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AYSO Region 88 Glendale

Safety & Safety Policies

AYSO’s highest priority is the safety and well-being of our children. We aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment where they can play and have fun. Safety can be achieved when all parities (Parents, Referees, Coaches, Guest Visitors, Field Monitors…) work responsibly to keep our kids and visitors safe from all danger.

Remember, Safety starts with you!

AYSO Participation and Concussion Release Forms

Whenever a player or youth volunteer has suffered an injury or illness that required the care of a physician or a visit to an emergency care facility, the AYSO Participation Release Form must be completed in full and signed by the child’s parents or guardians before the player or youth volunteer will be allowed to participate further in the program. In addition, if a player was evaluated by a medical professional, for symptoms of concussion, the AYSO Concussion Release Form must be completed and signed by a medical professional.

These forms protect not only AYSO, but more importantly, the participants. Players should not participate until they are fully healed and ready to play. The AYSO Participation Release Form and/or the AYSO concussion Release Form must be completed and given to the Region 88 Safety Director before the return to participation in any AYSO activity.

Send the completed forms to:

AYSO Region 88 Glendale
Attn: Ross Paulson

2515 Canada Blvd.
Glendale CA 91208
Email: [email protected]

AYSO Participation Release form

AYSO Incident Release form

AYSO General Release form

Jewelry Policy

AYSO National Guidelines State:
"Players shall not wear anything that is dangerous to either themselves or other players subject to the referee’s approval under Law 4."

FIFA Law 4 states:
Law 4: The Players' Equipment. A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous. All items of jewelry (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.) are forbidden and must be removed. Using tape to cover jewelry is not permitted.

All jewelry, including earrings of any kind, whether or not worn in any body piercing (visible to the referee), must be removed before the player is to be allowed to participate. The same is true of any stud which is used in a body piercing when the jewelry is not being worn. The same rules apply during practices as the wearer is at risk of severe injury. Beads worn braided into the hair are also to be regarded as jewelry.

The safety of our players is of paramount importance to AYSO. We follow AYSO National Guidelines and the FIFA Laws of Soccer when it comes to player equipment.  Please prepare ahead of time and do not allow this to become an issue prior to a game or practice.

Please adhere to our policies to keep ALL of our players safe.

Pets on AYSO fields

No Pets at Region 88 Events

All AYSO Region 88 participants agree and understand that NO PET shall be permitted at any AYSO activity or event regardless of venue or location. This policy includes but is not limited to practices, games, picture day, team parties, tournaments, etc. This Policy is consistent with those of neighboring Regions and is in keeping with the AYSO Insurance Policy, which does not cover animal bites or related injuries. Properly registered service animals are generally exempt from this Policy.

You, as the primary player and account registrant, are also responsible for any friends or family members visiting the fields.

Unfortunately, if dogs or pets are not removed from games, we will have no choice but to suspend or even terminate the game.

Region 88 pays for and controls the soccer fields and surrounding areas in an exclusive use permit that provides us the right and with that right, we are required by our National Bylaws and Insurance to comply with our published guidelines.

Service animals are allowed under the following conditions:

ADA in public places: The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to employers, state and local governments and public places.

The law narrowly defines service animals as any dog that is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a physical or mental disability.

Emotional support animals do not qualify as service animals under the ADA, the California Unruh Civil Rights Act nor the Disabled Persons Act.

State and local governments, businesses and nonprofits generally must allow service dogs to accompany people with disabilities in any part of a facility open to the public, unless doing so interferes with legitimate safety requirements, or the dog is out of control.

If you are bringing a legal service animal to our fields, we require that you first inform our referee staff that is present at the game so that they can provide guidance on ensuring that the animal does not interfere with the game and remains in control. Please also reach out to our Regional Commissioner at [email protected] for approval before the event/game begins.

Referees and Coaches will be advised to suspend a game if a pet is not removed from a field during play. 

