Hello Parents and Croton AYSO Soccer Community,

Welcome back to AYSO!! We hope all is well with all of you and your loved ones, and that you are keeping safe and healthy. We are thrilled to offer your children the opportunity to play soccer again in Croton this Spring 2021!

Please read carefully the following updates of what to expect for the new season:

1. The Spring season will start on Saturday, April 10 and run through Sunday, June 20. 

2. The first Sunday, April 11th all Core AYSO teams (U7, U8, U10, U12 and U14) will scrimmage at home, similar to the Fall. 

3. This season there will be a regular game schedule (home & away) for U10-U14 vs. towns outside Croton. U5-U8 teams will play the same format as the Fall (do not play outside).

4. The first games vs. towns outside Croton for U10 through U14 Core teams will be Sunday, April 18th. The full game schedule will be available after April 12th. 

5. There are NO games for Core AYSO teams on Sunday, May 9 (Mother’s Day) or Sunday, May 30 (Memorial Day weekend).

6. The Safety Protocols will be the same as the Fall – all players, coaches, refs and parents MUST wear masks on the field to promote safe participation. This includes all players/visitors from teams outside Croton that use our fields. Please contact your coach if you have questions/concerns about the protocols and your child participating in the program.

7. Practice times and locations in the Spring may be different from the Fall due to other sports requiring access to fields. Coaches will reach out to confirm.

8. There are limited opportunities for players to join existing teams.  At this time, girls not already on teams in grades 3-7 are invited to sign up on the Croton AYSO website. For registration questions, please email reg@crotonsoccer.org

9. Club teams (Croton FC) teams will play in the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL). The first Club games will be on Sunday, April 11th.

10. Tryouts for Club teams for the Fall 2021 season will be on Saturday, May 15th.

More details will be provided as we get closer to the start of the season. For the latest updates please check the Croton AYSO website at www.crotonsoccer.org and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CrotonAYSO/. 

Lastly as a reminder, AYSO is a 100% volunteer organization and we encourage every parent to volunteer to help support the program. 

Thank you and looking forward to a great Spring season!

Croton Soccer Board

Dear Parents,

Spring will be a continuation of the Fall with the same teams and coaches.

While we’re planning on a spring season, everything is subject to regulations due to Covid.

We’ll provide an update as soon as we learn more.  

Thank you.

Croton AYSO has been and always will be about community soccer, and now is our time to step up for the families we serve. Things may look a lot different than what we are used to, but the one constant we want to ensure is the outcome – happy, active children, enjoying the beautiful game.

With that, we’d like to remind players and parents that we released COVID-19 Safety Protocols and the onset of the season. Particularly, we’d like to point out that there should be only one masked parent/guardian attending practices and games. We fully appreciate how much fun it is to have family such as grandparents and siblings watch the kids play, but these rules are for everyone’s safety. We cannot stress enough that the health of our community requires safe and proactive actions by all players, parents, and coaches.

Thank you,
The Croton AYSO Board

Welcome back Croton AYSO families,

We’re thrilled to be back on the field and can’t wait until all our teams are out there. We know that times are uncertain and there will be inevitable disruptions & changes as we adapt to a Covid-19 world. We’re committed to bringing Croton soccer safely back to our kids but we need your help.

How?

1. Follow the safety guidelines
2. Be a responsible sports parent
3. Continue to be patient & flexible
4. Volunteer

It’s critical that we all follow all the safety guidelines to protect our children, coaches and community. Detailed guidelines were sent out via email to all parents and can be found here.

Please be a responsible sports parent. Read AYSO emails & coach communication and respond when asked. Drop off/pick-up players quickly and reinforce the safety rules. Check the website & Facebook page for updates. Make sure your child comes to practice prepared.

Thank you for being patient & flexible thus far. There are a lot of unknowns and we’re all doing the best we can to safely navigate changing situations. We follow school closings and as in yesterday’s cancellation of PVC-age practices (U11 club, U12, U14), some decisions are made with little notice but with our kids’ safety in mind.

