My children have played AYSO since they were 5/6 respectively. The last three year's have gone downhill tremendously. The commissioner is weak and easily intimidated by members of region 71 board. The board members are classless locals. Your average run of the mill raci*ts. The coaches are no longer members of the community, but are brought in from Van Nuys, and other vagrant neighborhoods. The parents are insufferable. From the gossip and over dramatized low brow refs to the soft heads of this region the whole thing is a sh*t show. Bring security with you to practices and games. Record everything and stay safe out there. read more

Fantastic organization. The directors and board member are all volunteers and they work very hard. The only not so amazing part is the parents. They don't realize that they are only paying for the uniforms and field permits. Everything else such as coaches and referee are all volunteer position requiring parents to step up and get involved in their children activity. Some how the West Hills community seems to think of soccer as a hobby or daycare and very very few get involved. Tip: for the parents help your kids team prep the field, setup and goals, help paint the lines, help clean the field, remove debris and rock. Everyone you see out there is working for free. Let's go West Hills step up. My kids have aged out and had a wonderful time. read more

Horrible fields. Horrible refs. Both do disservice to the children. How do u paint orange on dirt and expect kids to see. Fields are an ankle sprain away with each move. read more

I have done my enrollment for fall 2021, first time as member and noone has get back to me I left 3 voicemail sent 2 email I have concern now read more

2 daughters played, combined total of 22 years with this soccer region. Great coaches, some not-so-great coaches, but it's such a life lesson. My girls made friends for life, and so did my husband and I. The girls worked hard, played hard, and when we talk about the good old times, the soccer seasons always come up. It was such a great way to spend family time together. As the years went on, you continue to see the families your kids grew up with, and see how all the kids grow up and become confident young men and women. Team sports just do that. AYSO encourages the participation, the volunteering at each level, and good sportmanship. I am very happy we became involved and this Region was wonderful. read more

This is written as a "coach" and parent... but mainly as a coach. GREAT idea... horrendous "organization" and terrible support for the coaches and volunteers. My wife and I signed up our oldest daughter for U6 (under six) soccer to get her into some team sports, we paid the various fees. Then we didn't hear much until the season was about to begin, basically got a last second email saying there was no team for her and if she wanted to play, I had to be a coach. Um, okay, great... I work two jobs but I'll kick in for my daughter, absolutely - even though I know NOTHING about soccer (played football, baseball and basketball though). This was a couple weeks before the season began so they said I had to go to a coach's training thing (about four hours) and there was one of the last ones left coming up the following week or so, so I went to that. That was helpful, they showed us the various goals to teach the kids and I especially liked how they emphasized that it's for FUN... no scores. My first red flag was when I asked, "Where do we buy the pennies (extra jerseys) for the kids and the other stuff?" I was nicely told it was out of pocket because it's volunteer-based. Then where does our money go when we join as a parent - no money to support the coaches...? Fortunately they end up having some extras on game day. Okay, I'm trained, ready to roll... then the week after, we're told we need a coach's meeting to get the jerseys and go over some things. Awesome, I need info! So the meeting was scheduled with Gary, who oversees us directly. That was scheduled on a Tuesday (or Wednesday?)... a couple days before the big opening weekend the following Saturday. At the meeting, we were given the jerseys and forms that I needed the parents to sign. So, I had to scramble and get a parents meeting between then and the opening weekend. We were also told we had to sell raffle tickets to raise money. Okay, bring them back in two or three weeks? No, they wanted them returned by Friday morning. I'm supposed to organize a team meeting in a day, pass these tickets out to them, have them try to sell them within ONE DAY, then collect them that night then return them Friday morning? I mean, seriously? With an OUNCE of planning, then maybe. Oh, also, at the coach's meeting, I was told we need to make a banner for the parade. Banners take about a week. I had three days but got it done. Opening weekend; it's a fun parade for the kids with their teams. The bummer is the pictures. The parade was around noon... our picture slot was 7am. I'm sorry but there's no way any kid is going to hang out for five hours on a hot day until the parade... the parents said either pictures or the parade - we opted for the parade and I took the kids' picture. The games are played at Calabasas High School at the top of this huge hill you have to walk up. I'm fine with that but the older parents and other people struggled with that. There has to be a better location for these games. I saw way too many kids faceplant coming down that hill, onto the concrete path. After all of that madness, it's all about the games. It's the fun part for sure, watching your kids run around. They have a skills coach who helps with the drills to get you going, then you take over, so that's a big help. The games are about 40 minutes with breaks, up to the coaches and parents. It sucked for our team because most teams had six kids... we were given five girls and one dad pulled the daughter... so we had four girls total and rarely did all four show up. So, we never really got to play as a team, always piggy-backing onto other teams. It wasn't bad though, they got to meet new friends that way. One week, it was pouring rain all day and night before, leading up to the game. The parents were calling and emailing me, asking if the game was canceled, not comfortable with their kids running around on slippery grass. For the life of me, I couldn't get an answer from anyone at AYSO. We said forget it but apparently the games still went on. At the end of the season, there are trophies and they ask for a list of the kids' names, which I provided and checked the spelling. Sure enough, one of the girls' names was spelled wrong. They told the trophy place and had a new thing made up but they wanted me to go get it. Anyway - they try but it's just a mess behind the scenes and the parents could tell and they were getting irritated, venting to me about things they were dealing with. I didn't know it was volunteer-based. I don't know where the money goes but if they beg for volunteers and you get people like myself stepping up... you HAVE to help us! Next year, I'm definitely not putting my daughter in AYSO, after this experience. On the last day (trophy day), they gave me some papers, thought it was a "thank you" of some kind... I looked, info for another AYSO fundraiser!? You're welcome...? read more

