AYSO Region 58

Thank you to the members of our community who volunteered and donated today to help support our food drive. The food collected today will go a long way towards helping ensure that families in our community do not go hungry over the holidays. We especially want to thank the players who helped out with their time and their contributions. AYSO is not just about soccer, it is about teaching character and giving back. The winning raffle numbers are 244, 247, and 265. To claim your prize, email David Schnider at [email protected] with a picture of your winning ticket.

Final reminder that our food drive is tomorrow from 11am to 3pm. Drop off at Temple Beth Hillel at 12326 Riverside Drive in Valley Village. We have three $50 Amazon gift cards to raffle off to anyone who donates at least 5 items. Thank you for supporting us and for helping our community.

Associated Press reported today that over 50 million Americans will be facing hunger this year. Demand at food banks has increased 60% since the start of the pandemic. Now is your chance to do something about it! Our region is hosting a drive to collect food for the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry. All you need to do to help is go to the market and buy normal size containers of peanut butter, soup, tuna, or other similar items and drop them off at Temple Beth Hillel (...12326 Riverside Drive, Valley Village, CA 91607) between 11am and 3pm this Sunday, December 13th. It will be a drive through collection so you don't even have to get out of your car. If every family in our region dropped off just one bag of groceries, we could feed 1,000 families. Please make sure all donations are in plastic or metal containers NO glass. It should be normal size servings, not Costco size. No expired food. Please donate to help prevent families and children in our community from going hungry this holiday season.

AYSO Region 58 region is hosting a food drive on December 13th. If every family in our region dropped off just one bag of groceries, we could feed 1,000 families. All you need to do is go to the market and buy normal size containers of peanut butter, soup, tuna, or other similar items and drop them off at Temple Beth Hillel at 12326 Riverside Drive in Valley Village between 11am and 3pm. It will be a drive through collection so you don't even have to get out of your car. Please make sure all donations are in plastic or metal containers NO glass. It should be normal size servings, not Costco size. No expired food. Please feel free to share this with everyone you know -- the more people who donate the better. We are counting on your help to feed those in need this holiday season.

Help us support our community by donating food to the Interfaith Food Pantry on December 13th. Our region is hosting a food drive for the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry to help feed those in need for the holidays. Please plan to drive through Temple Beth Hillel between 11am and 3pm and drop off new, individual sized containers of peanut butter, fruit, protein, cereal, or snacks. Please no glass, no large sizes, and no expired food. We are counting on your support.

We hope that you are staying healthy and safe during these unusual times. As you know, as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic we had to cancel our Fall 2020 season. For those still waiting on refunds, thank you for your patience and we hope to have them in the mail in the next couple of weeks. We miss being on the field and are saddened by the lost playing opportunities for our kids. But we recognize that the safety of our players and volunteers must come first and that this sa...crifice is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. We are hopeful that we might be able to provide a short course of non-contact skills training sessions this Fall conducted by our volunteer coaches. Our ability to do so is primarily dependent on the City issuing permits and on our ability to deliver a program that complies with applicable safety guidance and requirements. Whether the City allows such programs this Fall will depend on how COVID cases progress in the County. They were on the decline, but have spiked again since Labor Day. This is where you can help! Please remember to maintain social distance. Limit gatherings with people outside of your immediate family. When you do socialize, please make sure to wear masks, stay outside, and maintain at least 6 feet distance. As we have unfortunately learned this week, this virus can spread anywhere when we do not take these precautions. If we want to play this Fall or even in the Spring, we each need to do our part to reduce the rate of infection in our County. So please make sure that you and your family help get us back out on the field by following the CDC guidelines for preventing the virus from spreading, https://www.cdc.gov//2019-/prevent-getting-sick/index.html. If you are looking for ways to keep your kids engaged in soccer activities in the meantime, our friends at UK International Soccer have developed a Skill Development App that offers age-specific skills, drills and games, all delivered by their fantastic UK coaches. Right now UK Soccer is offering a 30-day free trial for AYSO families. To take advantage of this offer, visit their website at https://skills.app.uksoccer.com and click on the Free Trial button. Choose your child’s age group and sign up using the code UKISFREE. Thank you for your support and we will be sure to let you know when we have playing opportunities available for our kids.

