What you need to know...

Pictures start this Saturday. Instructions below.

To reiterate:

• Dogs stay home. Squirrels, rabbits, birds, lizards, and humans may watch the matches. Not dogs.
• Spectators must be on their team's sideline, between the penalty areas, even if the shade trees are elsewhere. Beach umbrellas are on sale at the stores whose buyers think SoCal has seasons.
• Soccer is more fun with another team to play with. If you gloat, taunt, curse, stomp on their banner, or threaten the players, referees, coaches, or other parents, then who will want to play soccer next week, or next year? 
• Even if it's hot out, this is still a community recreational league. Today's opponent could be next year's teammate, so please treat everyone you encounter on Saturday as you would a friend.
• Sorry, there will be no Thanksgiving Tournament this year. The Advanced Play coordinator has reached out to coaches with information about other Fall tournaments.

Players

This is Goalkeeper Appreciation Week! The first few (5?) times someone plays goalkeeper, during a game, expect them to freeze in terror as the ball goes through their legs. Only an actual match, with everyone running all around and shouting, can prepare you for this unique athletic challenge. So if you want to give it a try, now's the time, so that you have a few matches behind you before the playoffs. Be encouraging to your new keeper, so they'll want to get more experience before they play on your high school team in a few years. Everyone makes the playoffs, anyhow.

Apply now for All-Stars. Tryouts are October 29th, November 5th, and November 12 (in case of rain). Note: there will be a game each Saturday and Sunday from mid-Jan to the first week of March. Soccer ends just before baseball starts.

Come to NEXT for more competitive games, and Sunday Soccer for technical skills, pickup, and goalkeeper academy, at Blair from 3:30-5:30. Come, even if you forget to RSVP.

Parents

Team pictures will be 10/21, 10/28 & 11/4 at Victory Park.

A message from Nationwide Sports Photography Network:

The order form is at ayso13.org/pictures, so you can order extra photos and photo products on picture day.  Simply print it out and have your player turn it in on picture day along with your payment. We are looking forward to a great picture day with your league. Your special orders will be mailed to your home so please print your address clearly on the order form.

IMPORTANT:  If ordering family/buddy pictures make sure that the people that will be in the picture are all in line when the individual pictures are being taken.

ARRIVE EARLY  We will be on a tight schedule and cannot wait for late arrivals and you will miss out on being in the team picture.

Thank you and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at NSPN.

Your NSPN Team

Greg Palmer <greg@nationwidephoto.com>

p: (818) 821-3957

Coaches

Here's a suggestion: Introduce deception. Can the kids name all the restarts? Does the team have a choreographed play, or three, for each of them? Soccer is a thinking game, so sneaky and surprising restarts are part of the fun. 

Save the date: October 18, 7:15pm for a zoom meeting to discuss a policy proposal affecting teams in 10U and older. You're at the table, or you're on the table.

Plan to attend the coaching seminar Monday, October 30 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm in person at the AYSO Region 13 Clubhouse. Highly recommended for aspiring All-Star coaches.

Thank you to the coaches whose teams decided it was too hot to play last Saturday, and called 626-702-AYSO to say so. The opposing teams were notified, and they and the referees retired for a cool and refreshing beverage. If your team lacks the minimum number of players to play, it's polite to cancel ahead of time.

Referees

Expect Good Sporting Behavior, from the players, the coaches, and especially the spectators. It's ok for you to avoid a confrontation on Saturday, when everyone is hot and cranky. Report it at ayso13.org/feedback for later followup.

Team Managers

Teams playing the first and last games on VP3, VP4, and VP5 will be asked to appoint a parent to help set up the admin tent at 7am, and take it down again at the end of the day. Please designate someone and have them sign up at https://www.wejoinin.com/AYSORegion13.

If your team are the visitors on VP7, how about staffing the tent during your game? Then you can watch from the shade, too!

If you would like the children to receive trophies and medals at the end of the season, please reply to volunteer to coordinate their purchase and distribution. 

Pop quiz! What's the call?

Take your best guess, then scroll down for answers. Yes, this all actually happened.

1. Orange's Goalkeeper heroically throws herself at the ball, and stops it right on the goal line. Everyone freezes and looks at the Referee, wondering what to do. What's the call?

2. Blue #7 takes a penalty kick. Being extra-clever, she pretends to strike low and in the left. The Red Goalkeeper dives to her right, as Blue #7 flicks the ball backward, then ducks while Blue #9 gently push-passes it into the net. What's the call?

3. Green #2 wants to surprise the other team, so she takes a goal kick backwards. It works! They are surprised! The ball rolls into her own goal. What's the call?

The Road Ahead

See more by subscribing to the Region 13 calendar. The board meeting is usually the first Thursday of each month.

Balanced Teams

Player assessments provide the information for Region 13 to balance the teams. Obviously, it's not perfect, but the better the data, the better the result. How does one evaluate a 7-year-old soccer player? Find the guidelines at ayso13.org/coach.

Picture of the Week

 Thanks again to Chris Hill for the pictures! Send action shots to info@ayso13.org or tag @aysoregion13 on Instagram to be in next week's newsletter.

Quiz Answers

1. The Referee says, "Play on! The whole ball must cross the whole line!"

2. An indirect free kick is awarded to Red from the penalty mark. Passes are allowed on penalty kicks, so long as they go forwards.

3. A corner kick is awarded to the other team. You can't score on yourself from a goal kick. This also happens occasionally in Phoenix and Las Vegas when the wind picks up.

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

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