Dear Prospective Parent,
We put together some sample questions that we have heard from parents over the years.
Hopefully we addressed most if not all of your questions on this page.
If we have not, do not hesitate to email our Belmont United mailing account (belmont.united@gmail.com) with your question and someone will get back to you with the information you need.
Club Tryout Coordinator
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What does CYSA stand for?
- CYSA stands for California Youth Soccer Association and is a statewide developmental soccer league with 100s of local member soccer clubs.
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- CYSA divides California into 2 Sub-Organizations
- CYSA North (or Cal North) - From roughly Monterrey County to the Northern California border
- CYSA South (or Cal South) - From South of Monterrey County to San Diego
- The Sub Organizations are broken down into districts, to limit team travel
- CYSA North has 9 districts and CYSA South has about the same.
- Large districts are further broken down into North/South or East/West regions.
- CYSA North is the region that Belmont United Soccer Club is a member of, and District 2 is our playing district.
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How are teams organized into different competitive levels?
- CYSA divides club teams into 4 different playing levels by age groups: Copper, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
- CYSA teams' ages are broken by 1 year increment: e.g. U9, U10, U11, U12, etcetera. Unlike in AYSO where the groupings are in 2 year increments.
- Club teams play together year-round, with the main seasons being Fall and Spring.
- Club teams choose which tournaments they want to play in - some tournaments participation eligibility is based on team league records.
- CYSA Players on a team are added through selective tryouts, unlike by registration as in AYSO.
- For ages U8-U11 the tryouts mainly assess whether the player has the right level of maturity to play competitive soccer and is not afraid of the ball.
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What's the difference in coaching level between CYSA and AYSO?
- Coaches in CYSA have to be licensed through the CYSA Coaching program in order to coach teams. The programs in CYSA are sanctioned by the US Youth Soccer Association.
- AYSO has different programs of coaching than CYSA.
- AYSO coaches are volunteers whereas CYSA coaches can be both volunteers or professional coaches hired by the club or team.
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How are CYSA Clubs organized?
- Clubs are usually affiliated with one of California's town(s) or City - Belmont United - Is the local club for Belmont and Redwood Shores.
- Clubs are run by a Board of Directors, and a Management Committee of volunteers elected by the member teams in the club.
- The youngest competitive teams start at U8, and the oldest are U19.
- Players from other cities, or towns, can choose to play for a club that may not be the local club.
- Belmont United has players from Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, etc. playing in our teams.
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What should I do for players younger than U8 or players that want to develop into a competitive team?
- Before U8 we recommend that players participate in the local recreational league or leagues: AYSO for Belmont/Redwood Shores
- We also recommend that players that want to develop into a competitive team, register with Spring Academies and Summer Camps.
- BUSC offers both a Spring Academy, and Summer Camp programs to parents inside and outside of teams. For new players the programs are meant as the initial stepping stone to competitive soccer.
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Can players "play up" an age level?
- We preface that the club policy is for players to play age appropriate, when and were an age appropriate team exists.
- Parents considering having their son/daughter "play up" should consider the following factors:
- Athletic ability - Above average level speed, more aggressive play than other same age players - This because by playing up the player will face faster or more aggressive players.
- Size - Above average size than other same age players - This because by playing up the player will face bigger sized players.
- Skill - Above average skill level than other same age players - That would allow the player to play with older players.
- Grade Attended - A younger player attending the same grade as older players
- A player must possess 2 or more of these 4 factors before considering playing up.
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I don't see an age appropriate team for my son/daughter, does that mean I should not tryout?
- Club-wide tryouts are an opportunity to add players to existing AND new teams - so always come to the tryouts.
- We strive to create a fun atmosphere during the Club-Wide tryouts to make sure players can express their best skills while being evaluated.
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Can you provide information about the Fall and Spring playing season?
- The Fall season starts after Labor day in September, and ends by mid November.
- The Spring season starts at the end of March, and ends by late May or early June.
- Each team plays around 10 games per season.
- Games are usually played on Sundays with an occasional Saturday game.
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How do teams participate in the Club administration?
- Each team has a manager (or managers) - usually one of the team's parents - that participates in the Club monthly meetings.
- The team manager can delegate participation to the Club board meetings to any parent or coach on the team.
- Teams volunteer candidates, and vote for candidates for Club Board and/or Management positions on a yearly basis.
- Teams representatives at Club meetings provide input to the organization, and structuring of BUSC's youth soccer programs.
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