We have had our daughter in AYSO region 71 since she was 4 yrs old. My daughter just loves to play soccer. The most recent team she was on went all the way to regionals in Bakersfield, unfortunately they did not win, but did very well in the tournament. Big high five to the coach who not only made these girls into a team, but also showed them how to be friends. I have never seen such comradery between girls. They showed good sportsmanship after every game, even when they lost. I believe this all comes from the AYSO organization. read more

Region 71 is a great soccer organization! My girls joined when they were 12 years old, a little later than most kids, but they have developed into skilled soccer players and will be playing in U16 this year. Their success is greatly attributed to their coaches' dedication, commitment and expertise. My girls have learned to love the sport and to cherish the friends they have made throughout the years.. I have learned that this organization is not as competitive as many would like it to be, but that's ok because that's what club soccer is for. I appreciate this region for the level of commitment from the organization, board members, coaches, referees and parents. If you are looking for a more competitive level then your child can try-out for the EXTRA team. My daughter played this past season in U14 and it what a great experience! Also, they love playing in the tournament team because the can't get enough of soccer. Overall, AYSO Region 71 has been an awesome fit for our family. We have met so many wonderful people and have made long term friends. My girls are still loving the sport and have learned the importance of volunteering. I would definitely recommend this region if you are looking for a fun and safe environment in which your child would learn to play soccer. We need more committed individuals like the ones in this region. read more

I have been associated with AYSO and Region 71 for over 20 years as a coach, administrator and referee. Both my children (one boy and one girl) started at age 5 and played through U19. The AYSO program and model is unique in youth sports. Unpaid volunteers are the only source of coaches, referees and administrators. This is clearly spelled out when signing up. Everyone us expected to help in some manner. When I was asked to coach in U6, "you have to coach", I was basically untrained. Now I am an advanced coach and advanced coach instructor. Simply, I developed a love of coaching and the game. I would no more give those 20 years up than be the man in the moon. But AYSO may not be for everyone. If you expect to write a check and not be involved, it may not be a good fit. If you believe because you paid, everything will be perfect, remember none of the revenue collected goes to payroll. All fees cover cost. Unknown by most parents, field permits (LAUSD, and LA Rec and Parks) cost the region about $65K per season. In short, like all good things, you take away what you put in. My kids had fun and still talk about it in adulthood, and I had a blast. read more