Dear Region 1441 Soccer Families,
As the kids head back to school, we hope this message finds you well!
In these uncertain times, we are all struggling to find some degree of normalcy and looking for a path out of the chaos. Our Region has been working to get the necessary information from AYSO National and L.A. County to plan a season and provide guidance to our families. We appreciate your patience and understanding during the last several months.
We are happy to share that there will be a season! And, it will be a season like no other. One epic, glorious and memorable experience that none of us will forget. However, it will require extra effort and dedication from each and every one of us.
The first step in making this season happen begins right now with this newsletter. With circumstances changing daily, it is vital that we are all on the same page. So, from now until the completion of this season, we will keep our families updated via a weekly newsletter. Communication is key! Please be sure to read the message each week in its entirety. With that said, why don’t we jump right in and start talking about what this season will look like.
As some of you may already know, AYSO in the Santa Clarita Valley is comprised of four Regions, collectively known as Area 10S. These Regions are individually known as Castaic, Saugus, Canyon Country and Valencia. Each operates independently of one another during the regular season. Our competitive divisions (10U and up) come together at the end of the season for a tournament style playoff.
This year, the four Regions will be combining forces from the beginning by creating an Area-wide playing circuit. We will combine our resources to provide the best experience for all the players in our valley.
For the last several weeks, our Regions have been working together to develop a plan. Our objective is to host a valley-wide program for all players born in the years 2007 through 2016. Teams will be comprised of a variety players and matches will be held at several sites throughout the valley. All our players will get a chance to experience AYSO soccer like the big kids, who get to play on different fields each week.
Speaking of the big kids… We have not forgotten about them. We are also researching how a circuit for players born 2002 through 2006 will be possible. Many of our older players are also high school athletes, which makes devising a plan more complicated. But, as soon as more information becomes available, we will share it here.
According to recent guidelines issued by Los Angeles County, all youth sports are suspended from having practices and games. You may be seeing teams at local parks and worry that your children are missing out. But, I assure that you that they are not. Teams that are practicing are doing so against the current County order. For legal and liability reasons, AYSO needs to remain compliant with all public health directives.
We have tentatively moved our start date for the season to the beginning of December when we hope to form teams and begin practices. Additionally, we hope to begin games in early January and intend on completing an 8 to 10-week season.
We know December is a long way off. But, we also know how anxious your children are to get back to playing soccer. To bridge the gap between now and our season start, we are organizing virtual training clinics for players, coaches and referees. These virtual clinics will start taking place in the next few weeks. Information about the clinics will be shared via our weekly email as soon as details are finalized. As the County restrictions begin to ease, we hope to transition these clinics to in-person training and ultimately lead to scrimmages or small sided games. All of these additional activities will be made available to our Region families free of charge! It is our objective to use this situation to our advantage and provide our players with more opportunities to train than they have ever had in a single season.
Please don’t forget!! If you have an interested player or if you would like to volunteer or coach, please visit our Castaic AYSO 1441 registration site and sign-up! (No money is due at this time.) https://ayso.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=807834
We thank you once again for your patience and understanding and will do our best to provide you with an amazing soccer experience. If you have any questions, please reply to this email. We will be happy to direct you to the person who can best provide you with an answer.
Best,
Josh Kenney
Regional Commissioner
Castaic AYSO 1441