We are a 100% volunteer organization and we need support on & off the field. We’re always looking for coaching help and have several board members retiring this year. Please email aysocrotonunited@gmail.com and reg@crotonsoccer.org for a list of open board positions or if you’re interested in coaching.

Finally, thank you to all the coaches & volunteers who helped get the season going. It literally takes a village and we are very appreciative of ours!

Wishing everyone a great season!

Thank you,

Croton AYSO Board, Region 455

Hello Croton Soccer Families,

We’re excited for fall soccer to begin this Saturday, 9/26!

Teams have been formed and coaches are in the process of reaching out to all parents. Please be patient as there have been a lot of adjustments given new safety rules, field changes and late player registrations.

If you have not heard from your coach yet and you’ve got a confirmed registration, don’t worry, it’s coming. If you are unsure of your child’s registration status, you can check by logging into your Sports Connect account. On your Dashboard page under your player name’s, you should see a red bar with the registration program (2020/2021 AYSO Core) and the appropriate division (e.g. U14 Girls Born 2008 or 2007). Assuming you see that and if you have already submitted payment or do not have an outstanding balance, your child’s registration is active.

All players should come to practice with cleats, shinguards, water bottle and an appropriately sized soccer ball labeled with their name. Size 3 soccer balls are for U5/U6/U7/U8, size 4 for U10/U12 and size 5 for U14)

As a reminder, all players & parents are to wear face masks and adhere to all social distancing guidelines at all AYSO events. More updates will follow so please monitor the Croton AYSO website and Facebook page.

Thank you,

Croton AYSO Board

Hello Croton Soccer Families,

Please complete payment for the 2020/2021 AYSO year by 9/8 (including all wait-listed registrations as those are now activated). Also, please remember to volunteer as a coach or assistant coach. Maintaining regulation team sizes will be critical this year, so we need as many coaches as we can get. 

See Fall Season Update and Payment Registration Deadline information here:

AYSO Fall 2020 Payment and Team Formation

Hello Croton Soccer Families,

We hope this update finds you healthy & safe. We’re posting the below email communication that went out in late July via SportsConnect (the online registration system replacing Blue Sombrero). We are in still in wait mode until we can confirm the fall season but a reminder that if you complete your child’s no-fee early registration by 8/14, you will be entered into the gift card drawing.

The no-fee registration period has been extended to Monday, 8/24 given the power outage situation throughout the village. Please note, ALL registrations will be put on the waitlist and when we have Fall season confirmation, we will activate all players who register prior by 8/24.

***** From 7/24 email *****

Fall 2020 – No-Fee Early Registration Open
We’re looking ahead to the Fall. In reality, there are more unknowns than knowns.  Many of things we take as given in a normal Fall – access to school, village and County fields, signing up for tournaments, training youth refs, recruiting parent coaches, forming teams – all those things are now unknown.  With that, we want to be ready for the Fall in case things do open up; whether that means being able to have a regular season, or some kind of modified one.  

Setting up a season takes time, and it starts with gauging how many kids we’re going to have.  We’re therefore opening up a no-money-down registration so we can get a read on the number of expected kids.  Based on the number who sign up – and the guidelines that will be coming through – we’ll start outlining options: maybe limit things to practices that maintain social distancing; maybe have games with fewer players on the field.  It’s all up in the air right now, but we’re committed to making something work, and that starts with understanding how many kids are in.  

No Money Down Registration Details:
1. No-money down Registration starts today, and will run through August 17th.
2. Pre-K and VIP annual costs will be $100 (including uniform). 
3. U6 and up annual costs will be $175 (including uniform).
4. AYSO National fee ($20) and Sports Connect transaction fee ($2.75) are separate from Croton AYSO fees. 
5. By late August we will (hopefully) know what’s doable, and will invite all those who registered to complete payment.
6. Bonus incentive: If you register before August 14th (and complete payment in late August), we will include you in a drawing to win one of eight $25 gift cards.

