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A Call To Action From Mike Wade

Every year at about this time I can't help but notice that our Regions, Areas and Sections are abuzz with excitement and hard at work getting ready for another new season! But it is not only a "new season" for your players and countless volunteers, but also a "NEW BEGINING" for each of you - our Executive Members! READ FULL STORY

Playsoccer Magazine Online NOW!!!

Women's World Cup is here and to celebrate this exciting event, AYSO created a Special Online Edition of Playsoccer Magazine. The Fall 2007 issues of Playsoccer and In Play are online for your viewing pleasure.

View Playsoccer NOW

View In Play NOW

Attention RC's & Regional Registrars

During the budget presentation at the NAGM in New Orleans, the executive members present learned of some new charges and price increases for certain NSTC services to be implemented in the new fiscal year. AYSO's fiscal year began on July 1, so we wanted to explain these charges and price increases again so everyone was aware.

Increased Rush Charge For Registration Kits: Registration kits will still be provided free of charge once each year to each region. These registration kits include pre-printed forms for all previous year players and volunteers, a supply of blank forms, SAI Insurance brochures, posters, etc. To take advantage of this offer, the registration kit must be ordered at least six (6) weeks in advance. Depending on the time of year and any backlog of orders, it may be possible to fill requests for registration kits with less than six (6) weeks notice. However, due to increased printing and handling costs, there will be a rush charge of $150.00 for any such Rush order.

Data Entry Charge For Handwritten Volunteer Applications: Completion of applications online using eAYSO or the use of pre-printed application forms have proven to sharply reduce data entry time for everyone. However, processing of handwritten forms remains labor intensive. Increased overhead expenses for data entry services at the NSTC necessitates that forty cents ($.40) be charged for each handwritten volunteer form submitted to the NSTC for data entry.

Electronic Batch Uploads of Player Data: With the new release of the eAYSO Offline Module, and detailed instructions available on the AYSO Web site (see "Getting Your Registration Data Into eAYSO" on the eAYSO Hints From The Help Desk page), it is easier than ever for regions using their own registration program or that of a third party vendor to get their player registration data into eAYSO. However, any digital files of registration data sent to the NSTC for the IT department to upload will incur a charge of ten cents ($.10) per registration.

The NSTC regrets that these charges and increases had to be made, but just know that your region still has the ability to control these costs or take advantage of no cost alternatives. Contact the Finance Department at the NSTC (800-872-2976) should there be any questions.

National Rules & Regulations Change Proposal #1 Goes Live

This proposal, submitted for consideration by all Executive Members during the 2007 NAGM, was intended merely to improve the readability of the National Rules & Regulations without making any substantive change in them. Several friendly amendments to the original proposal were accepted by the Executive Members during the NAGM. Subsequent to the NAGM, the National Board of Directors (NBOD) observed a handful of transcriber errors in the text. Those errors were reconciled on or before August 18, 2007. Because this proposal as finalized did not change the substance of any of the National Rules and Regulations, National Policy Statement 8.1 (a prior initiative of the National Board which provides for a delayed implementation when there is a substantive change) is not applicable to this particular proposal. Moreover, any delay in implementing the clean-up language would only perpetuate the confusion caused by the original, less clear language. So, the NBOD has directed that this change be immediately implemented.

Three additional changes to the National Rules and Regulations were approved by the voting members at the 2007 NAGM, but are subject to National Policy Statement 8.1 mentioned above, so they will not go into effect until August 1, 2008.

Click here to find the text of the now-current National Rules & Regulations, which includes the finalized proposal (clean-up language), as well as the text of the changes that will go into effect next year.

SUPPLY CENTER REMINDER

Dear Regional Commissioners,

To avoid unnecessary delays in the delivery of items purchased from the Supply Center, please make sure that regional board members placing orders with the Supply Center are designated in eAYSO as Authorized Purchasers. Orders placed by volunteers who are not designated in eAYSO as an authorized purchaser will be held until RC approval is received - no exceptions.

RC's can grant purchasing privileges to regional board members on eAYSO, by mailing an updated AYSO Information Form to the NSTC, or by calling the Volunteer Services Department at (800) USA-AYSO.

Thank you for your cooperation!

CVPAs and RCs: IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please delay giving a volunteer position to any individual who checks 'yes' to the disclosure statement on their volunteer application form. Immediately send any such application to the Safe Haven Department for a background check. Once the background check has been processed, the Safe Haven Department will notify you via e-mail as to the status of their volunteer application form.

Following the above procedure will assist regions in dealing with sensitive background check issues. By waiting to assign a volunteer position until the results of the background check are known, the region will avoid having to remove a person who does not clear or meet the background check criteria. The AYSO Background Check policy is in your CVPA Manuel and can also be located on the AYSO website. Hold mouse over: PROGRAMS, Click on: SAFE HAVEN, hold mouse over SAFE HAVEN (on side panel), and click on: BACKGROUND CHECK POLICY.

