AYSO Mission Statement

American Youth Soccer Organization's mission is to develop and deliver quality youth soccer programs where everyone builds positive character through participation in a fun, family environment based on the AYSO philosophies:

Everyone Plays	Our goal is for kids to play soccer. So we mandate that every player on every team must play at least half of every game.
Balanced Teams	We require every region at the start of each season to set up teams as evenly balanced as possible - because it's more fun when teams of equal ability play.
Positive Coaching	The way to make winning kids is by building them up, not down. We train and encourage our coaches to make the extra effort to understand and offer positive help to our players, rather than negative criticism.
Open Registration	Our programs are open to all children between the ages of 5 and 18 who want to register and play soccer. Interest and enthusiasm are the only criteria for playing.
Good Sportsmanship	We desire to create a positive environment based on mutual respect, rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude. All our programs must be designed to instill good sportsmanship in every facet of AYSO.
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.

Character Counts

AYSO is a coalition member of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, and is committed to supporting the Character Counts program.


Its Six Pillars of Character are:

Trustworthiness

Respect

Responsibility

Fairness

Caring

Citizenship