About AYSO

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is a nationwide non-profit organization that develops youth soccer players in a fun, family environment based on AYSO's six Philosophies:

• Everyone Plays - Our goal is for kids to play soccer so we mandate all players play at least 50 percent of every game.
• Open Registration - We welcome all players regardless of skill level. There are no tryouts.
• Balanced Teams - We form new teams every season to provide a stronger learning experience with more competitive games. This allows players to meet and play with a variety of teammates.
• Positive Coaching - A coach can be one of the most influential people in a player's life, so AYSO requires our coaches to create a positive experience for every player. Encouraging a player's effort leads to greater enjoyment, improved skills and stronger motivation in our players.
• Good Sportsmanship - We strive to create a positive environment based on mutual respect rather than a win-at-all-costs environment. Our programs are designed to instill good sportsmanship.
• Player Development - 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 to maximize their enjoyment of the game.

AYSO Region 44 serves the city of Sunnyvale, California and surrounding areas. It is open to all boys and girls aged 4 to 18. Our Fall season runs from early September to early November each year and the Spring season runs from mid-March to mid-May. Each season we form new teams for each division (with the exception of our Schoolyard Program for our youngest players). Teams are led by volunteer coaches and practice together and play games against opposing teams. Depending on division size some teams may play teams from neighboring regions.

For information about our season, costs, and how to sign up see the registration page for the current season. Important dates, including registration events and deadlines, coach and referee trainings, and board meetings can be found on the Calendar.

AYSO is an all volunteer organization! Please volunteer to assist our region in providing another great year of soccer experience to our players. There is a wide range of positions available. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, and Referees are especially needed. We provide free training and all the equipment you need. We also have a number of board positions that help organize and manage each season.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does registration cost? Regional registration fee is listed on the season's registration page. In addition to the regional registration fee there is a non-refundable annual AYSO Membership fee of $20 (a membership year runs from July to August). There is also a $2.75 non-refundable service fee paid to our website and payment provider per checkout. Uniforms are purchased separately for $44.40 (uniforms can be re-used each season). There is also a $25 Early Bird discount for the first two months of registration as well as a multi-player discount of $10 per additional player. Financial aid is available by filling out a financial aid request (current form found on front page under Important Documents).

When are practice days/times/locations? 1-2 weeks before the season starts you will receive communication from your coach who will include the planned practice schedule for the season. Our coaches are all volunteers so we provide our coaches the flexibility of scheduling their practice days/times/location. As part of player registration there is a question regarding practice day availability. We use your response to this question to match players with teams based on the team's practice days. We cannot guarantee that there will not be conflicts based on team and coach availability. Refunds will be issued if conflicts cannot be resolved. 

You can update your registration response by logging into your ayso44.org account and navigation to My Account and clicking the pen edit icon next to your player's name.

Division practice guidance:
Schoolyard (5 & Under) - 45 minute Saturday morning session with parent participation encouraged. No weekday practice.
6U (6 & Under) - 30 minute practice on Saturday before the game (~30 minute game)
8U - One weekday evening practice of 60 minutes
10U - Two weekday evening practices of 60 minutes each
12U - Two weekday evening practices of 60-75 minutes each
14U and older - Two weekday evening practices of 75-90 minutes each

When are game days/times/locations? Games are scheduled on Saturdays (with rare exceptions) either in the morning or early afternoons. Depending on the division some teams (8U and older) may have Away games with other neighboring regions ("interlocks"). Home games are played at schools and parks in Sunnyvale determined before the season starts. Game times vary from week to week with the first game times at 9:00 AM and the latest game times in the early afternoon (usually starting before 4:00 PM).

What equipment does my player need? Players must wear shin guards and athletic shoes to all practices and games or will not be allowed to participate. Soccer cleats are optional but are recommended. Football or baseball cleats are not allowed. Players should also bring enough water based on weather conditions. Players can also bring their own soccer ball to practices:
U6 and U8 players use a size 3 soccer ball
U10 and U12 players use a size 4 soccer ball
U14 and older use a size 5 soccer ball

Uniform ordering instructions will be emailed before the season. You will also be able to lookup your player's assigned jersey number before the season begins at: https://ayso44-uniform-lookup.onrender.com/uniform_lookup

How are divisions determined? Divisions are determined by birth year with each Membership Year beginning in the Fall Season (all players "move up a year" in the Fall season and stay in the age group/division until the following Fall season). Each division consists of two birth years. Both AYSO and U.S. Soccer follow the same age determination rules:

https://ayso.org/age-determination/

Can my player play in a younger division? We do not allow players to play in a younger division than their birth year. Our program is designed to allow players of all skill levels to be able to have fun and develop in a safe environment. We balance teams based on player skill level and age so each team has players with a varying range of skill and ages. Teams 10U and older may participate in end of season tournaments and teams found to have players playing in a younger age division will be disqualified. 

Can my player play in an older division? We recommend players play in their assigned division. Players moving up divisions will be playing with and against older and often more experienced and skilled players which can be a detriment to their development and the player having fun. If parents and coaches feel a player's skill level and development would benefit from "playing up" a player can play in an older division with permission from the Regional Commissioner. We ask that a parent of players playing up in U6 through U10 divisions volunteer as a coach for their team.

Can my player play with friends? Yes, during registration there is a field to enter Friend Requests. Although we try to honor these requests, we can only guarantee one mutual buddy request. We may not be able to honor multiple buddy requests if we cannot maintain Balanced Teams, one of our Core Philosophies. We believe that the best development tool for our players is playing in as many competitive games as possible. Also note that players with different birth years may be in different divisions (see above questions regarding playing in a different division). You can update your registration by going to My Accounts and clicking the pen icon next to your player's name.

What is the Schoolyard Program? Schoolyard is a jamboree program designed for our youngest players to learn basic soccer skills as well as develop their fine motor skills in a fun low-pressure environment. Schoolyard players meet as a group (jamboree) on Saturdays and practice and learn soccer skills with our coaches in a fun setting with parent participation highly encouraged. Unlike our traditional programs there are no fixed teams and players develop towards playing in low-pressure small-sided 3v3 matches towards the end of the season. Players may decide to transfer up to our traditional 6U program instead of joining Schoolyard if parents or coaches feel the player is physically and developmentally ready.

How do I know if games or practices are cancelled? We primarily use fields permitted by the City of Sunnyvale. The City of Sunnyvale may choose to close fields in case of heavy rains. Current field status is published on the Sunnyvale Turf and Field Hotline at 1-408-730-7585. Games will be played if fields are opened and it is raining unless conditions are dangerous (high winds, lightning, standing water). Team coaches and referees may choose to call off or stop a match at game time if they deem the conditions unsuitable for play.

We may also cancel practices or games in the event of extremely high temperatures (95F at the time of practice/game) or if air quality (over 100 AQI).

If games are cancelled the Region will notify coaches who will then notify their teams.

What if games or practices are cancelled? Our region does not schedule make-up practices or games because of weather-related field closures.

What is Spring Select? During the Spring we run a competitive program called Spring Select for some divisions (primarily 10U). Spring Select teams have tryouts in the fall with the season starting in mid-February. To qualify for a Select team, a player must have played on a core program team during the Fall season.

What is AYSO United Silicon Valley? AYSO United Silicon Valley is a competitive club program hosted in Sunnyvale in partnership with AYSO Region 44. The AYSO United Program sits at the top of the player development pyramid. For more information about AYSO United Silicon Valley and try-out information visit: https://www.aysounitedsiliconvalley.org

For additional questions and information email [email protected]