In my years as a Management Instructor, I have taught the Registrar workshop well over 100 times and hear so many great tips that I love to pass on. In almost every Registrar workshop, someone asks what to do about the volunteers who sign up their husbands or wives to be a coach or referee. Here are five ways to handle this situation:

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In an effort to fulfill the AYSO philosophy of "Everyone Plays, " many Regions across the country offer scholarships to players that may not be able to afford the player registration fee. If you are interested in implementing a player scholarship opportunity in your Region, here are 9 tips to get you started:

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On Wednesday May 25, Regional Commissioner Jennifer Kalm sent the email below out to all of the RCs (164 of them) who have attended RC Training. Although they didn't all know each other personally, they all had the RC Training experience in common:

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The first meeting of AYSO's first woman National President convened Monday, May 30 at 9:30 a.m. EDT in Traverse City, Mich., as Paula Berriz began her term of office with welcome remarks and National Board of Director (NBOD) appointments.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of girls' soccer in AYSO and the 20th anniversary of AYSO's Very Important Player (VIP) program - making 2011 "The Year of Everyone Plays^®."

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In my years as a Management Instructor, I have taught the Registrar workshop well over 100 times and hear so many great tips that I love to pass on. In almost every Registrar workshop, someone asks what to do about the volunteers who sign up their husbands or wives to be a coach or referee. Here are five ways to handle this situation:

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Aaron Luce, RC for Region 104 in Albuquerque, N.M., was a guest on KOB's Good Day New Mexico morning segment to announce his Region's upcoming registration event and discuss the reasons why every child deserves the AYSO experience.

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As of Feb. 2011, over 1,500 AYSO volunteers have been trained through AYSO's Webinars!

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After a one-year hiatus, the 1/10/11 Section Meeting is back this year! Returning in an updated form, the Tri-Section Meeting has the best elements of past Section meetings - networking, inspiration and fun - and also offers new ideas and opportunities to help make your AYSO volunteer experience more effective and fulfilling.

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When dealing with difficult parents or volunteers, finding a solution that keeps everyone happy - without resorting to limiting, suspending or terminating their participation in AYSO - can be a challenge.

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Congratulations to all the 2011 Spirit Award and Enrichment winners. Diana Pfingsten, from Region 314 in Harvard, Ill., is the recipientof the Spirit Award for Management.

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AYSO is pleased to offer a new Season Evaluation tool for our Regions. It is a free youth sports online survey from AYSO partner Liberty Mutual Insurance and is part of their Responsible Sports program.

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At the Jan. 2010 meeting of the National Board of Directors (NBOD), National President Mike Wade appointed a Task Force comprised of NBOD Liaisons, Commission representatives, Section Directors and National Staff & Training Center (NSTC) staff members to review the structure and function of AYSO's Advisory Commissions and provide him with their recommendations for any changes.

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Many companies around the U.S. will donate money to organizations where employees volunteer. With the help of AYSO volunteer Rand Potter, AYSO has come up with a list of companies that "pay" employees for volunteer hours.

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The AYSO National Games 2012 lottery rules and application are now available in the National Games Channel on AYSO.org.

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As a Regional Commissioner or Board Member, every once in a while you may encounter a volunteer or parent who is difficult, frustrating and seems to push your buttons. What to do? Here are 10 tips for dealing with button pushers:

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Everyone Plays®...even at the National Games. AYSO is excited to announce that VIP teams will be included in their own pool play bracket during the AYSO National Games 2012 in Knoxville, Tenn. This idea was the culmination of conversations held during the Section 5 Leadership Conference.

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Online registration is now available for the AYSO National Annual General Meeting (NAGM), which will be held May 27-30 at the Grand Traverse Hotel & Spa in Traverse City, Mich.

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The 2011 National Annual General Meeting (NAGM), to be held on May 27-30 in Traverse City, Mich., is fast approaching. When it comes to attending, a big question facing many Regional Commissioners (RC) is: "Should the Region send my proxy or me?"

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Many AYSO Regions form partnerships with non-competing organizations and groups that are willing to advertise AYSO registration events. Reach out to an organization in your area and ask if they'd like to pass out flyers or feature an AYSO poster at one of their events. You can reciprocate by displaying their flyers or pamphlets for parents on registration day.

