AYSO Region 28 participants grab your cleats and your favorite soccer ball.
The new season is here.
Garden Grove’s AYSO Fall season officially kicked off August 1 with coaches receiving their team folders, which includes a roster of their team and contact list.
Parents will be receiving a call from their coach in the coming days and practices should begin next week.
Don’t fret if you haven’t received a call yet, it should take the coach a few days to get through the new team list.
AYSO Region 28 participants grab your cleats and your favorite soccer ball.
The new season is here.
Garden Grove’s AYSO Fall season officially kicked off August 1 with coaches receiving their team folders, which includes a roster of their team and contact list.
Parents will be receiving a call from their coach in the coming days and practices should begin next week.
Don’t fret if you haven’t received a call yet, it should take the coach a few days to get through the new team list.
“There are a lot of returning players, and I’m excited about the upcoming season,” said Raul Lozano, who's coach administrator at region 28, and whose two sons play in the league. “I’ve been [involved] in the league since my kid was 5 and now he is 14. It’s like a second family to us.”
Lozano, along with the rest of the region’s coaches, attended a coaching clinic over the weekend at Fountain Valley High. Volunteer referees also attended a class at the same place during the weekend.
“We have close to 70 teams this season and about 65 coaches because some coach two teams.”
For region 28, finding a coach for every team has been a bit of a problem this season.
“This is year it has been tough [to find coaches] because there was some parents who signed up to coach but then backed out later for some reason,” said Lozano. “But we will get the coaches [we need].”
Currently, region 28’s website states that two parks are open for practices during the week: Euclid Park, 12732 Main St, and West Haven Park, 12252 West St. On Saturdays, the field at Alamitos’ Intermediate School is available
Erandy Morello, commissioner of region 28, and the rest of the AYSO board have been gearing up for the fall season since the beginning of July with registration and camps.
On July 21, Region 28 held its annual soccer camp. The camp lasted five days, and newcomers ranging in age from 9-14 attended.
“About 80 percent of [the players] at the camp were new players,” said Lozano. “We run the camp for the new people to introduce them to soccer.”
All of the coaches and referees at the region 28 are volunteers who give their time to ensure a great season year after year.
“We don’t get paid to coach, but we take pride in what we do,” said Loosen.
This year’s opening day for official matches will kickoff with the youngest age group on Aug. 23. U6, U8, and VIP teams will play their first games that day at Alamitos Intermediate school.
Opening day for the rest of the league, U10 and up, is on Sept. 6. Just in time to dodge homework from the new school year to go play soccer instead.