We are sad and disappointed to have to inform you that the upcoming 2020 AYSO Fall Soccer Season has been cancelled. This decision was not made easily, but all Regions and Areas in Section 10 have made the same decision. Everyone was hoping and looking forward to getting the Fall Season going, but the changes in the Covid-19 Emergency in L.A. County and the state as a whole have changed that outlook. The rise in Covid-19 cases statewide, the state toggling back opening differ...ent sectors, CIF moving all high school sports to next year and schools unable to open for in-person learning have made having a Fall Soccer Season impossible as of today. Although we will not be able to have a traditional formal fall season, your Section 10, Area 10V and Region 58 board members have all expressed their dedication to try and get any sort of activity/events in place for our soccer players once state and local leaders allow. These possible activities or events could be skills training clinics, jamboree style pickup games, or even the possibility of a more formal spring season. As of now, all options are on the table, but we cannot make decisions until the situation in the state, county, and city change. Once we have more information and are able to have events, we will inform you immediately. Once we are able to resume play in any form, we will need to abide by the guidelines set by the state and county health departments. AYSO has put together a microsite that has information for our parents and volunteers, including the Return to Play Guidelines. The website is a live document, meaning changes will be made as the situation continues to evolve. Local county and city laws and/or guidelines will be monitored by your Section, Area and Region, and we will keep all of our AYSO families informed. You may access the AYSO microsite here at https://www.aysovolunteers.org/returning-to-play/. If you paid to register for the Fall 2020 season, we will be issuing refunds for the full amount of fees paid. We are working on our process now and will be in touch shortly. Please understand that our volunteers will need to manually process over 150 refunds by hand and it will take some time. Please keep yourself and your families safe and healthy. We miss our AYSO families and players terribly, but look forward to seeing you in the near future when we are able to get back on the field. Thank you and take care.

We are still hoping to be able to have a Fall soccer season, but with some changes. Our new planned start date is September 12th (the Saturday after Labor Day). We are awaiting guidance from the City and AYSO National, but expect to have restrictions including limiting the number of spectators, requiring masks, having contactless high five lines, and encouraging social distancing on the sidelines, among other steps. We are waitlisting all players and will not charge anything unless we are able to play. Please sign up on our wait list now to reserve your spot. We will continue to honor early bird pricing at least through the end of June and possibly beyond. Instructions to sign up are on our website at https://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=854751.

Soccer is a sport that transcends boundaries. No matter where you come from or what you look like, soccer creates experiences we can all share. It provides an opportunity to bring people of all backgrounds together, not only to play but to learn from each other. This week, protesters marched on the streets of our city carrying signs saying Black Lives Matter and bringing attention to the impact of institutional racism and bias in our country. Those protesters included volunte...ers and players from our own region. In support of that movement, we want to reiterate our view that racism and hate have no place on or off the pitch. Our region is committed to creating a positive environment for all of the families in our park. One of the core values of our organization is Everyone Plays. That means that every kid regardless of their background, skin color, or economic status gets the opportunity to play. In support of that value, AYSO National has launched an #EveryonePlaysChallenge where you can share what that means to you on social media and we welcome you to participate. We are hopeful we will be back on the field in August and that we will be able to continue to ensure that every child feels welcome on or fields.

We remain optimistic that we will be able to play soccer this Fall and we are moving forward with planning the season. Sign up now before divisions fill up. You will not be charged anything at this time. Instead, your child will be placed on the waitlist in the order they sign up. Once we confirm we can play, we will approve players off the waitlist to register and you will have the option to pay at that time. We will continue to honor early bird pricing for anyone who signs ...up before the end of June. Instructions to sign up are on our website at https://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=854751. If we are able to return to play in the Fall, our priority is the safety of our players, volunteers, and their families. AYSO has published guidelines at https://www.aysovolunteers.org/returning-to-play/. Prior to taking the field, we will adopt our own plan, taking into account AYSO’s guidance and city, county, and state restrictions. We anticipate limiting the number of spectators, requiring masks, having contactless high five lines, and encouraging social distancing on the sidelines, among other steps. Starting this week, our friends at UK Soccer are now also offering online Virtual Summer Soccer Camps for kids ages 4 through 16. The camps will be running weekly beginning on Monday. Every camp will have a live UK Soccer Coach. All you need to participate is a 5x5 feet area, household objects that can be used for cones/markers, a laptop, tablet or even a cell phone, and of course, Wi-Fi connection. Each week costs $45. To learn more about these camps, and to register (as spaces are limited), please visit https://virtual.uksoccer.com.

