The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is the oldest national youth soccer program in the United States. AYSO was established with only nine teams by a handful of soccer enthusiasts in 1964 out of a garage in Torrance, Calif. They wanted to make sure American kids were introduced to the beautiful game. AYSO soccer is a non-profit organization run completely based off of volunteers. This soccer program extends to all over the United States, with over 50,000 teams and about 500,000 players their goals are to play fun, fair, and safe soccer.

AYSO has various programs for different age groups and athletic needs and capabilities. In order to have this organization run smoothly, they require each team to have a certain amount of “Ref Points.” Ref points are points a player receives when they volunteer to referee a game. Each team is required to have a certain amount of ref points in order to qualify for their regional championships. Coaches, referees and administrators are all volunteers. Over 220,000 parents have volunteered to give their time to this program.

They also make sure that AYSO is affordable to anyone who wants to play soccer. Players on any AYSO team always have fun playing and learning the game. Casey Kula, current soccer player, said, “I’ve been playing soccer for eleven years. My favorite thing about AYSO soccer is that they promote good sportsmanship, and you get to build better friendships with your team mates.”

Another AYSO soccer player Ahmed Zeinelabdin said, “I’ve only played for AYSO for 5 years, but one of my favorite things about is that you are able to see friends from different schools.” AYSO isn’t just a free-for-all program like some leagues. They have sprouted into becoming more serious, and have continued to create long lasting friendships and teams.