Welcome to AYSO Region 1603!

kids can volunteer too!

AYSO Region 1603 has an outstanding group of youth volunteers who help out as EPIC Buddies and Youth Referees for Saturday Core league games.

Volunteering is a great way for kids to give back to their community, develop leadership skills, and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the game. We are always looking to grow the number of youth volunteers in our region and we welcome new volunteers to sign up.

A volunteer application must be submitted by a parent or guardian annually, and position-specific training must be completed by the youth volunteer before they may become active in their chosen volunteer role. No background check is submitted for youth volunteers under the age of 18. Youth volunteers must be at least 12 years old. Volunteers eighteen and older must complete an adult volunteer registration.

When the youth volunteer application is complete, the AYSO training courses can be accessed on the AYSOU learning resources website, by logging in with the youth volunteer's unique username and password. Completed courses will then be assigned to the youth referee's volunteer certifications in their volunteer account.

youth referee program

The Youth Referee Program in Region 1603 was launched to answer the growing demand for referees and to provide a leadership opportunity for young people in our community.

Girls and boys ages 12-17 take the required referee training courses which certify them to officiate as assistant or center referees. These youth referees meet the same certification requirements as adults.

Prospective youth referees are welcome to attend any Basic Referee class; there are also usually youth-only referee training classes near the start of the fall and spring seasons so that new youth referees can be trained with their peers.

A mentor accompanies youth referees to their initial games. AYSO guidelines establish that a youth referee should typically be at least two years older than the Division he or she is officiating as the center referee. (For example, a twelve-year-old youth referee may be the center referee for a U10 game.)

The program has multiple benefits:

Inspires younger players, giving them role models to look up to
Young people participating in the Youth Referee program get a chance to do community service and a unique opportunity for intellectual and emotional growth.
Helps relieve the shortage of U10 referees
Gives our youth a chance to “graduate” to acting as (paid) assistant referees

RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL INVOLVED ADULTS

Although we expect the best behavior from everyone toward all referees, it is simply forbidden to criticize a youth referee. There is NO TOLERANCE FOR NEGATIVE COMMENTS TO OR ABOUT YOUTH REFEREES (or any other game officials, for that matter) at any time before, during, or after games.

Anyone who does so will be asked to leave the game vicinity by the center referee, and the Regional Board may also choose to enact further sanctions.

These youth referees are well trained, and many are also experienced players; however they are still youngsters without the life experience to handle negative remarks. Please give each your full support and help model good behavior for others to follow.

Youth EPIC Buddies

AYSO EPIC Program provides a quality soccer experience for children whose physical or mental disabilities make it difficult to successfully participate without assistance.

EPIC Players may include:

» Players that are Blind or visually impaired
» Players with conditions that impair their mobility
» Player’s with mental or emotional challenges
» Players with Autism
» Players with Downs Syndrome
» Players with Cerebral Palsy

Our EPIC Buddies assist our EPIC Players in order for them to
» have fun playing soccer
» understand the fundamentals of the game
» learn teamwork and fair play
» increase positive self-esteem
» become more physically fit
» meet and be comfortable with new people

Buddies increase their appreciation and understanding of individuals with various challenges. They find their lives greatly enriched by their involvement with their new friends in the EPIC program. Buddies allow EPIC's parents to relax and enjoy watching their children having fun like other kids, perhaps for the first time.

3 Steps to become a youth voulnteer

Step 1: Create an AYSO account for your Youth Volunteer (if they don't have one)

If you are logged in to a parent account, you will need to log out.
Click "Register Now" button beside the "Log In" button
Have your youth with you as you create the account and complete the application as there will be Agreements and Conditions that they will need to be aware of and agree to.

Step 2: Submit an application

All youth volunteers must submit an application annually.
From the AYSO1603 homepage, click "How Do I Volunteer?" under Volunteer Info
Scroll to the bottom where you will find a list of Available Volunteer Positions
Find the program that has the desired role and click the appropriate "+ Sign Up" button
If your youth has not logged on, they will be required to at this point.
Click the "Select" button for the desired role (youth volunteer/referee/buddy) in any age division. Unlike other volunteer positions, youth volunteers are not required to select multiple divisions.
Click "Sign up [name]"
Scroll to the bottom and click "Continue". This will take you to the application. Make sure to click "Continue" or "Save" as you progress through the application.

Step 3: Training & Certification

To ensure the safety of our players and the integrity of our programs, all volunteers must complete the training courses and certifications specific to their chosen role.
AYSO provides free training for all volunteer roles. No experience is necessary!
AYSO has developed specialized training that helps volunteers who may have little or no soccer experience quickly gain the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need to be effective referees. It only takes a few hours to become qualified as an introductory-level referee.
AYSO training doesn't stop, as long as you're having fun! Referees have clinics, workshops and other advanced training courses available to advance their skills.