Playground and Schoolyard Soccer

PLAYGROUND AND SCHOOLYARD SOCCER

The 2017 Board is working hard to implement the Playground and Schoolyard program for Fall 2017. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! If you or someone you know is interested in helping to run these programs please contact Regional Commissioner Peggy Murphy at [email protected] or leave a message at 661-977-6262.

4U Playground

4U Playground Program

AYSO Playground is a child development program. The objective of this program is to help develop, in collaboration with parents or guardians, the child's Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) with using soccer as a common thread.

Playing environment is based on fun games, adventures, story telling and colorful landscapes.

Playground Coordinator Description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The volunteer position of Playground Activity Leader is designed to be taught by adults who have had training in working with very young children and the program would merely give the young children an opportunity to develop their motor and social skills in a nurturing, non-competitive environment.

- AYSO Playground is a child development program. The objective of this program is to help develop, in collaboration with the parent or guardian, the child’s Fundamental Motor Skills with using soccer as a common thread. This must be clearly communicated to parents in a pre-program meeting to set the standard of expectations.
- The program allows participants to gradually discover the game for themselves by scaffolding the activities in a fun AYSO environment. Meanwhile parents or guardians are provided a simple introduction into the foundation AYSO with a goal of developing them into volunteer coaches, referees and administrators.
- AYSO Playground is NOT a coaching program.
- Ideally, the Playground Leader will have support from numerous regional coaches who will act as Activity Leaders to help lead each group that is formed per week.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

- It shall be the responsibility of each Regional Commissioner, with the support of the Area Director and Section Director, to ensure the AYSO Playground curriculum is being followed in their respective Regions, Areas and Sections.
- The AYSO National Coaching Advisory Commission supported this program predicted on the basis that the specific guidelines provided are followed and that all decisions regarding the program are made in the best interest of the payers.

5U

5U Schoolyard Jamboree

Soccer is for people of all ages – even the little ones! Several years ago, we created Jamboree, or the U-5 program, for four-year-olds. In Jamboree, children get to play soccer in an age-specific program, and you, the parents, get to participate with them.

In Jamboree, each team is made up of three players and each player will have a parent (or other adult) with them on the field. The children learn soccer skills like kicking, dribbling, and throwing in the ball, but in a low-pressure setting. Jamboree is about exposing children to soccer, not grooming them for college scholarships.

Parents help take turns organizing the teams, setting up fields and supervising the program. While their children are playing, parent volunteers keep time, but interfere with play as little as possible. There are only a few reasons to stop play in Jamboree games. If a child is not playing well with others, or if play must pause for injury, substitution, confusion, or to watch a flock or birds fly by, parents can quickly direct attention back to the game.

In Jamboree, goals are not counted to determine who wins - every player is a winner. Young players need to get a feel for the ball and the field, so even though there are adults all around and many opportunities to offer instruction, the emphasis is on fun and play. It’s a different kind of game in U-5, but the children still wear jerseys or pinnies, cleats and shin guards. Best of all, they find out that soccer is something they can do.