How To Register:

1. Go to: https://www.ayso455.org/region455

2. Blue Sombrero is now Sports Connect. All account information should have transferred over so parents should be able to just use their old account login/password.
3. Everyone will be registered onto a waitlist, and the confirmation note will reflect that. 
4. Please send any questions or concerns to: reg@crotonsoccer.org 

You don’t need to pay to register (yet), and you’ll help us do the planning that’s needed.  There will be a time in our community when it’s okay to get our players back onto the fields, and we want to be ready.  So, do something normal-ish and sign-up your kid for soccer.

Thank you,

Croton AYSO Soccer

Dear Parents,
We want to assure you that AYSO takes the health and well-being of our players, volunteers and supporters very seriously. Like you, we’re closely monitoring the quickly developing effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Per AYSO National direction and given today’s NY state government declarations, all soccer activities including practices, training, matches, and tournaments have been postponed. This policy will remain in place until further notice and we will be following government directives on avoiding non-essential gatherings. We plan to reassess this position in mid-April and will be in communication again.

In the meantime, a way to continue your love for the sport is to check out these resources:

• Getting Started: Soccer Training for Kids at Home (https://soccerinnovations.com/si-blog/soccer-training-for-kids-at-home/) details some fun at-home training tips
• Drills: Check out these soccer drills for kids in this video along with how to get better at soccer by yourself from Simply Soccer on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ERmmge-8GM
• Soccer rebounders are also a great at-home tool
• US Soccer is digging through the archives and posting memorable games, moments and other content from the past on their Facebook page, see here: https://www.facebook.com/officialussoccer
• Participate: Join the AYSO National #StayAtHomeChallenge including team challenges, activity ideas, books and crafts, classic MLS soccer, virtual stadium tours, movie reccos and much, much more, here: https://ayso.org/ayso-resources-what-to-do-during-your-break-from-the-soccer-field/

Sincerely,

Croton AYSO Board, Region 455

Hello Croton AYSO families,

We hope your new year is off to a great start! The spring season is a couple months away and the AYSO board members and coaches are in the midst of coordinating logistics. In the meantime, a few reminders & updates:

• Registration is for the full 2019/2020 academic year and includes both Fall ’19 and Spring ’20 seasons. If you played in the fall, there’s no need to re-register as you’re already enrolled for the spring season.
• Same teams, same coaches for Spring ’20 as in Fall ’19
• Practice times generally stay the same pending coach availability
• The season is expected to run from early April to mid June; exact dates will be shared once confirmed.
• Registration for new players is open year round for the VIP (Very Important Player/Special Needs) and Under 5/Jamboree divisions. For all other divisions (U6-U14), we maintain a first come, first serve waitlist with activation off of waitlist pending space availability. To register for VIP/U5 or U6-U14 waitlists for the spring season, please go to the registration tab (https://crotonsoccer.org/information/registration/) for information and link to online registration platform.

For more updates, please check back on this site and follow Croton AYSO on Facebook.

Thank you!

Croton AYSO Board

Reminder that AYSO Picture Day is tomorrow (10/26) and pre-orders are due today (10/25) by 9p EST! Detailed info on picture day including team schedule and entrance location (PVC Door #3) can be found at https://crotonsoccer.org/information/picture-day/.

Picture pre-order link is https://preorder.groupphotographers.com/#/wo/702808

There will be a donation box for old CLEAN soccer uniforms if you’d like to help us donate to PeacePassers.org. Only Croton AYSO jerseys, shorts or socks please; no cleats or other uniforms.

And remember, no cleats or balls please!

See you tomorrow!

Picture day schedule is up on the Picture Day 2019 tab (https://crotonsoccer.org/information/picture-day/). Please note a very important change – all pictures will take place at PVC Middle School (3 Glen Place) in the 3rd Floor Gym.

Please use the pre-order link if you’re ordering pictures to help make the day go smoothly. And, as in years prior – no cleats or soccer balls please.

A reminder that there are no games this weekend (10/13) and Saturday practice is at coaches’ discretion so please check with your team. Also, for U10-U14 teams, please continue to check game schedules on Blue Sombrero weekly as there can be updates during the season.

