Despite adversity, local AYSO program stays committed to their kids’ development

In 2020, non-profit soccer organization AYSO Region 2 was preparing to be recognized by the Arcadia City Council. The reason? They were celebrating their 55th year of operating and providing youth soccer opportunities to several cities throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the group from receiving such recognition. More than that, though, the virus stopped AYSO Region 2 from continuing to give a platform for kids to compete on the soccer field due to the county’s restrictive guidelines at the time.

Nevertheless, the community was still committed to making sure that local kids would continue to have soccer as an outlet – especially at a time where kids lost a multitude of developmental outlets. Hence why AYSO Region 2 became the first program under the AYSO bubble to make a return to the field that August.

The transition was not easy, as the program needed to follow safety protocols in order to make a return; meaning daily temperature checks and testing, along with masking and social distancing. For Marc Wymar, who is the program’s coach administrator along with an executive board member, it was the community’s commitment that made the return from COVID possible.

“We had to follow guidelines that made it incredibly difficult,” Wymar said. “When we needed to mandate testing, that’s exactly what we did. When we needed the kids to wear masks, that’s what we did. And it was the work of our phenomenal volunteer groups, and the community core in general, that made it possible.”

Now better than ever, AYSO Region 2 is beginning to see pre-pandemic success and beyond. After several months of not being able to recruit new kids to join the non-profit program, those efforts are accelerating and they are seeing results – as the number of both kids and volunteers are steadily increasing.

The biggest motivator for the program’s continued success, according to Regional Commissioner Matthew Hartley, is the group’s mantra being spoken into existence.

“For us, it is all about development over winning,” Hartley said. “That is our focus. And I believe it is the biggest difference between us (AYSO Region 2) and other programs. It’s what soccer and team sports are all about in my opinion.”

This commitment to development, not just as athletes but as individuals, differs from the normal protocol that individual club soccer takes; a system that requires players to pay thousands of dollars just to join, while primarily focusing on their skills on the pitch more than their skills off of it.

“When it comes to club soccer, a lot of these clubs aren’t trying to have a balanced team; they want a monster team,” Wymar said. “For AYSO, we want a complete league that has equal competition and opportunity between each team. Nothing is promised when it comes to club soccer, but here we want to promise families that their kids will fully embrace competitive youth soccer and be an important part of a team.”

Ultimately, this shift in perspective is very much represented by AYSO Region 2, as well as nearly every AYSO program in the county. Organizers and volunteers don’t want to see families pay hundreds of dollars, drive multiple hours for tournaments, only to see their kids play during garbage time of each match. For Hartley, AYSO’s desire to let every kid play substantial minutes is what helps them stand out – and what has allowed them to keep such consistent and steady success.

“We are blessed to have phenomenal city and school district partners here. The area has grown and evolved over 55-plus years, but our experience is that this continues to be a generous community full of people willing to volunteer their time for the kids of Region 2,” Hartley mentioned.

The passion for these kids and this program is instrumountably vital to the standing that AYSO has in the community. In fact, the soccer program is a closely held tradition for several board members. Both Hartley and Wymar have seen their children embrace their own AYSO opportunity, and the childrens’ growth that has come along with the experience is continued motivation for these appointees to make sure that AYSO Region 2 provides the highest quality of youth soccer possible.

It is a business model that is prioritizing the kid’s development as human beings, and it is the hunger from the local San Gabriel Valley community that makes AYSO so unique.

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