I personally wanted to contact all of you to thank you for volunteering to coach for the 2008 Season! The time you have taken out of your schedule and to invest in your child and the children of the Ojai Valley is priceless! We kicked off last weekend successfully with a lot of excitement and minimal challenges. However, their is always room for improvement and with that said I would like to in list the help of you all as we go further into the season. I have said in prior eNewsletters and in person to those of you I have met, that our Region is only as strong as our volunteer base and I feel strong about that statement. I need the assistance of all our coaches to please make sure all your teams and parents are following our field guidelines.
Teams that play the first game on Saturdays:
Teams are required to set up the goals and corner flags prior to the start of the first games. If your game does not start on time because your fields are not set up in time, the Referees are instructed to reduce the time of your game and you will play a shorter game so that it does not push back games that follow.
Teams that play the last game on Saturdays:
Teams that play the last games of the day are required to tear down the fields, including goals, corner flags, and surveying the field to make sure that all trash is put in their proper bins. Once the field has been torn down, please put all trash cans and goals at the goal lines or end lines so that they can be picked up and put away.
Trash/Bathrooms:
Please make sure that all parents and children use the trash bins located at each field to minimize additional volunteer surveying of the fields, prevent possible injuries and to insure that Nordhoff renews our use of the fields for the 2009 and future seasons. Also, please make sure that all children are supervised when using the bathrooms and that they are used as if you were using your home bathrooms, kept clean and sanitary. Please report abuse of the bathrooms or our bathroom privileges may be revoked by Nordhoff.
Pets:
Pets are not permitted on the field at all, regardless of size or if perceived as a non risk. NO PETS PERIOD on or during game play!
Your assistance with these guidelines will insure that our 2008 Season is a safe and successful one! Thank you again for volunteering to coach and implementing these items into your every Saturday!
AYSO's "No Dogs Allowed" Policy
Many folks love their pets--and rightly so; animals can add so much to our lives. However, there are certain places animals can not be allowed to roam, and a youth soccer field is definitely one of those places. To begin with, our field use permits generally do not allow animals--namely dogs--at our practice and/or playing fields. More importantly, animals pose a safety hazard. Not just because of the possibility of a bite, but also due to the ever-present danger of animals relieving themselves on the field where children play; imagine a child falling in the wrong place, and you can understand our reasons for not even allowing leashed dogs around the fields!
Some referees may be wondering how to handle dogs on the field. To avoid problems, we'd like all referees to use the following steps in dealing with on-field animals:
- Referees who see a dog should ascertain which 'side' the dog belongs to. That is, the dog most likely belongs to the parent or sibling of one of the players on the team.
- At the next natural stop in play (ball out-of-bounds, a scored goal an injury, etc.), the referee should approach the coach of that team, pull him/her aside, and gently explain the 'no dog' policy, and ask the coach to ask the parent to remove the animal; the referee should not speak directly with the spectator.
- After a reasonable amount of time--say, two minutes--the referee should look to see if the dog is indeed gone. If so, let the match continue. But if not...
- At the next natural stop in play, the referee should approach the coach again, pull him or her aside again, and state that the dog must be removed or the match will be terminated.
- After another two minutes of play, the referee should check to see if the dog is gone. If so, let the match continue, but if not...
- The referee is to immediately blow the whistle three times and calmly declare the match over. The only thing the referee should state--and then only if asked--is that the game was terminated because of dangerous playing conditions (a very true statement). The referee should NOT engage in an argument with either coach at this point, and should NOT engage the spectators directly. The referee should be professional and courteous while he/she gathers the game cards, obtains signatures from the assistant referees, and makes detailed notes on the card of exactly what happened before turning those cards over to the officials.
NOTE 1:
A terminated match cannot be restarted. That is, once a match has been officially terminated, even if the animal is removed at that point, the game is over for good, and no amount of begging or pleading or cajoling or out-and-ou bribery should allow it to be restarted.