Should you have any questions regarding this or any Safe Haven matters, please contact Ellisa Hall-National Safe Haven Manager & Administrator at 800-872-2976 ext 5496 or ellisahall@ayso.org.

Assessment Program - 2007 Application Deadline Reminder!

The 2007 application will be available for download from the Web site www.soccer.org by August 1, 2007. Click on AYSO Programs, hold the cursor on Awards & Recognition, and click on the appropriate application when the drop down box appears. Paper copies will not be mailed this year.

Important dates to remember:

October 1, 2007 - Regional Assessment Program (RAP) application needs to be submitted to your area director.
November 1, 2007 - Area Assessment Program (AAP) application needs to be submitted to the section director along with all the regional assessment applications.
December 1, 2007 - section directors must submit all applications (region and area) to the NSTC.

National Referee Course - Hagerstown, MD

The Jefferson County Youth Soccer League and The Hagerstown Area Youth Soccer League will be hosting an AYSO National Referee Course.

Date: November 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 2007

Lead Instructor: Joe Eldridge, AYSO National Referee Administrator

Location:

To register for this course complete the registration form and send along with payment to Steve Kubik. The registration deadline for this course is October 12th, 2007. Registration is limited. Register early and guarantee a seat. Web site

For additional information please contact

Steve Kubik at (304)728-8110,

Warren Johnson at (301)824-4354

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and hotel reservations. A block of rooms have been reserved at the Clarion Hotel for $65.00 plus tax per night. The rooms are reserved under AYSO. You must state you are with AYSO to get the reduced price. Reservations must be made by October 12th, 2007 to get the reduced price. Registration Form

Celebrate 40 Years With Claremont AYSO

When: Friday, September 7, 2007
Time: 6:00-9:00pm
Where: CHS Football Stadium

Join us for fun, pictures, activities and food prepared by the Kiwanis Club of Claremont & desserts by the El Roble Cheerleaders. At the event, all current players will participate in a parade of teams. Attending will be players and volunteers, including AYSO's National Executive Director, Rick Davis, who grew up playing soccer in Claremont. Please invite all of your soccer friends to join us.

We are requesting those attending to bring used/about to be discarded soccer cleats that will be sent to needy children on the Hoopa Indian Reservation in No. Calif. Also, we are calling out to all Claremont AYSO volunteers past & present: We are looking for digital images of the early years of our program. Please send them to us.

click here for more info.

2008 Section Conference Information

January 11-13 Section 8 Conference

Grand Traverse Resort Acme, MI

January 24-27 5/14/99 Section Conference

Atlanta Marriott Marquis Atlanta, GA

February 7-10 6 Section Conference

Oak Brook Hills Marriott Oak Brook, IL

February 21-24 4 Section Conference

Overland Park Marriott Overland Park, KS

February 28 -March 2 3/13 Section Conference

Philadelphia Marriott Dwtn. Philadelphia, PA

March 6 -9 2/9/12 Section Conference

Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT

March 27-30 1/10/11 Section Conference

Town and Country Resort San Diego, CA

April 10-13 7 Section Conference

Waikiki Beach Marriott Honolulu, HI

May 23-26 NAGM

San Francisco Marriott San Francisco, CA

National Games 2008 Alert!

Attention Regional Commissioners!

The first round of invitations to the National Games 2008 were mailed by U.S. Mail prior to June 15, 2007. The acceptance forms were mailed directly to the RC of record who signed the Lottery Intent Form.

Acceptances are due, along with the $500 Team Fee, by September 15. On September 16, those slots not accepted will go to the next regions in line in the master Lottery Draw list.

Click to view list

National Games Site is Live

The National Games 2008 site is now up and running for your convenience. To find lottery results, priority invitation lists, rules, hotel & travel information visit www.nationalgames2008.org

Referees may also register online at the address above. You can also find a link on soccer.org

For a listing of the entire lottery draw, click here. For an explanation of how the draw was done, click here.

Tournament Handbook Now Online

The new and vastly improved AYSO National Tournament Handbook and related forms are now on line and downloadable. Please take a look and let us know what you think! And tournament directors, please start to use all of these forms - it makes your planning so much simpler!

Attention CVPAs and RCs

It has come to the attention of the National Safe Haven Department that some Child and Volunteer Protection Advocates may be renewing volunteers in eAYSO without having the required signed and dated volunteer application forms in their possession. This practice should be halted immediately.

The rationale for having two completed volunteer application forms for each individual is twofold. One reason is the supplemental Soccer Accident Insurance (SAI) which is provided only after the region has obtained the signed volunteer application forms. Another important justification for collecting the volunteer application forms is the legal authorization it provides the Safe Haven Department to run criminal history background checks.

AYSO thanks you for all your hard work in collecting the necessary volunteer application forms and for submitting one copy of each to the Safe Haven Department.

Should you have questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact Ellisa Hall-National Safe Haven Manager and Administrator at 800-872-2976 or ellisahall@ayso.org M-F 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.