Thank you for your understanding and support. Please click here for more information from AYSO National

Lightning Policy and Procedures for Region 88

The Coach, Referee, Field Monitor, and/or other any other official involved with the game/practice should be aware of the possibility of lightning in the area. If there is thunder or lightning the official will immediately suspend the game and all persons should seek shelter immediately. Activities may resume only when a games/practice official gives the go ahead after there has not been any thunder or lightning for 30 minutes.

Areas considered safe
  • Inside a fully enclosed vehicle with windows up
  • Inside a substantial building (roof and four walls)
Unsafe Areas
  • Small buildings including picnic shelters and the open area of a concession stand
  • Anywhere near metallic objects like flagpoles, soccer goals, metal bleachers, electric equipment
  • Open fields, trees and water
  Open area without shelter
  • Avoid standing in groups
  • Spread out to reduce risk
  • Crouch on your feet, keep your head low
  • Avoid being the tallest object
  • Avoid lying on the ground
If a strike occurs to an individual
  • Call 911
  • If you are qualified to do so, apply First Aid or CPR immediately
  • People struck by lightning do not carry an electrical charge and are safe to touch

Safety and Risk Management Director

Ross Paulson
Email: [email protected]

Contact Us

We are here to help but please consider we are all volunteers and will do our best to reply as soon as possible.

Regional Commissioner
Aldo Mascheroni [email protected]

Registrar
Ryan Wood [email protected]

Coach Administrator
Iain Blackwood [email protected]

Referee Administrator
Craig Dunkin  [email protected]

Child/Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA)
Scott Nord [email protected]

Safety Coordinator
Ross Paulson [email protected]

Safe Haven Clinic

A Safe Haven certification is a requirement for every AYSO volunteer and the class only needs to be attended once. No one is allowed to help at AYSO practices or games without this certification. All team coordinators will also need to attend this course.

If you are interested in attending a local clinic in or near our region, please either apply as a volunteer or email [email protected]. Sign-up instructions will be sent to you.

Drop off policy

It is strongly recommended that a player’s parent or guardian be present during all AYSO games and practices. If that is not possible, parents or guardians are required to inform the coach beforehand, preferably by email.

They must inform the coach:
  • Who will be bringing their child.
  • Who will be picking up their child.
  • Who is responsible and should be contacted in case of injury or emergency during the game or practice.
  • Contact numbers for all responsible persons must be included.
When arriving at practices or games, parents must not drop off players at fields without contacting the coach. The person responsible for the player must walk them to the coach.

What is a concussion?

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury — or TBI — caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.

When in Doubt, Pull Them Out!

Concussions Are Serious
Medical providers may describe a concussion as a “mild” brain injury because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even so, the effects of a concussion can be serious.

For more information and some really great resources, go to the CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heads Up Concussion pages at HeadsUp

To enroll in online training, click the AYSOU button at the top of this screen.

AYSO CDC Concussion handout (English)  /  AYSO CDC Concussion handout (Spanish)

Recording/Sharing Images and Video

Question: I did not consent to my child’s photos (or video of them) being taken during games and at practices. Can the Region stop this from happening?

Answer
Region 88 takes all of our players safety seriously and we have looked into this matter extensively. A parent is fully entitled to record the games and take photos of their child during the games and practices. This may result in other players having their photos or video of them being taken as a result without their or their parent’s consent.

Region 88 uses public locations for games/practices and have numerous times discussed the issue of people taking photos and videos of the players, without the player or parents consent, with both Glendale Parks and Recreation and Glendale Police Department. This issue has also been raised with AYSO National. We have been advised that since everything is occurring in a public location, we cannot prevent anyone (including third persons not associated with AYSO) from taking photos or videos of our players. We have, in the past, had third parties undertake this and then try to sell action photos of players to parents. Again, nothing can be done to stop this. This is one of the main reasons that we do not place either first or last names on jerseys. Further, the Region cannot ask parents or third parties to delete items on their phones or cameras.


As always, if you feel that your player is not in a safe situation or environment, then you are free to remove your player at anytime. We will always respect a parents decision to act in their players safety.

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AYSO Region 88

2515 Canada Blvd 
Glendale, California 91208

Email Us: [email protected]
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