NOTE 2:
Sometimes a spectator will remove a dog for, say, 15 minutes, then return to a different part of the sideline hoping the referee will forget about the first incident, or will simply not see the animal. Referees don't need to worry about rememberering if the dog they're seeing is the same one they saw originally; a dog is a dog is a dog where Ojai Valley AYSO Region 147 is concerned, so even if steps #2 and #4 are dealing with separate dogs, the procedure should still be followed.
As a parent, you play a special role in contributing to the needs and development of youngsters. Through your encouragment and good example, you can help assure that all the boys and girls learn good sportsmanship and self-discipline. In AYSO, young people learn to work together, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to enjoy winning and deal appropriately with defeat - all while becoming physically fit and healthy. Best of all, they have fun.
- SUPPORT YOUR CHILD - Supporting your child by giving encouragement and showing interest in their team is very important. Help your child work toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship in every game. Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important than victory - that way your child will always be a winner despite the outcome of the game!
- ALWAYS BE POSITIVE - Parents serve as role models for their children. Become aware of this and work to be a positive role model. Applaud good plays by your child's team as well as good plays by the opposing team. Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from youth sports activities.
- REMEMBER: YOUR CHILD WANTS TO HAVE FUN - Remember that your child is the one playing soccer, not you. It's very important to let children establish their own goals - to play the game for themselves. Take care not to impose your own standards and goals on them. Don't put too heavy a burden on your child to win games. Surveys reveal that 72% of children would rather play for a losing team than ride the bench for a winning team. Children play for the fun of playing.
- REINFORCE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR - Positive reinforcement is the best way to help your child achieve their goals and their natural fear of failure. Nobody likes to make mistakes. If your child does make one, remember it's all part of learning, so encourage your child's efforts and point out the good things your child accomplished.
- DON'T BE A SIDELINE COACH OR REFEREE - Coaches and referees are usually parents just like you. They volunteer their time to help make your child's youth soccer experience a positive one. They need your support too. That means refraining from coaching or refereeing from the sidelines. As a volunteer organization, there's usually always an opportunity for you to take your interest in coaching or refereeing to the next level and become one yourself!
- Be sure each child player is at every practice and game at the time and place setup by the coach. * Present a healthy, athletic environment for players by neither consuming alcoholic beverages nor using tobacco products during practices or games or in the immediate vicinity of the soccer fields.
- Be aware that no dogs or other pets of any size or type are allowed at any AYSO-sponsored practice or game.
- Know that CERTIFIED referees are always in critical demand; AYSO provides the training; you just need to show up. Most teams try for either 2 certified center referees per team, or 1 certified center referee and 2 certified assistant (sideline) referees per team.
- A CERTIFIED center referee must be present and officiating at every game. Ojai Valley AYSO Region 147's policy is to NOT allow any game to be played until and unless there is a CERTIFIED referee present and on the field. Games without a CERTIFIED referee will not be played, and will not count in the season standings!
- In order to compete in any post-season playoff games, a team will have had to accumulate a total of 26 referee points over the course of the season. Two referee points are earned whenever a CERTIFIED referee represents your team while officiating in the Center Referee position at a regular-season game; One referee point is earned whenever a CERTIFIED referee represents your team while officiating in either Assistant Referee position at a regular-season game.
- Ojai Valley AYSO Region 147 mantains an up-to-date list of referee point accumulations. This list is posted on a board which is available every Saturday at either Nordhoff High School or Sarzotti Park (depending on the age division). It is the responsibility of your team's referee(s) to be sure your team is credited with a point whenever they officiate a game.
- A CERTIFIED center referee must be present and officiating at every game. Ojai Valley AYSO Region 147's policy is to NOT allow any game to be played until and unless there is a CERTIFIED referee present and on the field. Games without a CERTIFIED referee will not be played, and will not count in the season standings!
- If you'd like to help out in the snack bar, please show up and volunteer!
- The referee sign-up table can be a hectic, crowded, disorganized place, expecially during the first few weeks of the season; those willing to learn how the table operates will be much in demand this season. Click here to find out more!