so please treat everyone you encounter on Saturday as you would a friend. Bad behavior on the sidelines or the field can also lead to official sanctions, which could result in your child or team being unable to participate in future games.
  
  
• Remember that spectators must be on their team's sideline, between the penalty areas, even if the shade trees are elsewhere. Pop-up shade structures and big umbrellas are a big help.
  
  
• Please keep those dogs at home, and at the end of your game, pitch in to help pick up any trash left behind.

Everyone has a role to play in keeping soccer friendly and respectable. If you have something to share about a coach, referee, or a game or practice incident, please share it here. Positive feedback is welcome too!

Enjoy this look back at the action from Week 5, and thanks again to our volunteer photographers, Gary Loitz, Ian Zimmerman, and Stephen Raynor.

⚠️ Schedule Changes ⚠️

The 12U Games, originally scheduled for the La Cañada High School JV field on 10/11 and 10/18, have been relocated to McKinley Middle School. There have also been some minor changes to scheduled games at Victory Park.

Coaches have all been notified, but keep up with all the latest game info at ayso13.org/schedule

📋 Coaching Corner

• Coaches in 10U-14U: submit your mid-season ratings by TOMORROW, October 11, end of day.  These ratings are essential to the All-Star selection process and the formation of balanced teams each core season. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to rate your players.
  
  
• 7U Coaches: it’s time to get off the field and coach from the sidelines. This practice helps initiate our young athletes for 8U next year and beyond, when coaches are no longer allowed on the pitch.
  
  

Save the Date for All-Star Tryouts

The first two All-Star tryouts for players in 10U, 12U, and 14U are scheduled for Sunday, October 26 & Sunday, November 2 at Rose Bowl Area H. Stay tuned for more details, or head over to the All-Stars page on the website to read more.

Bring a Team to the Turkey Tournament

Does your child like soccer? A lot? If they're looking for greater challenges, any certified coach can invite children to play together as a team in an AYSO tournament. The next opportunity is this fall at the Region 13 Thanksgiving Tournament.

⭐ ALL-STARS & TOURNAMENT PLAYER SIGNUP

⭐ ALL-STARS  & TOURNAMENT COACH SIGNUP

Sunday Skills & NEXT 

On Sundays, Region 13 offers two opportunities for more fun soccer with friends:

Sunday Skills is open to enthusiastic players of all ages looking for extra play. Professional coaches from Launch Sports run skills-focused drills. 

🥅 Goalkeeper Academy returns this week!
Join Sunday Skills from 3:30–5pm at the La Canada High School JV fields.

NEXT is perfect for players looking to prepare for the All-Star season. Sessions begin with a short technical session, followed by a scrimmage.

Head over to the website for more information, or to join NEXT click on your division below:

G10U | B10U | G12U | B12U | G14U | B14U

Letter from the Commissioner

Hi ⚽️ Families, 

Tomorrow, well over a hundred of us will spend the day playing AYSO soccer, and then travel to watch the LA Galaxy professional soccer team. It’s going to be a fun day. (And yes, there are still a few tickets available!)

As some of you may know, the LA Galaxy won the MLS Cup last year, but have struggled to play well this season. That doesn’t mean we won’t love watching them play, but there’s a message in there for us: In AYSO, your child is not always going to be on a winning team. Some seasons will be struggles, some seasons will seem to bring easy victories. Even in our non-competitive divisions, some teams will gel and work together quickly, while others will have some challenges. This is a huge reason we are constantly striving to fulfill our core principle of Balanced Teams. It’s very difficult to do well, and much remains left to chance.

As the LA Galaxy show, the most important thing is to support your players and coaches and encourage teamwork, especially in those more difficult seasons. The average youth stays in the AYSO program for several years, so those of you whose teams are struggling may take heart that next year’s team will be different. It will also include many of the opposing players and families you’ve met this year, so let’s treat them with encouragement and respect as well.

See you out there on the pitch.

—Patrick Shopbell, your volunteer RC

You are receiving this message because of your involvement with AYSO Region 13, 711 W. Woodbury Rd., Unit E, Altadena, CA 91001, USA

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