Volunteering

Volunteers are the building blocks of our organization. We are an all-volunteer organization; Northside Chicago AYSO exists due to the dedication of our parent volunteers. Every coach, referee, and board member  you see on the fields and in our organization is also a parent. Without an adequate number of volunteers, Northside Chicago AYSO will be unable to continue.

We always have a standing need for coaches, assistant coaches, referees, team parents, field crew, and staffing for special events (typically coaches and referees especially). AYSO provides free training to all prospective coaches and referees, so knowledge of the game is not a requirement. All that is needed is enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and an interest in the rewards of working with children.

The following email addresses can be used for more information about the various volunteer opportunities:

• Coaching
• Refereeing
• Field Striping
• Other Volunteer Positions

Special note for high school students

Northside Chicago American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is looking for you! We currently have hour-for-hour approved volunteer opportunities for CPS students.

If you are a non-CPS student, and are interested in this opportunity, please contact your school to seek approval prior to registering.

Use the same email addresses as above to followup on specific opportunities.

How do I volunteer?

• Login to the system or if you don't have an account create a new one.
• In the left menu click on the volunteer icon.
• Click on the 'Find Volunteer Roles' link on top.
• Sign up for one of the volunteer positions.

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Coach Administrator/Trainer
The coach administrator/trainer is responsible for the training and certification of our volunteer coaches. Provide training for uncertified coaches. Attends staff training, board meetings, and the Annual Section Meeting.
Time Commitment: approx. 60 hrs/year.

Special Events Coordinator
Coordinates and oversees all of the region's special events including picture day, the region barbeque and trophy day.
Time commitment: 10 - 15 hrs/year.

Division Manager
The division manager is the board liaison to the coaches, is involved in the team balancing and team formation process, assigns and oversees coaches, organizes the Fall Division meeting, works with coaches on uniforms, training, game schedules, and other division tasks as necessary. A Division Administrator is needed for each of the following divisions: U19 Boys, U19 Girls, U14 Boys, U14 Girls, U12 Boys U12 Girls, U10 Boys, U10 Girls, U8 Boys, U8 Girls, and U6/5 Coed. Attends staff training (1x), board meetings, Annual Section Meeting.
Time commitment: approx. 30 hrs/year.

Coach A coach participates on game days, holds team practices, teaches game fundamentals to the players, and helps players develop good sportsmanship. Attends Fall Division meeting, Spring Coach meeting, coach training, and weekly practices and games.
Time commitment: 2-3 hrs/week per season
Knowledge of the game is not essential to volunteer as a coach or referee.

Assistant Coach
The Asst. Coach assists the coach in his responsibilities at practices and games, and stands in for coach when necessary. Attends coach training, Fall Division meeting, Spring Coach meeting, and weekly practices and games.
Time commitment: 2-3 hrs/week per season.
Knowledge of the game is not essential to volunteer as a coach or referee.

Referee & Youth Referee The FINAL AUTHORITY in every game, the referee arbitrates games, helping players understand why an infraction or penalty is called. At younger levels, referees may show the proper way to do throw-ins, corner kicks, and goal kicks, etc. Attends referee training, and one annual referee meeting. Minimum age to qualify as a youth referee is 12 years of age by Aug. 1st of the playing year.
Time Commitment: 1-3 hours on game days
Knowledge of the game is not essential to volunteer as a coach or referee.

Team Manager
The team manager assists the coach and asst. coach as necessary, distributes information, etc. to the parent, coordinates snacks, picks up trophies or picture orders, etc. and is the regional liaison to the team.
Time commitment: approx. 1.5 hours per week.

Field Maintenance
Responsible for measuring and striping the playing fields prior to the fall and spring seasons. Check fields weekly and restripe when necessary.
Time commitment: approx. 2.0 hours per week.

BOARD POSITIONS

Regional Commissioner
he "Commish" runs the organization. S/he is responsible to the National organization for all the goes on in the Region. S/he is a member of the national board, so has voting rights for changes to the National Rules and By Laws. This is a required position by National. This is by far the most time consuming position, since s/he has responsibility for everything.

Assistant Commissioner
The Assistant Commissioner is like any vice president position, s/he takes over for the Commissioner in the event of absence. S/he may also have particular duties such as keeping the scores and any thing else the Commish and Board directs.

Treasurer
The Treasurer keeps the books and writes the checks, as with any other organization. All refunds must go through the treasurer, so s/he must receive a note in writing stating intent to quit. The rules governing refunds can be read in the Region By-Laws. This is a required position by National and the incumbent cannot be related to the Commissioner.

Safety Director
The Safety Director is responsible for safety in the region. S/he must assure that the fields are in a safe condition and make sure the appropriate forms are available and filled out in the case of injury. This is a required position by National.

Regional Registrar
The Registrar is responsible for all registration material, registration advertising, managing the registrations, and getting all players and volunteers registered. The registrar must keep a database of all current players and update the National database on a periodic basis. This is the second most time consuming job on the Board. It requires a considerable amount of time especially starting several months before the season and lasting through the first couple of month.

Coach Administrator
The Coach Administrator is responsible for recruiting coaches, training them, mentoring them through the season, and keeping them informed. S/he is assisted by the Division Coordinators, of which there is one for each of the following: U19 Boys, U19 Girls, U14 Boys, U14 Girls, U12 Boys U12 Girls, U10 Boys, U10 Girls, U8 Boys, U8 Girls, and U6/5 Coed. Their job is to help the Coach Administrator in performing this very important job. This job grows as the Region grows, because of the large number of teams.

Field and Equipment Director
The Field and Equipment Director is responsible to work with the various government or school organizations that own the facilities, inventory and replace field equipment, and make sure the fields are ready for playing on game days. This is probably one of the most important but also the most thankless jobs that requires a lot of dedication and patience.

Child Protection Advocate
The Child Protection Advocate is responsible for administering the registration of all volunteers for the Region. The Child Protection Advocate is responsible to file a copy of the registrations with the National Support & Training Center and maintain a copy in a secure location. The Child Protection Advocate is responsible for investigating any volunteer that exhibits suspicious behavior. This is a required board position.