Kicking, screaming: It's almost AYSO soccer season

Ah, the pounding of little cleats on Bermuda. The grimaces of sweaty, cherubic faces. The imploring screams of over-amped coaches. The gently scolding tone of embarrassed coaches' spouses. Yes, it's the youth soccer season once again.

And against my better judgment, I'm right in the middle of it.

Program organizers couldn't convince anyone to coach my 9-year-old's team so, somewhat reluctantly, I stepped forward.

If they'd known what they were getting they might have pretended not to notice. Here I am, still grappling with the subtleties of soccer's offside rule and now I'm faced with trying to explain it to my 10 little dirt-streaked Thunderbolts.

I'd like to think a few other volunteer coaches are dealing with similar issues. If I'm wrong I'd prefer not to know.

But that's AYSO, the American Youth Soccer Organization, a 41-year-old phenomenon that packs regional parks all over the country this time of year. Kern County alone is home to 13 divisions, or regions as they're called, including four in Bakersfield. Several local regions began play on Saturday; most will be in action by Labor Day.

Without volunteers, knowledgeable or not, AYSO would be nonexistent. And without AYSO or something like it, we might have 9,000 Kern County kids blinking vacantly at their Xbox screens every Saturday morning.

That's impact.

Youth sports volunteerism can be a beautiful thing. Except when it's not. From time to time, AYSO regional boards implode from personality friction or burnout, but inevitably they bloom again like midfield dandelions. Many Kern County AYSO regions have been in business for 20 years or more, a testimony to the power of patience and diplomacy.

"One year is good. The next year somebody gets mad at somebody," said John Buckley, the assistant commissioner of Tehachapi's thriving AYSO Region 479. "That's just the nature of it."

The thrill of the game and the joy of watching kids grow in physical aptitude and confidence bring many volunteers back.

"Coaching the older kids is fun -- working on strategy and all that," said Gail Jennings, commissioner of Frazier Park's Region 382 and an AYSO volunteer for 19 years. "But the opportunity to see the younger ones do the best they can, keep their heads up and have fun whether they win or lose -- that's the best. That keeps you volunteering."

But finding enough volunteers can be a challenge. AYSO organizations require coaches, referees, concession-stand workers, groundskeepers and first-aid coordinators.

Often they need money, too. Occasionally they need lots of it.

That's the situation for Kern County's largest and oldest AYSO division, Region 73, where I coach. In fact, the group faces the most daunting challenge in its 30-year history.

Region 73 has played its games on the eastern portion of the Cal State Bakersfield campus for two decades, but CSUB intends to develop that acreage in the next two or three years. Region 73 must move.

The city of Bakersfield offered Region 73 two options as a prospective new home: yet-to-be-developed parkland on Stockdale Highway and a larger site on Taft Highway between Gosford and Ashe roads.

The Region 73 board picked the larger, 250-acre site on Taft Highway. Problem is, that site might not be ready for three or four years; the Stockdale site, too small to meet Region 73's needs, might be ready by this time next year.

"We're having trouble reconciling the fact that Cal State has said, 'You've got to be off that land in a year,' with the fact that there won't be any (sewage or water) services out there on Taft Highway for three or four years," said Bakersfield Assistant City Manager Alan Christensen. "We're not sure what they (Region 73) have in mind."

Robert Greco of AYSO Region 73 explains: It's a matter of best-case scenario vs. worst-case scenario.

CSUB's timeline for the development of its east-campus acreage is not set in stone, he said, and the timeline for the development of the city's Taft Highway park may not be, either. If one can be pushed back a little, the other moved up ...

"We are not forecasting any kind of hiatus," Greco said. "There will be no interruption in play for Region 73."

As envisioned, the new Taft Highway park will have space for soccer, golf and baseball/softball. Christensen figures it'll take about $11 million to create 16 full-sized soccer fields -- more in actuality, since many will be smaller, youth-sized fields -- on about 11 acres.

Developers' fees and other city-government sources will pay for much of that, but AYSO Region 73 is in full-steam-ahead fund-raising mode just the same. It has contracted with a local company to sell so-called discount cards, and it's asking its 2,700 players to sell them. These being kids, the organizers are offering prizes and recognition for the best sales jobs.

Greco says Region 73 is also writing nonprofit grant proposals and, perhaps most promising, working with a Fortune 500 corporation he won't name on a hopefully soon-to-be-announced $25,000 donation toward development of a new home.

If Region 73 pulls this off, it might represent the greatest feat of soccer volunteerism in these parts yet.

In view of all that, my willingness to shout at a bunch of 8- and 9-year-olds doesn't seem like quite the sacrifice I thought it was. And just as well -- the martyr act was starting wear thin. Besides, we won our first game Saturday. Funny how that helps your mood. The Thunderbolts are ready. Bring it on, world.

Originally published 8/28/2005