AYSO 337
PO Box 18326
Knoxville, TN 37928-2326

What Age Group/Division will my child be in for the spring?

• The players are separated by age based on their age on July 31st, 2009 (for both Fall and Spring). So if your child is 6 on July 30th, 2009 he/she will be playing in U8 (since it is UNDER 8). If the child turns 6 on August 1st, 2009 he/she can play in U6. You can choose for a child to play "up", but we can't allow any child to play in a division that is below their age. If you want your child to play up or with a sibling please mark it CLEARLY on the forms. Please also consider the age differences, having a 5 year old playing in U8 may make your life easier for practices, etc. but it isn't fair to the team or the younger child. Playing up is an option for players who have excelled in their age appropriate division ... not so that the logistics save you time on transportation. No child may play "up" more than one age division.

Birth Dates and Divisions Fall 2009 - Spring 2010

What if I miss early registration? Can my child still play?

• We have a limited number of teams available. Missing early registration period could place your child on a waiting list. However, contact George Burgess, Regional Commissioner or Tonya Roth, Regional Registrar about getting your child signed up to play. They will let you know if registration is closed.

How much does it cost to play?

• The cost is $50 per player. Jerseys cost $20. Early registration will end on August 1, 2009. If you miss the early registration time you MUST pay the $75 fee to register. We are all volunteers, and signing up late puts a hardship on our staff, so if you can't sign up on time, please pay the full fee without question.

I would like to coach my child's team, what do I need to do?

• Make sure to mark it clearly on your child's form that you want to coach. You can also e-mail Kellie Gilliam with your request to coach. We are almost always in need of coaches.

I need for them to play with a friend for transportation purposes or I would like to request that my child play with another friend... is this allowed?

• We realize how hard it is to get your child to games and practices (especially since 98% of our coaches, board members and other volunteers also have full time jobs), however, we have some people who use this reason to get all the best players on one team. The best way to get special requests is to volunteer ... we will not and can not guarantee that we will honor ANY requests. We will do our best, but if the team becomes unbalanced, or the requests create an unfair advantage then that team will be broken up the next season.

My child didn't get the request we wrote on the form ... what can we do?

• We try our best to honor most all requests, however sometimes it just isn't possible. The first requests honored are for people who volunteer. If you don't get your request this just gives your child a chance to make more friends and be coached by a different person. If you do not receive your request this isn't a reason to ask for a refund or make any type of extra demand on our volunteers. We have too many players to be able to honor every request, please respect the work that we do when teams are formed and placed.

My child has changed their mind about playing ... can I get a refund?

• Due to past abuses of parents signing their children up and then randomly taking them out of the program leaving teams short handed we will no longer offer any refunds. This created an undue stress on the accounting of funds for our region and in order to be consistent across the board, no refunds will be given.

Why did the jersey change back to reversible?

• We found a company that could manufacture reversibles that were high quality and in our budgeted price range. We were finding that the single layer jerseys with the alternate color stripe were difficult for the referees to determine if it was a blue or white player at first glance. Plus we had many games where players only showed up with one color jersey ... or lost one of them ... so we thought to make life easier on the parents, a reversible was easier on everyone.

Can we still wear the old jerseys?

• Certainly! Any official AYSO jersey from our region is acceptable to wear during a game ... all U12's and under MUST wear an official 337 jersey. U14 and above may purchase their own uniform if the team decides to do that.

I didn't get a jersey. When can I get one?

• We will sell jerseys the first game day. We will also possibly have other days that we sell them, but rest assured that we will be selling uniforms at the first game every season.

What is the last date where I can still sign my child up to play?

• One of the AYSO philosophies is Open Registration. We do not discriminate against any child being able to play. We do, however, have limited resources in physical space and team availability. Signing up late places a hardship on the coaches, volunteers, and players who have already been placed on a team roster. We will always try our best to place your child on a team, but sometimes it is not possible, so please make sure to get your registration in on time.

I didn't know about registrations. Why don't you let us know when they are?

• We try. We place ads in the Halls Shopper, the Fountain City Focus, and the News Sentinel. The web site is constantly updated and we often mail reminders. We hang signs in different locations around the area as well as take flyers to local elementary schools. We also had over 600 children that DID know about it and took advantage of the early discount period this season.

When will my child be contacted by a coach?

• You should be contacted by March 10, 2009. Please feel free to send us an e-mail if you have any questions. Click here to go to the contacts page and click on the appropriate Division Commissioner. If your child is in U6, the contact may come closer to the U6 New Players Clinic, please be patient.

I can't practice at the time my coach has scheduled ... what should I do?

• The coaches who have volunteered their time and energy set the schedule based on many issues. It would be nice to make practice fit into everyone's schedule, but sacrifices are often necessary to participate in a team sport. It is extremely important that your child attends practice, so that they can feel like they are part of the team.

What about practice?

• Practices can begin August and the locations vary from coach to coach.The Under 6 division practices immediately before their games. It is fairly well agreed that U6 does not need a practice during the week. Everyone else will either have one or two practices during the week.No team is allowed more than 3 hours of contact in a week. If you count 1 hour for the game, then 2 hours of practice is the maximum amount of time allowed. Violating the three hour rule or practicing before the designated time is unfair to the other teams as well as damaging to the region.
• The coaches determine the practice dates and time. With more than 1,600 children playing in Region 337, we thank you in advance for being flexible.

When do the games start?

• The first games will be played on September 12, 2009. Most all games will take place at the Rifle Range/Sterchi Hills Soccer fields. Older divisions will often play interregional games, and they will be playing at different locations.

When will we get a schedule?

• The schedules are usually completed the week before games start. Sometimes it is later. The hold up on the schedules is often the fact that we have coaches who coach in multiple age groups and while our RC can control the times of games in our region, they have no control over the Interregional schedule which is often delayed by other regions who are slow to turn in their teams. We are always hesitant to give out a schedule that is not complete. So please be patient and understand that the scheduling is often dictated by circumstances outside of our control.

When do the games end?

• October 31, 2009 will be the last day games will be scheduled.

What can I do to help our region?

• Volunteer!

Why do we need to volunteer? We pay $50 ... where does that money go? Can't we use it to pay refs?

• A good question. $14 of every $50 goes to National and Section to cover their expenses, insurance, etc. Let's say that leaves us with $35 per player to spend on our region. The land we use is owned by the county, but all maintenance, mowing, sprinklers, paint, fertilizer, bush hogging, upkeep, trash, and porta-potties are paid with this $35. We also use the money for coach, ref, and volunteer training. We are also required to keep a certain amount saved in case of emergency. So your money that you pay is definitely put to use. We would love to use some of that money to pay referees like other youth sports, but at this time, AYSO requires all positions to be volunteer. We are also on the lookout for land that we could purchase to be used for additional practice or playing areas. A last note, your $50 does not purchase the right to harass, berate, or allow you to be obnoxious to our volunteers. That fee is $5,000. :)

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