Also upcoming – Picture Day! AYSO pictures for all teams will be held on Saturday, October 26th at PVC Middle School (not CET). Picture schedule and link to pre-ordering will be shared as soon as ready so please check back on this website closer to the date.

Hello Croton AYSO families,

Welcome back to fall soccer! We’re excited to start the Croton AYSO CORE fall season and hope everyone enjoys the first day. All registered players should have received team assignments and practice times from their coaches. We have an active waitlist for all divisions (excluding VIP & U5 which are year round enrollment) and we will contact waitlist players if space opens up throughout the season.

Uniforms will be distributed during opening weekend. Since the old Croton uniform has been officially retired, we are coordinating a uniform drive to donate gently used team sets to communities who can reuse the gear. We’ll send more information out on that soon and if you’d like to help, please let us know at reg@crotonsoccer.org.

As a reminder, all players should come to every practice/game with water, cleats, shin guards and the appropriate size soccer ball (size 3 for U5/U6/U7/U8, size 4 for U10/U12, size 5 for U14).

Finally, if you haven’t already, please sign up for the RainedOut notification system (sign up button is on the right side of the http://www.crotonsoccer.org home page) to receive alerts on field closings and practice/game cancellations. 

Thank you and looking forward to a great soccer season,

Croton AYSO Board

Hello AYSO families!

We’re excited to start the fall season in September. We are working on team assignments and laying out practice & game schedules over the next few weeks. In the meantime, please note the following:

Registration for the 2019/2020 AYSO CORE season is now closed for all divisions with the exception of U5/Jamboree and our Very Important Player (VIP) programs which accept registrations year round. The waitlist is open for all other U6-U14 players who did not register but would still like to play. Activation off the waitlist is dependent on space availability and on a first come, first served basis. To sign up for the waitlist, please register on our online platform (https://www.ayso455.org/region455).

Key dates for the fall AYSO CORE season are below – please note, dates are subject to change as many details are still being worked out.

• Team assignments & practice schedules/locations will be confirmed towards the end of the week of 9/2
• Game schedules/locations will be released as soon as AYSO regional finalizes them
• First CORE practices are on Saturday, 9/14
• First CORE games for U7, U8, U10, U12, U14 divisions are on Sunday, 9/15
• No CORE games will be held on 10/13
• Picture day will be 10/26 (both club & CORE)
• Last CORE games for U7 & U8 is tentatively set for Sunday, 11/10
• Last CORE games for U10-U14 are on Sunday, 11/17

Croton FC (club soccer) season schedule is slightly different and will be communicated directly from the club team coaches.

All players should come to every practice/game with water, cleats, shin guards and the appropriate size soccer ball (size 3 for U5/U6/U7/U8, size 4 for U10/U12, size 5 for U14).

Lastly, please sign up for the RainedOut notification system (sign up button is on the right side of the http://www.crotonsoccer.org home page) to receive alerts on field closings and practice/game cancellations. Please also make sure your email system does not filter out emails from Blue Sombrero as it’s our primary communication method for Croton AYSO-wide news.

Thank you and looking forward to a great soccer season!

Croton AYSO Board

Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer! Important reminder – registration for AYSO Core 2019/2020 season (which includes both the Fall ’19 and Spring ’20 seasons) will close on Friday, August 23, 2019. The exceptions are the Very Important Player (VIP) and U5/Jamboree divisions which are rolling admission through the year.

For more information on pricing, age divisions (including our new younger age groupings by grade level (K-2nd grade) and link to online registration system, please check out https://crotonsoccer.org/information/registration/.

Please note, only registrations received by August 23 are guaranteed placement on a team. Any registrations after that date will be automatically placed on the waitlist. Activation off the waitlist is pending space and on a first come, first served basis. Any waitlist placements will be done after the season start.