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Last year, one AYSO Region invited a local radio station to their registration event, and it was a tremendous success. During the four-hour registration, the DJ interviewed coaches, referees, Regional Board Members, players and parents. The local advertisement their registration event received was priceless and the radio station was happy to make contact with hundreds of potential listeners!

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eAYSO can be a Registrar's best friend. If your Region has a low percentage of parents filling out the Player Registration Form in advance on eAYSO.org, printing out three copies and bringing them to registration, here are four smart ways to promote parents using eAYSO:

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Registration for Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports Community Grants is now open.

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The AYSO National Games 2012 lottery application will become available after the AYSO National Board of Directors (NBOD) meeting to be held this week, March 18-19, in Hawthorne, Calif. The NBOD is expected to vote on the final rules for the 2012 Games during this meeting and the application and official rules will go online as soon as they are finalized.

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To celebrate AYSO as the official sponsor of the 4th of July, AYSO Regions all around the nation showcased AYSO in their communities. Last year, Julie Everett, Regional Commissioner (RC) from Region 180 in Santa Ynez, Calif., hosted a wonderful 4th of July event for the parents, players and volunteers in the Region.

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Pursuant to National Bylaw Section 4.04 (a), the Nominating Commission, comprised of the fourteen Section Directors and/or their appointees, has completed its review of candidates for election as Directors of the National Board of Directors and/or as National President, at the election that will occur during the 2011 National Annual General Meeting (NAGM) in Traverse City, Michigan.

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Richard Buiteweg, Regional Commissioner from Region 708 in Warren, Mich., has a great idea that may help you boost your Region's in-person registration event's success.

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If your Region is having a tough time recruiting volunteers, try targeting the parents of your 4 - 5 year old players. Parents of children just beginning their involvement in sports want to be a part of that experience. Show these parents that AYSO is a fun organization and values the time they will give. Try one of these great ideas.

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After a one-year hiatus, the Section Leadership Conferences are back this year! Returning in an updated form, the new SLCs have the best elements of past Section meetings - networking, inspiration and fun - and also offer the new ideas and opportunities to help make your AYSO volunteer experience more effective and fulfilling.

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Did you know that players not currently registered in AYSO can participate in one-time AYSO soccer activities? For non-AYSO players looking to sign up for an AYSO soccer event, the Non-AYSO Registered Participant Form is now available.

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AYSO's new "Great Soccer Starts Here" registration tools are now also available in Spanish! Located in the the 2011 Marketing Toolkit, the Spanish-language ads feature U.S. Men's National Team star Carlos Bocanegra.

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Farryn Townley grew up as a self-described "girlie girl" - while her brothers played in AYSO, Farryn cheered for them from the sidelines. Her mother had a hunch that she would enjoy soccer, and signed her up to play. "At first I didn't really want to play, but I ended up loving it," Farryn recalls.

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Want to bring back players to your AYSO Region in 90 seconds? Try the "Come Back" 90 Second Marketing Plan! Located in the 2011 Marketing Toolkit, "Come Back" includes tools, templates and tips for a registration campaign that reaches out to players who have left AYSO and may be looking to return.

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The 2011 Section Leadership Conferences are officially underway! Section 8's Conference in Frankenmuth, Mich., was a great success on Jan. 14-16, with over 200 AYSO volunteers attending and taking part in this year's new leadership training module.

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For 2011 AYSO registration, some of AYSO's most famous professional soccer-playing alumni want to help tell parents and kids that AYSO is the right place for every child to sign-up to learn and play soccer!

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Your Region's budget should be completed about one month before the Region's first registration date in order to determine if there will need to be fee adjustments for next season.

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The Tournament Application Fees for all AYSO tournaments that are inter-Section, open or international have changed effective Jan.1, 2011.

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It all started when AYSO National Referee Instructor Scott Karlan traveled to East Africa with his wife this summer on vacation. While staying at the Lake Manyara Lodge in Tanzania, Scott casually mentioned his refereeing experience to his safari guide and the very next day, he was refereeing a match between two villages.

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AYSO is excited to announce that the fifth class of Regional Commissioners (RCs) has graduated from RC Training, an AYSO pilot program launched in 2009. With the fifth class' graduation, a total of 120 RC's have completed the training and are now applying what they have learned to their Regions.

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A lightning safety plan should be an integral part of the planning process for any outdoor event. Do not wait for storm clouds to develop before considering what to do should lightning threaten! An effective plan begins LONG before any lightning threat is realized.

