AYSO Alliance

What is the AYSO Alliance Program?

The Alliance program is an opportunity for high performance AYSO teams to play club soccer. The teams register in both AYSO and a local club league, and play against other Alliance, United, and/or club teams. Travel is required.

Alliance was developed primarily for two main environments:

1. An AYSO region that did not have enough neighboring competition, so they could register teams with a local club circuit.
2. A particular EXTRA or Tournament team had outperformed its competition, and wants to graduate to a higher level of club play.

Player Eligibility

Players are selected through tryouts, typically held in February or December, depending on the age group. Club league rules dictate when tryouts can occur.

How is Alliance different than EXTRA?

EXTRA is a gaming circuit that consists of only AYSO teams. The teams play against each other, but stay internal to a particular AYSO Section or group of Sections (like the SCEDSL).

Alliance is designed to plug competitive AYSO teams into an external club gaming circuit. They may only play outside club teams for the duration of their season.

How is Alliance different than United?

United is a structured club program, with hired coaches and sleek club aesthetic. The program has several age groups within each United hub, and there is a strong club cohesiveness. There is a significant upfront registration and gear cost for United.

Alliance teams are typically high-performing groups with dedicated volunteer coaches. Teams that have stuck together for several years, players that can't afford club expenses, and/or coaches that want to retain their team identity are common traits of Alliance teams. The price of Alliance is usually 1/10th the cost of Club soccer. Teams are still required to help their home regions, like with providing board membership or refereeing Core matches.

Regional, Area, and Section Logistics

Alliance combines the best of AYSO and the best of Club soccer, but there are some managerial hurdles to set up.

1. Players and Coaches must be registered AYSO Affinity platform and in the respective state registration association, like CalSouth.
2. Coaches must be registered and certified within AYSO, via ETrainU (formerly AYSOU)
3. Coaches must be registered and certified with USSF as a minimum Grassroots or Class D License.
4. Players will need both AYSO and state-certified ID Cards, like CalSouth.
5. Regions, Areas, or the Section will need to create an Alliance Club, with the intention of registering teams to a local club league or circuit.
6. Coaches will need to register their individual teams to that Alliance Club.
7. Regions will need to provide the minimum number of teams (usually 5 or 6) to construct a "club" for league registration, but that can be supplemented with Area and/or Sectional management.
8. Scheduling matches can be tricky. Club Referees will want several consecutive home games to avoid excessive traveling.

Team application must be completed by May for the following Fall season, and submitted to the Section Alliance President.

More information about Alliance, visit the National website: AYSO Alliance