Six hundred soccer players will be completing kicking passes and scoring goals during Malibu American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) play this season.
Malibu AYSO Regional Commissioner Tim Silvestre said there will about 50 teams within age brackets U5 to U19 competing in the area soccer league when play kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Silvestre said the league has several focuses.
“First and foremost is the kids having fun,” he said. “The second goal is for them to learn the game of soccer and hopefully fall in love with the sport.”
AYSO soccer is the oldest national soccer program in the country. The nonprofit’s goal is to develop and deliver a quality youth soccer program that promotes a fun, family environment.
Silvestre said every youth on a Malibu AYSO team will participate in all of their team’s contests. He said the season will be 10 weeks long. Each weekend there will be 15 to 20 games on athletic fields across Malibu, including Malibu High and Juan Cabrillo Elementary schools, and Bluffs Park.
Silvestre said that players in age groups below U10 will participate in games that will have no goalkeepers and scores will not be kept.
In the U10 to U19 age groups, scores will be recorded and the teams will be allowed to have goalies.
Silvestre, who is also a coach in the league, said potential players still have the opportunity to sign in for play in some divisions.
After the season concludes on Nov. 7, the upper divisions will have playoffs on Nov. 14 and 15. The playoff winners will then compete against teams from nearby areas, including Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, and Agoura, in the Dec. 5-6 and 12-13 area playoffs.
Silvestre said playing in the Malibu AYSO provides a safe and fun playing experience for all participants.
“Playing here is unbeatable,” he said. “It is gorgeous.”
Silvestre added that playing soccer with other kids is a benefit for youth.
“Kids want to come out and play with their friends,” he said. “That develops a community. They come out and play year after year and are part of a community. That is part of the fun.”
