What is AYSO?

The American Youth Soccer Organization is the largest national youth soccer league.  AYSO is divided up into Sections, Areas, and Regions across the country.  Tucson and Southern AZ is Area 12A.  Area 12A is divided into multiple Regions.  East Tucson is Region 153.  AYSO is a volunteer-run organization. Coaches, referees and administrators are ALL volunteers. Every single last person you see helping is a volunteer from the top to the bottom.  Nationwide, over 220,000 parents, neighbors, relatives and friends lend their time and talents so that each child gets a terrific AYSO experience.  AYSO's volunteer foundation ensures that it's all about what's good for kids. It also makes AYSO very affordable. AYSO operates in a business manner, but volunteers ensure its "profits" are happy, healthy kids playing a sport they can enjoy for life.  AYSO has developed special training that helps parents who may have little or no soccer experience quickly gain the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need to be effective coaches and referees. It also has unique administrative and management training. This ensures that each community program:  

• Abides by the AYSO philosophies: Everyone Plays®, Balanced Teams, Positive Coaching, Good Sportsmanship, Open Registration and Player Development.
• Offers a great AYSO experience
• Continues to grow, offering the AYSO opportunity to more children

It only takes a few hours to become qualified as an introductory-level coach or referee. If you're not able to commit even that much time, there are many small jobs you can help with. You can reach out to the region board and we can help find a spot for your skill set. Even a couple of hours each season are an important contribution to your team and Region!  AYSO training doesn't stop as long as you're having fun. Referees, coaches and administrators have clinics, workshops and other advanced training available to advance their skills. 

AYSO is child-first and child focused. We are a soccer organization with happy, healthy kids as our passion. 

Every decision, every rule and every program has "what's good for kids" as its basis. Every girl and boy stepping on a soccer field for the first time can have fun. AYSO's child-first approach also makes it one of the finest player development programs. Everybody likes to win, but developing successful players and people is what's fundamental in AYSO.

You can set a soccer ball down on any corner in the world and have friends. It is a global sport that Americans have embraced in record numbers... because it's fun even with a beginner's skill. It's also a game you can play and enjoy for the rest of your life

With children's natural joy in running and kicking, soccer builds on these two skills and adds in techniques to control the ball and work as a team. It also encourages creative decision making and strategic thinking. And it's a fast game that keeps each player moving the entire time. In AYSO there's no spending the game on the bench!

AYSO has age appropriate small-sided games. A full size soccer team has 11 players on the field. But smaller-sided teams for younger children allow more touches on the ball and a more successful soccer learning environment.

AYSO small-sided games emulate classic "street soccer" where children of many skill levels choose up teams and play together for a fun neighborhood game. This is a similar environment to where many of the greatest soccer players in the world developed their skills. Small-sided games continue as excellent development