We always need coaches, particularly for the younger divisions. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Yariv Alpher, Coach Coordinator at yarivalpher@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Croton AYSO Board

Thanks to everyone for a great spring season. Special thanks goes to the amazing coaches & volunteers who devoted their time and energy to making 2018/2019 fantastic. Croton AYSO is a 100% volunteer-run organization and their effort & patience helps make sure the 425+ kids enrolled get a quality soccer experience. Thank you!

Registration is now open for the 2019/2020 season. Early bird rates are in effect until July 7th. The last day to register for ’19/’20 is August 23rd. Please go to the Registration page (https://crotonsoccer.org/information/registration/) for details on divisions, pricing and link to the online registration system.

Coach recruitment is also underway. If you’d like to coach next year or have questions, please email us at reg@crotonsoccer.org.

Thank you again to everyone involved in Croton AYSO. Have a great summer!

Croton AYSO Board

Thank you to everyone who came out for Croton United ’19/’20 team tryouts on April 30th and May 7th. We anticipate making final decisions by May 15th or sooner. Decision notification will be through Blue Sombrero email so please make sure filters do not inadvertently mark the email as spam. General information on schedules, weekly commitment and fees can be found at https://crotonsoccer.org/information/croton-club/.

Registration for Croton AYSO CORE for the ’19/’20 season will open on May 20th. CORE is Croton AYSO’S main program (no tryouts required) and is separate from Croton United (club soccer).

Tryouts for the ‘19/’20 Croton United teams were held on April 30th and will continue on Saturday, May 4th. Players do not have to attend both dates but it is encouraged. If your child missed the Tuesday April 30th session, they can still tryout at the May 4th session but need to register prior. Please email reg@crotonsoccer.org as soon as possible. There is no fee to try out and more details on Croton United can be found at https://crotonsoccer.org/information/croton-club/.

Please make sure your player arrives at least 15 minutes prior to session start and comes equipped with cleats, shin guards, ball and water.

Tryout times on Saturday, May 4^th are listed below.

• Boys & Girls U10 (Birth Year ‘10/’11) from 9a-10:15a
• Boys & Girls U11/U12 (Birth Year ‘08/’09) from 10:30a-11:30a
• Girls U13 (Birth Year ’07) from 10:30a-11:30a

If bad weather or field conditions necessitate canceling tryouts, we will send notification via Blue Sombrero email and Rained Out text alert on Saturday morning. Please make sure the Croton AYSO Blue Sombrero email address is not flagged as spam and that you are signed up for the Rained Out text alert which can be found on the Croton AYSO webpage (https://crotonsoccer.org/).

If Saturday tryouts are cancelled, they’ll likely be rescheduled for the following week. Based on trainer availability it will be either Tuesday, 5/7 or Thursday, 5/9 but we will confirm.

Welcome back from Spring Break AYSO Parents! Two updates to the Croton AYSO program on Croton United (club soccer) and AYSO Core (main program).

Tryouts for Croton United ‘19/’20:

Tryouts for the ‘19/’20 Croton United teams will be held next week. Players do not have to attend both dates but it is encouraged. Please have your player arrive at least 15 minutes prior to session start to distribute pinnies. All players must register to tryout on Blue Sombrero (http://ayso.bluesombrero.com/region455) by Sunday, April 28^th. There is no fee to try out and more details on Croton United can be found at https://crotonsoccer.org/information/croton-club/.

‘19/’20 Croton United Tryout Schedule

Tuesday, April 30^th

• Boys & Girls U10 (Birth Year ‘10/’11) from 5p to 6:15p
• Boys & Girls U11/U12 (Birth Year ‘08/’09) from 6:30p-7:30p
• Girls U13 (Birth Year ’07) from 6:30p-7:30p

Saturday, May 4th

• Boys & Girls U10 (Birth Year ‘10/’11) from 9a-10:15a
• Boys & Girls U11/U12 (Birth Year ‘08/’09) from 10:30a-11:30a
• Girls U13 (Birth Year ’07) from 10:30a-11:30a

AYSO ‘19/’20 CORE Program:

Registration for next year’s CORE program will open on May 6^th on Blue Sombrero (http://ayso.bluesombrero.com/region455). No tryouts are required for the CORE program.

