AYSO Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is AYSO?
2. How do I enroll my child in AYSO?
3. What is the AYSO Membership Fee?
4. How do I print my player or volunteer registration forms?
5. Can a parent update the player information?
6. What are Team Pages?
7. What does Birth Year Registration mean?
8. Will existing teams be able to stay together?
9. What is “playing up” and are players able to “play down”?
10. What other changes are coming this year in AYSO?
11. Will there be a mobile app? If so, what is it called?
12. What time (or where) are the games and practices each week?
13. How do I order an additional or replacement uniform?
14. How do I move my child to a different team?
15. What if all games are cancelled due to snow or rain?
16. Why doesn't somebody do something about ... ?
17. What is your refund policy?

 What is AYSO? 

AYSO stands for American Youth Soccer Organization. There are nearly 630,000 players in AYSO and more than 250,000 volunteer coaches, referees and administrators. See the National website for the History of AYSO.

 How do I enroll my child in AYSO?

1. Create an account on this website by clicking the Register Now button above (top right corner of this page).
2. Enter your child's information as a Participant (included during the Register Now process).
3. Select one or more jobs to volunteer with our Region (included during the Register Now process).
4. Pay the registration fees online (included during the Register Now process).
5.To pay by check or cash, contact the AYSO Registrar at [email protected].

What is the AYSO Membership Fee?

The AYSO Membership Fee (formerly known as the National Player Fee) is non-refundable member fee to participate in AYSO. Membership in AYSO is required for each Membership Year (8/1 - 7/31) before a member may participate in any AYSO program or event. This fee entitles the member to all benefits for that membership year, including:

 -Membership Player ID Card
-Annual subscription to the PLAYSOCCER Magazine
-Newsletters
-Soccer Accident Insurance
-Special offers and discounts
-Access to the AYSO Player website channel

 The AYSO Membership Fee will be added to the shopping cart when a parent applies for their child to play in a program. The AYSO Membership fee will only be charged once per Membership Year regardless of the number of programs or Regions the player participates in.

How do I print my player or volunteer registration forms?

If you’ve registered already, you can print the form under “My Account.” You will see a “View/Print Form” link and you can print from there.

 Can a parent update the player information?

Some player information cannot be edited after a player is created. This is to ensure player information matches the player’s AYSO ID. If information needs to be edited because it has been entered incorrectly, the admin can email [email protected] with the information that needs to be changed.

 What are Team Pages?

A Team Page will be automatically generated for each team that will be the team's home page online. It includes calendaring, communication, pictures and video. Coaches and volunteers associated with this team have full control to upload pictures, assign tasks, create team events and message team members on these pages. Parents can also access these pages to start discussions and upload photos of their own. Team Pages will be automatically published when the Team is created. Everyone on the Team will be notified when your Team’s Page is live.

What does Birth Year Registration mean?

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) which is the governing body for soccer in the US has mandated that teams now be formed based on birth year, rather than academic year. AYSO has implemented this change.

 Will existing teams be able to stay together?

No. Teams will be formed based on Birth Year Rules and around local school locations. We will be forming all core teams based on these rules. Our focus is on Player Development. While two years difference in age between adults is insignificant, those same two years is incredibly significant between a 6 and 8 year old child. We want our kids to love our sport and be able to play in a developmentally appropriate environment.

 What is “playing up” and are players able to “play down”?

Playing Up means playing with an older division than the players birth year. We do not allow players to play up younger than 9U. 10U and above we will allow players to play up 1 year older based on birth year. Requests to play up are evaluated on a case by case basis by our Regional Coach Administrator. Parents should understand their child's development and maturity as well as the risk of playing with older and more mature players before requesting to play up. Players are not permitted to play down on a team younger than their birth year age group. This rule has not changed with the birth year registration method.

 What other changes are coming this year in AYSO?

