Knocked down, but not out

Bryce Alderton

The American Youth Soccer Organization may have suffered an initial

shock, but the consensus among those associated with the nonprofit

soccer conglomerate is one of resistance, the “We will survive, no

matter what” mantra.

While last month’s announcement that AYSO was suing former Region

97 Commissioner Anthony Anish for allegedly misappropriating $100,000

in organizational funds into his own business and to his landlord may

have caught some off-guard and stirred the waters a bit, several

coaches, board members and parents remain confident this latest brash

of negative publicity will not tarnish soccer’s allure in

Newport-Mesa.

“I don’t think this will have that much impact on soccer,” Jon

Zich, Region 120 commissioner for three years and current referee and

AYSO parent, said. “It is a wake-up call to the AYSO nation saying,

‘We better make sure that we know what is going on with the money.’ ”

Members of the board of directors and commissioners’ adherence to

AYSO rules were Zich’s priorities in Region 120 even before he was in

charge.

“The board holds the region accountable for [the commissioner’s]

performance,” Zich said. “The way the program is run is a result of

all the board members doing their jobs.”

AYSO, an all-volunteer organization, has financial requirements

the board must adhere to such as: all checks written by the region

require two signatures and each must clear bank accounts managed by

the organization, Zich said. Under AYSO rules, an appointed treasurer

receives the check back from AYSO and is supposed to report it to the

board each month at a region meeting. Each treasurer must also assist

the regional commissioner in the preparation of both the annual

budget and financial statement, given to the National Support and

Training Center before and upon conclusion of the season.

“I took the treasurer’s report and gave that to another board

member to look over,” Zich said. “Having another person look over a

bank statement is a great idea.”

Reference checks on potential regional commissioners have been

done, but AYSO has only begun staging background checks the last few

years, an official with the nonprofit said.

Well before the recent lawsuit, representatives from Region 57,

which covers Corona del Mar, have monitored volunteers to ensure that

adults entrusted to interact with children heed AYSO’s Five

Philosophies, which are: everyone is required to play half the game,

the teams are balanced, registration is open, coaches display

positive attitudes and good sportsmanship is shown.

Two or three times a season, typically in August when he has

several applications from interested coaches, referees and

administrators, Jim Percival, child and protection advocate for

Region 57, will reference the Meagan’s Law database at the police

station to see if any of the volunteers submitting applications are

registered sex offenders.

Percival’s job centers on ensuring coaches, parents,

administrators and players are setting good examples and following

AYSO’s Five Philosophies. Sometimes coaches stray from that

philosophy when handling their teams, at which time league

commissioners and board members are notified and can take the

appropriate action.

Two examples of behaviors that would require attention would be if

a coach is favoring a certain player over the rest of the team or if

an official fails to follow suggestions made by the board, Percival

said.

An average week will yield an average of one to three complaints,

pertaining to disputes or altercations -- typically not physical --

involving inappropriate conduct by a coach, parent or player,

Percival said.

“That could be coaches not treating kids fairly or abusing

referees or players abusing referees,” Percival said.

He added that as of last month, there were four or five people who

will most likely not be allowed to coach next year because “we have

learned that their behavior was detrimental [to AYSO].” After

attending a board meeting a few days later, Percival learned that

number was slightly higher.

But the unruly behavior often goes against the norm, Percival

said.

“Ninety-nine percent of the people out there are wonderful people

who are doing a great job,” Percival said. “People mature with age.

They need to step back and let go of the competitiveness and realize

it’s all about the kids.

“We try to modify their behavior to be more of a positive role

model.”

*

AYSO provides coaching clinics for those new to the game, while

reinforcing specific tactics learned by those with more experience.

“The coaching clinics teach entry-level coaches technical, ball

and game skills,” said Kirk McIntosh, creator of the annual Daily

Pilot Cup and Region 97 board member. “If you have never played

soccer before, you won’t have the first idea of how to run a

practice. You can’t just throw balls out there because not everyone

will be happy. An unhappy parent will realize you’re not getting

anything accomplished.”

AYSO provides free volunteer training whether it be for a coach,

referee, commissioner, safety officer or field supervisor and some

regions provide a paid-training program that presents a more in-depth

lesson.

Region 120 features a training program called “Super,” a joint

session with UC Irvine, which gives 300 to 500 AYSO coaches

instruction by “experienced professionals,” Zich said.

“In AYSO, everyone plays, it’s not like club,” Zich said. “AYSO is

about positive sportsmanship and positive coaching.”

Volunteering can be a substantial time commitment, said McIntosh,

who also coaches a club team.

“The commissioner is a difficult and time-consuming job,” he said.

“You have to organize and go to all of the meetings, set up the

fields and deal with the city vendors.”

And Anish put in his time, according to McIntosh.

“Tony Anish wanted to take the region to a higher level,” he said.

“I got e-mails from him sent at 1 or 2 in the morning. He would line

the fields and [officiate] games. He devoted numerous hours [to

AYSO], far more than anyone else in the region.”

During the season, McIntosh spends an average of eight hours a

week between coaching and attending board meetings.

But it is time well spent in his eyes.

“Coaching for me is enjoyable,” he said. “I have a stressful

occupation (attorney), so it’s my way of releasing some of that. I

look forward to it.”

*

Phillip Greenberg, a coach for the last five seasons and current

board member for Region 57, which covers Corona del Mar, was

initially “disgusted” when he heard about the recent lawsuit, but

remains confident in the thrust of volunteers that make AYSO tick.

During the season, Greenberg, the region’s director of fields,

will spend eight to 10 hours a week on AYSO-related endeavors.

Job descriptions are laid out for positions such as regional

commissioner to team parent to referee scheduler to snack bar buyer,

all given by the AYSO National Support and Training Center.

Part of the difficulty in oversight is the constant change in

volunteers every year, McIntosh said.

“The members on the board change all the time,” McIntosh said.

“Your child might be in [AYSO], but then goes into club, so the

parents aren’t interested in volunteering any longer.”

Confidence by both Zich, Greenberg and McIntosh centers on the

commitment of the volunteers who show up at the beginning of every

soccer season eagerly awaiting a chance to help out.

“[Soccer] has been such a popular sport in this area ... there

will be a great deal of fallout and a lot of people will be left

wondering,” Greenberg said of the recent lawsuit. “But there is a

good enough program that in the long run, everything will be fine.”