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AYSO President Mike Wade has challenged the National Development Commission to offer ideas that Regions and Areas can act on immediately to help more kids have the AYSO experience. The commission has recommended considering "quick start" growth and retention opportunities based on spring soccer offerings.

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As my AYSO Region's primary season ends, my inbox gets filled with questions from parents whose kids want to keep playing soccer into the spring. "What next?" they ask. "My kid wants to keep playing soccer!"

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The quality of pre-printed application forms for returning players and volunteers has been significantly improved over previous years. The type is much clearer. The use of all caps has increased legibility, and data such as the ID number, division and age have been increased in size and boldness.

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The objective of this program is to provide young players and their parents with a "pressure free" introduction to the beautiful and simple game of soccer. At this age, players should be exposed to soccer by playing simple, fun activities and games that require little to no practice, and a minimal time commitment.

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With the Fall season just around the corner, we reached out to some RCs from around the country for tips on making uniform distribution go more smoothly.

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A Season Start Date is now included in your Region's eAYSO record under Region – Setup – General.

Here are five urgent facts about the Season Start Date.

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Field Coordinators, referees and coaches should be the last line of defense when dealing with field safety. Everyone should be involved in making sure the fields are safe for AYSO players.

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AYSO Regions in good standing have a one-time registration fee assistance program available if they find the newly passed player fee increase will be a hardship.

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As World Cup fever grips the nation, have your AYSO Region consider holding one more late player registration opportunity for the fall season.

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Learn how to make your job as a new Regional Commissioner easier, more effective and more rewarding at the Regional Commissioner (RC) Training, being held April 10-12 and Nov. 5-7 at the AYSO National Support & Training Center (NSTC) in Hawthorne, Calif.

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Peter van der Heijden At the 2000 NAGM, RCs attended a session about the VIP program. The RC from Region 220 in Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, NY, returned home and suggested they needed to start VIP.

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RAND POTTER has contributed to AYSO for 20 years. He is a member on the National Management Advisory Commission, as well as a charter member of the National eAYSO Commission.

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AYSO Sections, Areas or Regions may still apply to offer an EXTRA™ program for the coming Membership Year. Launched last year, EXTRA is a primary program option designed for AYSO players who want to play in a more challenging soccer environment.

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The third Regional Commissioner (RC) Training took place place April 23-25 at the AYSO National Support & Training Center (NSTC). The purpose of this two and a half day training session is to equip RCs with the necessary tools to help them perform their duties

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With the challenging financial circumstances that AYSO is experiencing, your National Board of Directors (NBOD) has unanimously approved a change to the Herbalife-AYSO logo incentive program payments to $.25 per uniform.

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The 2009-10 Safety Director manual is now available at the Supply Center.

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The 2009 membership year is almost over, and plans and deadlines for 2010 are quickly approaching. Don't forget to finalize your Regional Assessment Program (RAP) application as well.

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Today's economy and employment uncertainty directly impacts when parents decide they can afford to sign up their child for AYSO.

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Completing your budget before your Region's first registration event is critical in order to determine if your Region's registration fees are set properly to meet your Region's objectives. Here are three easy steps to help you create a budget.

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Congratulations! The Caucus Facilitator for this year's National Annual General Meeting (NAGM) have been selected.

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Recruiting and retaining referees is a challenging task for Regions. We reached out to a handful of Regional Commissioners to see how they deal with this universal problem. Here are some suggestions they had:

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The National Board of Directors at their Jan, 22, 2010 meeting unanimously passed some amendments to the AYSO National Rules & Regulations. The actions serve to bring greater focus on the importance of training in creating the best AYSO experience for players and volunteers.

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On March 3 we'll unveil details of the new AYSO July 4th Facebook page and how to register your Region's July 4th community activity.

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Learn how to make your job as a new Regional Commissioner easier, more effective and more rewarding at the Regional Commissioner (RC) Training, held April 23-25 at the AYSO National Support & Training Center (NSTC) in Hawthorne, Calif. To apply, contact Rosanne MacPhail at rosannemacphail@ayso.org or 1-800-595-2976.

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Applications Due Dec. 31, 2009

AYSO has limited grant funds available to assist Regions in need.