Our volunteer board met this week to plan for the Fall season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our first priority is the safety of our players, volunteers, and their families. Though we very much want to get our kids back on the field, we will abide by city, county, and state restrictions and will only return to play if we believe we can put in place appropriate restrictions to reasonably protect our community from further spread of the virus. For the time being, the region...’s board made the decision to switch over all Fall registrations to the waitlist. You can go to our website at ayso58.org now to sign up. You will not be charged anything at this time. Instead, your child will be placed on the waitlist in the order they sign up. As we get further into the summer, if it appears that we will be able to run our Fall program, we will approve players off the waitlist to register and you will have the option to pay at that time. We encourage you to sign up now to reserve your spot. We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to run our Fall program, but we wanted our families to be able to sign up knowing that they are not taking any risk. If you have already signed up and paid, we will provide refunds if we are required to cancel the season. If we are able to begin our Fall season on August 22nd as planned, we will be putting in place precautions to protect the safety of all participants. Our specific action plan will depend on the circumstances at the time. We anticipate limiting the number of spectators, requiring spectators to wear masks, having contactless high five lines, and encouraging social distancing on the sidelines. We may also impose restrictions on play to limit contact or otherwise reduce the risk of contamination. We will also follow any guidelines that AYSO National provides regarding safe play in the Fall season. We are very hopeful that circumstances will allow us to proceed with appropriate restrictions in the Fall. Please sign up now at https://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=854751 to reserve your spot. As always, we hope that you are staying safe and healthy. If you need assistance of any kind, please contact our Regional Commissioner, David Schnider, at [email protected], and we will do what we can to help.

A couple of days ago a memory came up on my Facebook page. It was a picture of my son, hair dyed red, running on the field in his spring tournament team uniform. It was bittersweet for me, remembering what a fantastic experience he had last Spring and realizing that his tournament season this year is now over. Compared to what many in our city are enduring right now, missing soccer is a small sacrifice. But we are acutely aware that families look to our program as an opportu...nity for their kids to get outdoor activity and develop friendships and that many are missing that right now. We want to get our kids back on the field as soon as safely possible. But we must do so in a way that is responsible and complies with government orders. UK Soccer, our partner who runs the Spring League, will be making an announcement in the coming weeks regarding that program. In the interim, they have extended an offer for people currently signed up to roll their registration to the 2021 Spring League. This guarantees players a spot and locks in the 2020 rate. We encourage families to take advantage of this offer to help UK Soccer maintain the quality programs they provide for our children. You can emailing them at [email protected] to take advantage of this offer and roll over your existing registration. Our Fall registration remains open and we are still hopeful that we will be able to begin the season on August 22nd. The board has voted to extend early bird registration through the end of May. The board will be meeting next week to further discuss planning for the Fall season, including our fees and refund policy. We understand that the situation is evolving and that any of those plans are subject to change based on the public health situation. As always, we appreciate our community and hope that families and teams are staying in contact through Facebook, Zoom, TopTekkers, or other forms of communication. If you are in need of assistance or are looking for soccer resources during his shelter period, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and we will do what we can to help. Thank you for being part of our program and we hope to see you on the fields. David Schnider Regional Commissioner AYSO Region 58 [email protected]

With most tournaments cancelled and Spring programs on hold, we know that this is a disappointing time for many of our kids who would like to be out on the fields playing soccer. We are all making sacrifices to benefit those highest at risk in our community. As volunteers, we look for opportunities to give back and to set an example. If you are feeling like you would like to do something, two of our volunteers have come up with a way you may be able to help. Lori Weinstock Sc...hlaifer, a board member and coach, and Cindy Renie, who produces our yearbook, are working on a project to create masks for the medical community. So far the group they are working with has produced over 850 masks, but they have requests for 1,200. If you or a family member can sew, they need your help. Please contact Lori at [email protected] or 310-748-4661 or Cindy at [email protected] or 818-421-4848 if you would like to lend a hand. You can also find them FB at Help Make Masks or find out more at the website helpmakemasks.org See more

Both the City of Los Angeles and the State of California today issued Safer at Home orders. They have asked all non-essential businesses to cease operations and they are asking us all to isolate at home to try to limit the spread of the Corona virus. Yesterday, AYSO’s National Board issued a directive suspending all programs until further notice. They have asked that we not cancel programs unless necessary. In light of these developments, Region 58 is taking additional ste...ps. First, all games and practices of any kind remain suspended pending further notice. AYSO National expects this suspension to last nation-wide at least until Easter. Our Region anticipates that in the Los Angeles area it will go beyond that date. Second, our one-week Spring Camp that was scheduled to begin on April 6th is cancelled. Third, our Spring League currently remains on calendar to begin on April 13th. However, we anticipate that we will not be able to start on that date. We are hopeful that we will still be able to hold the program beginning later in the Spring, even if with some restrictions. We are deeply saddened that our All Star and Tournament teams are unable to play and that we may be limited in our Spring League. We know what these programs mean to the players and how important it is for them to have this time to develop their skills and form lasting bonds with their friends. Despite that, we must put public health and safety first. We are all making sacrifices to mitigate this crisis and the actions we take now will help save lives, maybe even the lives of people close to us. As difficult as this time is, we are here for each other. Coaches, please reach out to your teams. Even though you can’t practice, you can check in on your players and suggest technical drills they can do at home to keep their skills up. For those players who have video game consoles, playing FIFA is a great way to help improve tactical awareness when kids are stuck inside. Even small steps to maintain contact between players and volunteers can help lift people’s spirits. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as appropriate. Thank you for being part of our region and for your continuing support.

