The first date AYSO is mentioned locally is July 1975 when we became a pilot region. Dan De Jong was our first recognized Commissioner and was helped by many volunteers. The 5 Cities Youth Soccer League as it was first known was comprised of 2 teams of 5th and 6th graders from Shell Beach, and 2 teams from Oceano, 59 boys and girls in all. Region 83 became chartered as a full region in July 1978.
Growth
In 1980 Region 83 was serving the 5 Cities and Nipomo and had 600 youth playing. Through 1985 the numbers remained around 600 to 650 and had a registration fee of $20 per child. Going into the 1988 season there were over 1,000 youth in our region.
In 1989-90 Nipomo created its own region (716), separating from the 5-Cities region which had grown to nearly 1,200 youth. In the mid to late 2000s, Region 83 served as many as 1,640 youth! We currently serve approximately 1,100 youth. The 2016 season will proudly mark 41 years serving the youth in our community!
Key people
Although a lot of people volunteer a tremendous amount of time to make each season happen the Regional Commissioner holds the major burden of planning and operating the league. A great deal of responsibility is on their shoulders.
| Region 83 Regional Commissioners |
| 1976-1977 | Dan DeJong |
| 1978-1979 | Dieter Heinz |
| 1980 | Tim Banducci |
| 1981 | George Stewart |
| 1982 | Tim Banducci |
| 1983 | Don Ramsay |
| 1984 | Dieter Heinz |
| 1985 | Will Power |
| 1986 | Chuck Hurst |
| 1987 | Tim Banducci |
| 1988 | Tim Banducci |
| 1989-1990 | Milena Denike |
| 1991-1992 | Chris Deviny |
| 1993-1994 | Lin Buhlman |
| 1995 | Lin Buhlman |
| 1996-1997 | Mat Van Steenwyk |
| 1998 | Tom Buhlman |
| 1999-2001 | Joe Steed |
| 2002 | Ken Claassen |
| 2003 | Ken Claassen |
| 2004-2007 | Tom Lebens |
| 2008-2016 | Tammy Slocum |
2017-2019
| Laura Nall
|
| 2020-2022 | Curt and Erin Eichperger |
| 2023- | Kelli Johnston |