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17

Nov, 2016

Strong community support keeps AYSO kicking

When the year began, the future of youth soccer in Malibu was in question.

As children aged out of the program or moved off, volunteerism was said to have dwindled and rumors began to circulate of closing American Youth Soccer Organization Region 759.

However, the program not only appears to have survived for another year, but is beginning to thrive. For the first time since 1998, Malibu AYSO won a section title. The boys and girls Under-16 teams claimed the Section 10 titles on Nov. 13 in Bakersfield after previously winning both the region and area. The boys U16 team finish the season undefeated (14-0), while the girls’ final record is 16-1-1.

“It’s enormous for a program that was on a brink, for the kids to rally together and pull it back,” said Curtis Augspurger, regional commissioner. “We’ve got a great group of kids and they really played well. The parents showed up. We had a couple of hundred fans up there.”

The changes began in the spring when leadership was handed over to Augspurger and a new board. Being a soccer parent himself, Augspurger and the board rallied the parents and volunteers.

“There’s a strong enthusiasm,” he said. “There’s a strong parental support, and it’s just great that we’ve been able to keep Malibu soccer local. If we didn’t have AYSO here, it would fracture off with the kids going over the hill to Santa Monica or Palisades.”

Registration for 2016 began in April and by the time the season began in August, registration was up 6 percent from the previous year with more than 600 kids making up nearly 60 teams. The playing fields are now covered with volunteers, technology for communication has been updated and teams are competing in the playoffs this month.“

The biggest success is that we’re still playing soccer in Malibu,” Augspurger said. “We rallied the troops and everybody came together in a solid way … The volunteerism that people thought was down, I’ve not experienced. I’ve seen an enormous outpouring of positive community support, and everyone picks up the task when needed.”

But the success of the year is not just that Malibu AYSO had another season. Augspurger and the Malibu AYSO board rebuilt the program’s mentorship program, hosted clinics for young athletes on a weekly basis and connected with Pepperdine University’s women’s soccer program for clinics and to participate at Waves soccer events as National Anthem Buddies and 5v5 halftime scrimmages — all of which aim to encourage growth in the younger divisions.

“It was really good exposure for the aspiration of our kids to see solid mentorship from older kids playing in the local community,” Augspurger said.

Augspurger said another one of those aspirational moments was the teams’ success this season. Not only did the boys and girls U16 teams win a sectional title, but the girls U19 team advanced to the sectional tournament last weekend in Bakersfield. The boys U11Extra and girls U14Extra both finished third in their area tournaments in Bakersfield and await a possible invite to a tournament in Arizona. The top three U14 boys teams from Malibu also advanced to their area playoffs this season, which will be played in December. The boys and girls U10 and U12 teams wrapped up their home schedules this past weekend with their regional tournaments played at Malibu High School, Juan Cabrillo Elementary School and Bluffs Park.

As the 2016 season winds down, Augspurger aims to maintain and grow the program, which has built relationships between children from different schools, and in some cases, different communities.

“Offering a program that people want to be a part of and want to continue on in is one of primary goals. At the end of the day, this is about having fun,” he said. “Soccer becomes this love and passion … We’re looking to keep that environment intact so that those friendships can continue to foster and grow as our kids do.”

For more information about AYSO in Malibu, visit MalibuAYSO.org.

Website Manager

Malibu AYSO

News Detail

17

Nov, 2016

Strong community support keeps AYSO kicking

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