The good news is that AYSO has been a leader in the soccer world and the USSF mandates support our Philosophies of Everyone Plays, and Player Development. That means for us, there’s not a lot of change. Here’s some of the highlights:

-You’ll now see the age divisions named #U, like 6U instead of U6. The reason now is that we are building the divisions based on Birth Year at the age of the player at the end of the season. 5U – 8U:

-5U/6U: 4v4 play Instead of a throw in, players will use a kick-in, pass-in, or dribble-in and no referees.

-10U: 7v7 play A “build out line” will be marked at approximately at each third of the field. When the keeper has possession, or there is a goal kick, the opposing team must move beyond the build out line. The build out line will also be used as the offside line in place of the mid line

-10U: Keepers may not punt the ball. No heading the ball below 12U.

Will there be a mobile app? If so, what is it called?

There is not a mobile app yet. Please see our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aysoabq

What time (or where) are the games and practices each week? 
All games are played on Saturdays. Time will vary throughout the day. 
5U/6U - Plays at Santa Fe Village Park (Montano & Unser) 
7U/8U & 10U - Plays at Ventana Ranch Park (Universe & Paradise) 
12U - CNM West ( Universe & Irving) 
14U & 16U - Manzano Mesa Park (Eubank and Southern) 

The coach officially sets practices times and days. (5U/6U teams practice on the game field before the game). Most coaches will try to find a time that is agreeable to all the families on the team. Please remember it is the coach who is volunteering their time to plan and conduct every practice and game, so the practice days do need to ultimately fit their schedules.

What are the Spring 2024 season dates ? 
First games of the season March 9th, 2024
No Games Saturday March 30th, 2024 
Last games of the season Saturday May 4th, 2024

How do I order an additional or replacement uniform?

Please send an email to [email protected].

How do I move my child to a different team?

AYSO volunteers go to great effort to ensure balanced teams while, at the same time,  keeping coaches, teammates and practice fields as close together as possible. Still, there are sometimes extraordinary circumstances that warrant a move. For this reason, the AYSO board reviews move requests and approves those that meet board guidelines.

Examples of reasons to move that do not meet board guidelines:

-"Suzy wants to play with her best friend Sonya, who's on the Silver Strikers."
-"Bobby carpools to school with boys on the Mighty Amphibians, so he has to be on that team."
-"Carmen is really much too good a player for the Rainbows, she should be on the Raptors."
-"Franklin can't practice with the Lectric Lizards 'cause he has piano lessons on Thursday, he should be on the Vipers -- their practice is on Wednesday."

If you feel that you have extraordinary circumstances and need to move your child to another team, please contact the RC @ [email protected]. A move request must include relevant information the Committee isn't able to conduct research.

What if all the games are cancelled due to snow or rain?

If you wake up one Saturday, look out your window, and say "yikes, what a lousy day for soccer!" check our AYSO-Albuquerque-Westside
 or call the Region 1447 line at 926-1447.  If games are cancelled (or there is any other major change in schedule) there will be a recorded message.

Why doesn't somebody do something about ... ?

AYSO is a volunteer organization, so chances are that something you think should be done doesn't have someone available to do it. We have volunteers who work hard to ensure the safety of the players, the formation of teams, the distribution of uniforms and equipment, the scheduling of fields, games, referees, clinics, summer camps, etc. etc. etc.  Not to mention the wonderful folks who give up their time and energy to coach our wonderful children. The trainers and referees are volunteers, and all the staff who hold this  organization together are volunteers.  You could be a volunteer, too! Please see the contact list  of positions we have open to find an exciting opportunity best suited to your volunteering needs!

What is your refund policy?

There is a lot of planning that goes into creating a season or special event for the region. Although extenuating circumstances occur and plans change, these changes affect other families and the regional planning. Therefore, we have a NO Refund policy. 

For extenuating circumstances you can submit a refund request. The following items outline our regional policy:

• All refunds must be requested in writing along with supporting documentation.
• If the region is unable to form a sufficient number of teams in an age division due to lack of players or coaches, the region will provide a refund to those players without a team. .

To request a refund, please contact us at [email protected]