We have all been reading the news about COVID-19 and the need to limit the spread of the virus. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our kids and our community and we must take appropriate action to protect both. After careful consultation with the Region’s Board, we have made the decision that we will take two immediate steps: First, we are going to delay the beginning of our Spring League from March 30th to April 13th. If possible, we will add a week to the end o...f the program to compensate. Second, effective immediately, all games and practices for our tournament teams are cancelled through the end of the month. In two weeks we will re-evaluate the situation to determine whether it is safe enough to resume play or whether we will need to extend these restrictions. Even when we do return to play, please take precautions to avoid spreading the virus, including washing hands, using hand sanitizer, and, most importantly, isolating yourself or your children if you or they are sick. This was not an easy decision to make, but we think it is the right one. The feedback we have from health professionals is that we need to take steps to isolate the virus to prevent it from spreading. The State of California has recently imposed restrictions on gatherings of over 250 people. Most professional sports leagues have suspended their seasons. Many private schools have closed. LAUSD has significantly restricted activities and, though they have not yet cancelled youth sports activities, we anticipate that they will do so. Disneyland and Universal are closing, as are all of the local theaters. AYSO has cancelled all tournaments this month and the Expo scheduled for next weekend. While AYSO National has not yet taken the step of suspending all play, we want to be proactive and do what we think is right to protect our community. You are likely being bombarded with emails with information about how to deal with COVID-19. If you do want more information you can find it on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. We appreciate your support and hope that we will be back on the fields soon.

Registration is now open for our Fall 2020 soccer season. This Fall our competitive divisions (10U, 12U, 14U and 16U) will begin on August 22, 2020 and instructional divisions (5U, 6U, 7U, and 8U) will begin on September 12, 2020. We are starting the competitive divisions earlier than usual so that we can ensure your children get a full 10-week regular season. All divisions except 16U will end on November 21, 2020 (although some competitive division teams may move on to Area ...and Section play post-season). 16U teams will finish in October before the start of the high school season. We are offering an early bird rate of $145 until April 30th. After that, the fee will increase to $175. There will be no extension on early bird fees, even for technical issues, so don’t wait, go to our website at https://www.ayso58.org/ and register now! For more information, please visit the Registration page on our website at https://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=854751. Please sign your kids up and tell a friend! We strive to give every child who wants to participate in our program the opportunity to do so, regardless of the family's financial situation. To that end, we will provide financial assistance to families in need. To find out more information about our scholarship program, or to request a scholarship, please email the Registrar at [email protected] with the subject of the email "Scholarship Info." We look forward to seeing you on the fields this Fall.

Congratulations to our 10UG team who just won the Section All Star Championship and are now on their way to Western States! We are very proud of the girls. And this tournament was special because they had an all youth ref crew for their semi-final! We love to see our kids giving back to the community and look forward to having kids 12 and older join our local youth ref corps in the Fall. We are proud of all of the coaches, players, and parents who participated in the Section League and All Star playoffs the past two weekends. It’s all about creating great soccer experiences for the kids. For those continuing into tournaments this season we wish you luck. For anyone not on a tournament team remember that spots are still open for our Spring League: https://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=952370.

We hope that you had a good new year and are ready for the impending arrival of Spring. And with the Spring comes new opportunities for your kids to play soccer. So here are 3 things to know during the AYSO off season. Spring League: Our Spring Soccer Development League is back for 2020 and is going to be bigger and better than ever. Starting the 30th March and running through until the 6th June, the fantastic coaches from UK International Soccer will provide training session...s and scrimmages that will be not only fun, but will develop every players individual skills and abilities. The Spring League is open to all players from 5U to 12U. To register, please visit www.uksoccer.com/la. And for any further information, please email [email protected] or call 855-857-6223. Spring Camps: In addition to the Spring League, UK Soccer is also running a week long camp for us over Spring break, from April 6th - 10th. The camp is open to all children aged 4-16 years, with half day and full day options available. To register, please visit www.uksoccer.com/la. And for any further information, please email [email protected] or call 855-857-6223. Section Playoffs: We also want to congratulate our 10U, 12U, and 14U teams from both the league and all star programs that are moving on to the Section playoffs in Bakersfield in February. AYSO is a nation-wide program. We have six sister regions in our Area. Over the past couple of weekends 7 of our teams advanced from Area playoffs and will be moving on to compete against the winners from the 60 regions in our Section. We are very proud of the good sportsmanship they showed and wish them luck as they move on. We look forward to seeing you in the Spring and please look out for Fall registration, which will begin in March.