Opening weekend for the Spring ’19 AYSO Core season is here and we’re excited to see everyone on the field! Please check this site and the Croton AYSO Facebook page for updates throughout the season. We’ll also send AYSO-wide information through Blue Sombrero emails so please make sure they’re not getting caught in spam filters. Most importantly, please sign up for the Rained Out alert (look to your right for sign up button >>>) as it’s our primary way of sending weather-related cancellation notices.

Coming soon … Croton United (travel soccer) tryouts (end of April/early May) and registration for the 2019/2020 season (mid May)

Croton AYSO Core spring season starts next week (April 6 is 1st practice). You should have received an email from your coach but just as reminder:

– Same teams as in the fall
– Most practice times/locations remain the same but there are a couple of changes (check the schedule page for updated times)
– For U8/U10/U12/U14 divisions, games will begin on Sunday, April 7. Game schedules are still being finalized but there will be no Sunday games on April 21, May 12 or May 26. Saturday practices on those weekends will be at coaches’ discretion.

All players should come to practice with cleats, shin guards, water bottle and an age appropriate soccer ball (Size 3 for U5/U6/U8, Size 4 for U10/U12, Size 5 for U14). Also please remember that the U5/U6 divisions are not drop off.

Thank you and looking forward to a great spring season!
Croton AYSO Board

Spring season begins in early April so please look out for communication from your coach. As a reminder for all:

• Your registration covers the full academic year (Fall ’18 & Spring ’19) so there is no need to re-register for spring.
• Same divisions, same teams.
• While most practice times will remain the same, there may be a few adjustments for some teams. We are finalizing practice schedules now and will update on the website in the next few weeks.
• If you have not already, please sign up for the Rained Out Alert for field closing updates.

Looking forward to a great spring season!

Winter Clinic 2019 will hold it’s last session this Saturday, March 2nd (weather permitting). Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help with check-in!

For our AYSO Core registered players, the Core spring season will be kicking off in early April. Look for an email from your coach for more details. As a reminder, you do not have to renew for the spring as your fall registration covers both the Fall ’18/Spring ’19 seasons.

We hope everyone’s ready for a great fall season! Registration is now closed and practices & games start in a few weeks. Team assignments, practice schedules & locations are being finalized and will be communicated during the week of 9/3. In general, all AYSO Core practices are on Saturdays with games on Sundays for U8 & above.

Please note the following key dates for Fall 2018:

• Saturday, 9/8: First AYSO Core practice
• Sunday, 9/15: First game for U8, U10, U12 and U14 divisions (no Sunday games for VIP, U5-Jamboree or U6)
• Sunday, 10/8: No Sunday games (note – Saturday practice at coaches’ discretion)
• Saturday, 10/13: Picture Day at CET (online order form & schedule to be emailed)
• Sunday, 11/11: Last game of the fall season (tentative/pending final league confirmation)

Uniforms will be distributed at the first practice. For all practices, please make sure your child comes equipped with soccer cleats, shin guards, water bottle and an age appropriate soccer ball (Size 3 for U5/U6/U8, Size 4 for U10/U12, Size 5 for U14). Please also sign up for the Field Closing Notifications on the website (www.crotonsoccer.org) as weather cancellations are communicated via RainedOut texts.

As a reminder, U5 is parent-assisted. U6/U8 are not drop off and parents/guardians should remain close to the field in case assistance is needed.

Finally, please keep in mind that Croton AYSO is a 100% volunteer-run organization. We need volunteers for all groups but most urgently need coaches in the U6, U8 and U10 divisions. No previous experience is necessary, just a team-oriented attitude and willingness to create a positive environment for our kids. We also need volunteer youth game referees for the U8 division. If you’ve got an older child looking for community service hours, this is a perfect low commitment opportunity for them. Please email reg@crotonsoccer.org if you can help.

Thank you and looking forward to a great season!

Croton AYSO Board