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Attend the Free CVPA Update Webinar

Have you already attended the Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA) training but still have unanswered questions? Join AYSO's National Safe Haven Administrator, Rosemarie Banich, for the free CVPA annual update webinar. The webinar will be available on six different dates starting on Nov. 10th, with the final webinar being on Nov. 24th.

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The Regional and Area Assessment Award winners for the 2008-09 membership year have been determined.

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One of the best times to have a registration event is at the last game of your season or at another end-of-season event. You already have AYSO families out on the fields, playing and having a great time, so what better moment to register them for next season than at that last game? Registering your current families early will also give you the opportunity to focus on new families.

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Don't forget to order your registration kits in plenty of time for your Region's registration.

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With the end of the AYSO season almost here, we have received many questions about AYSO's rules about giving trophies to players. AYSO has no official rule on trophies, and allows Regions to decide whether or not to give trophies to participants. To help you, we've compiled a list of what other Regions are doing.

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A basic first-aid kit should be available to each team during all practices and games. These first-aid kits can be provided to each coach for the season, or be available at a standardized location at each soccer field used for games and practices.

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Recruiting board members for your Region can often be an arduous task, but here are six tips that AYSO has come up with to make the task easier.

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AYSO Incident Reports are a fact sheet in the event something critical happens. Filling out an Incident Report immediately after an injury, property damage or any other serious incident will give you an opportunity to capture facts and contact information before witnesses leave the field.

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Are you a new Regional Commissioner? Do you feel overwhelmed by the task ahead? AYSO has the perfect solution! Register for RC Training, being held at the National Support and Training Center (NSTC) Nov. 13-15.

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Field Coordinators, referees and coaches should be the last line of defense when dealing with field safety. Everyone should be involved in making sure the fields are safe for AYSO players.

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Here are some tips offered by AYSO Regional Commissioners from around the country to make your uniform distribution go more smoothly.

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Many AYSO Regions use portable soccer goals, which can too easily be tipped over - often with tragic results. These tip-over incidents often happen when players climb or hang from the crossbar of a goal but have been known to happen from a simple gust of wind or the slightest push.

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Protect your Region by registering all your players and volunteers with the AYSO National Support & Training Center (NSTC).

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"I had an awesome weekend. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of new things that I will be implementing soon. I think the only problem I had was that this type of training really gets you excited and gives you so many things you want to do. But, you have to pace yourself. I was flying home and had to try and stop thinking of all the things I want to do. It just gets you so excited and motivates you so much. I know for a fact that with the things I learned this weekend and the motivation that all of the trainers and other RCs gave to me, I WILL have a successful Region."
--Steve Gahm 6/G/786

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Are the fields swamped and you have to cancel practices at the last minute? Do you have to remind the many parents in your Region that registration deadlines are coming up?

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Herbalife, AYSO's Official Nutrition Advisor, is again offering its logo incentive program to AYSO Regions. The company donates $0.50 for each uniform the Region orders that uses the AYSO-Herbalife logo. Herbalife donated over $80,000 last year to participating Regions.

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Tip 1: Determine how many volunteers are needed

Recruiting volunteers will be a lot easier if you know how many volunteers you need. Start with the Region Coach Administrator, and have him make a list of how many teams you will have in each division next season. From there, you can see how many coaches and assistant coaches you need. Have your Region Referee Administrator and board members do the same thing.

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AYSO is always looking for great photos. With PLAYSOCCER®, the newsletters and the new AYSO.org, we have plenty of use for photos. Send us your photos and if we use them, although we won't pay for photos, we will give you credit in any publication we use them in.

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On June, 220 invitations for the AYSO National Games 2010 were sent out to Regional Commissioners from the Games staff in Florida. The three months allowed to respond to the invitations are half over already!

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An e-newsletter is a quick and easy way to connect with your Region's membership. Ray Groble, Regional Commissioner for Region 418 (Chicago), has been putting together a well-read e-newsletter for his Region for the past year. He uses the e-newsletters to send out registration deadline reminders, announce tournaments or to explain confusing game rules. Groble believes the e-newsletters help him to keep in constant communication with the members in his Region, which has over 3,000 players.

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Carla Bahn, the Regional Commissioner (RC) from Region 864 in the Florida Keys, decided that her mission this year was to get the word out about AYSO so parents could register their children early. When Carla realized that her local July 4th parade was lined with hundreds of families, she decided that her Region had to be a part of the parade.

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