Philosophy

Our core program is the foundation for all the fun, excitement and learning that happens on the fields. AYSO is best known for our core program – it’s where the large majority of kids fall in love with soccer and make memories that will last a lifetime. 

There are six core values – or what we call AYSO’s Six Philosophies – that are the foundation of our core program, and all others:

• Everyone Plays
• Balanced Teams
• Open Registration
• Positive Coaching
• Good Sportsmanship
• Player Development

These are the essence of AYSO, and it all starts with Everyone Plays. Here in AYSO, Everyone Plays means that no kid spends their soccer experience sitting on the bench. Every kid plays at least half of every game. Also, teams are put together in a way that makes playing soccer about the experience, not wins or losses. It’s not about blowing out another team with an unbelievable score; it’s about sportsmanship and learning to be the best possible team mate and opponent. Developing players is what we’re about, because soccer skills and life skills go hand in hand. AYSO’s main purpose is to get kids on the field, provide them with good coaches, and teach them to play soccer.

Season

We play a split-season for 14U and younger. We play a fall session in September and October, pause for the winter, and then play a spring session in April and May. Teams stay together over the winter and pick up where they left off in the fall when the spring season commences. Registration for the upcoming season happens the prior Spring in May and June.

19U girls play in the fall only; 19U boys play in the spring only.

Practices will start in the week before the first game.

For Fall 2022/Spring 2023, the season game dates are:

• Fall: September 11, 2022 to November 6, 2022
• Spring (tentative): April 2, 2023 to June 4, 2023
  

Program Components

Game on Sunday

Each team plays one game per week on Sunday afternoon. All players play at least half of each game, usually more; all players on a team play an equal amount.

12U and younger teams play their games in Evanston against other Evanston AYSO teams.

14U and 19U teams participate in the AYSO Area 6D Inter-Regional (IR) Program.  Participating teams in the program include those from the following AYSO 6D and 6A areas:  Skokie, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Deerfield, Highland Park, Rolling Meadows, Chicago Lakefront, Chicago Northside/Rogers Park, Winnetka-Glencoe, Wilmette, Lake Forest, Zion and Mundelein, and Antioch.  Evanston AYSO typically has one 14U boys team and one 14U girls team; we field 19U teams when enough players register.  Inter-Regional (IR) games are also played Sunday afternoons.   Home games are at James Park.   Away games are at other AYSO locations in the program.

Practice

The 5U and 6U teams only meet once per week on Sundays for a combined practice and game session. No additional practice during the week.

8U and older teams have an additional practice session or two during the week, based on the coach's preference.  Practices are typically on a week night, but sometimes on Saturday mornings. Coaches determine the practice schedule and location based on their availability (a perk of volunteering!).  Practices may be at a different location than games.

Practice schedules are not available until teams are formed in late summer.  Players cannot switch teams based on practice schedules; coaches can assist players in finding other teams to practice with if they are unavailable during their team's scheduled time.  If you are concerned about scheduling conflicts, we encourage you to volunteer as an assistant coach or coach to be able to set the practice schedule.

Divisions

Players born from 2004-2018 are eligible to play in the 2022-2023 season. Players divisions are based on the calendar year of their birth, not their year in school. We have the following divisions:

• 5U - Coed; born in 2018
• 6U - Coed; born in 2017
• 8U - Separate Boys and Girls divisions; born in 2015-2016
• 10U - Separate Boys and Girls divisions; born in 2013-2014
• 12U - Separate Boys and Girls divisions; born in 2011-2012
• 14U - Separate Boys and Girls divisions; born in 2009-2010
• 19U - Separate Boys and Girls divisions; born in 2004-2008

For 8U and older divisions with separate boys and girls teams, players are assigned to teams based on the gender specified during registration.  A player may register with the gender with which the player identifies.

Rules and Game Logistics

The rules and game logistics are tailored to each age group to ensure the kids have fun and have developmentally-appropriate challenges. 12U and younger divisions play with modified rules. 14U and 19U divisions play with standard soccer Laws of the Game under AYSO guidelines. See Core Program Rules for the details.

Parent/Caregiver Expectations

AYSO is a volunteer organization. Parents/caregivers who do not volunteer as a coach or referee (no prior experience needed) are expected to help by setting up or taking down goals, volunteering to organize equipment distributions, or helping with other requests from coaches and the league.

We ask adults and spectators to abide by the AYSO Kids Zone pledge and Parent Pledge to help keep a fun and positive atmosphere for all.

Fees

Registration fee for 2022-2023 for our core program is $95, plus the $20 AYSO membership fee. This includes both fall and spring. Scholarships are available on a first come first serve basis.  Siblings receive a $10 registration discount; a family with 3 children would receive 2 sibling credits for a total discount of $20. 

The fees cover games, practices, permitted fields, insurance and liability coverage, trained and background checked coaches, and a GREAT experience!

In addition to the program fees, players will need to purchase a uniform kit directly from soccer.com; the uniform for 2022-2023 is the same as for 2021-2022, so players with an existing uniform do not need to order a new one.  The uniform kit - including home and away jerseys, shorts, and socks - will not be available for order until July, but the cost is about $30-35 per player.  Ordering will allow players to choose the right size uniform, order any other equipment they need, and have everything shipped directly to their home.

Players also need shin guards, appropriate shoes (soccer cleats preferred), and a ball in the correct size for their division (see Rules for ball sizes). We often organize a cleat exchange before the season where you can donate outgrown cleats to another family or pick up a pair of used cleats for free.

Register

Registration for the 2022-2023 season opens May 5.  Registration closes June 30, 2022. 

To register for the season, parents/caregivers should Register to create a Sports Connect account, or login to your existing account.  We strongly recommend registering with an email you read regularly, as we will use this email for communications about your team throughout the season.

If you are creating a new account, you will have an option to Register My Players.  Fill out the information about yourself and then your players (children). 

Once you have an account and your players (children) added to the system, go to My Account.  Available programs, including the Core 2022-2023 program, will be listed for each eligible child to register.  Register for the Core program.  The registration form has a spot for a birth certificate, but this is not required to register. 

If you have problems registering, please contact Sports Connect support for help with the website. 

Questions

See the Core Program FAQ page.