There are quite a few Youth Sports opportunities for kids in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, including recreational sports teams, club sports teams, and school sports teams. So the question is...
Why Play Soccer?
Soccer is the most popular game in the world, called "The Beautiful Game" by it's legion of fans. Youth Soccer provides a fun opportunity for kids to develop their health and fitness. Soccer's fluid play and constant motion helps develop creativity and decision making abilities. Soccer helps players develop balance and footwork that translates well to any sport or activity. Soccer is the sport for everyone, not exclusively for kids who can afford expensive equipment and training, or expensive rink time and facilities. All you need is a ball and a patch of grass. And of course, like all youth sports, Soccer gives kids an opportunity to learn good sportsmanship while developing self confidence and leadership skills.
Why Play AYSO?
AYSO brings great soccer to everyone. Everyone is welcome to play. There are no residency requirements or experience necessary. We do not have tryouts or cuts. We provide top quality training for all of our players, our coaches, and our referees. We empower every child to develop as a player and a person. We allow children to play for a very modest cost and offer scholarships for families in need.
We are all about our local Manhattan/Hermosa community. We are a 100% Volunteer Organization, with local parents volunteering to coach, referee, maintain fields, and handle all of the logistical effort necessary to run a large 3,000 person league. Beyond soccer, we partner with a number of local charities to give back and share our good fortune to make our broader community a better place.
All AYSO18 decisions are guided by our 6 Core AYSO Philosophies:
Everyone Plays®
Our goal is for kids to play soccer - so AYSO National mandates that every player on every team must play at least half of every game. Locally, in Region 18, we strive to allow every player to play at least 3 quarters of every game. The best way to learn soccer is to play. We try to maximize opportunities for kids to kick the ball and learn the intricacies of the game with small-sided games and small sized teams. Kids should be playing, not sitting on the bench watching others.
Balanced Teams
Each year we form new teams and strive to make them as evenly balanced as possible - because it is more fair and more fun when teams of similar ability play. Kids learn more about sportsmanship, competition, teamwork, and leadership when the play in competitive, evenly matched games. There will always be stronger teams and weaker teams. And honestly, sometimes parents play games and bend rules to give their teams an advantage. But as a league our Board of Directors and Division Commissioners are trying hard to form balanced teams.
Open Registration
Our program is open to ALL CHILDREN who want to register and play soccer. Interest and enthusiasm are the only criteria for playing. We don't care where you live. We don't care if you've played before. We don't care if you can afford registration fees. We don't care if you think you have natural athletic ability. Every child is welcome.
Positive Coaching
Encouragement of player effort provides for greater enjoyment by the players and ultimately leads to better-skilled and better-motivated players. We are partnering with the Positive Coaching Alliance to help train all of our Volunteer Coaches to be Positive Coaches and provide positive role models for our children. If we want our children to be happy, positive, supportive members of the community, we need to model that behavior when we are coaching them. And evidence shows that positive coaching delivers better results than negative coaching.
Good Sportsmanship
We strive to create a safe, fair, fun, and positive environment based on mutual respect, rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude. So our program is designed to instill good sportsmanship in every facet of AYSO. Win or lose, every game should be fun and an opportunity to grow. We want every player to learn to win graciously and lose gracefully.
Player Development
We believe that all players should be able to develop their soccer skills and knowledge to the best of their abilities, both individually and as members of a team, in order to maximize their enjoyment of the game. We are investing a good deal of time and money to provide training and tools for players, coaches, and referees to enable every player to learn at their own pace and achieve their fullest potential.