2020 FALL SEASON CANCELLATION NOTICE
AYSO will cancel its 2020 Fall Soccer Season and refund its membership. For those of us on the board this was a terribly difficult decision. We are all parents of active or former players and AYSO Soccer is a way of life.
Q: How Did We Get Here?
A: July changed everything. In late June, trending was positive for Fall Sports, with possibly a delayed start. As July progressed the state and local Covid situation deteriorated. Quartz Hill AYSO board members have spent countless hours conducting research, attending meetings and coordinating with local agencies to determine if a Fall Program was still possible and if the safety plans implemented by AYSO could be executed. The result of the research was that it was highly unlikely any Youth Sports leagues would be granted permission to conduct game-like play within the next few months. Without fields to train and play on, there can be no season. The County may eventually allow limited training and camps to begin this Fall, but large-scale programs, such as ours, are very unlikely to be approved.
Q: Was it just about fields?
A: No, while field access would be required, the safety of players, families and our many volunteers is paramount. AYSO has developed robust return-to-play guidelines and in addition we would follow Los Angeles County guidelines on reporting and handling of incidents. We ask so much of our volunteer coaches and referees already. In researching recent incidents reported in Los Angeles County with High School sports in Phase I return-to-play it became clear that the burden placed on our Coaches, Referees and Team Parents was much more than should be expected from volunteers.
Q: Why now? Why not wait a month or two?
A: We looked very seriously at postponing the decision. However, given the strong negative forecast and in consideration for all the volunteer commitments required to start and execute a season we unanimously decided to cancel the program now.
Q: What about Refunds?
A: The Region will begin processing Refunds for paid registration fees, including the $20 "non-refundable" Player Membership Fee. Refunds are a manual process and will take at least 3-4 weeks to complete. There is nothing more you need to do. We will provide more detailed refund information through e-mail and on our website.
Q: Will the Region Survive?
A: Yes, Quartz Hill AYSO has a strong financial and volunteer foundation. The Region will lose money due to the cancellation but the Board has been very careful to limit Fall expenditures in order to minimize the possible impact of a full-season cancellation. The Region will be using money from its savings to offset the losses. A financial impact statement and revised MY2020 budget is scheduled to be completed by September 15th.
Q: When will the Region Play Again?
A: The Regional Board will immediately begin planning for a Full Spring Season, including VIP and hopefully Upper Division. Details will be published in the coming months. As a lesson-learned from this summer we will not require registration fees to be paid until final field permits and the start date are approved.
Q: Are there any training or playing options?
A: We will be working to expand our website to include on-line links to age appropriate training for players. In addition, we are working on information and webinars to help keep our Coaches and Referees engaged.
We want to thank our partners in the City of Palmdale, Westside School District and Los Angeles County for all their time working with us. They take a lot of heat, but every person we have worked with is unified in wanting to get kids playing again.
Finally, we wish to thank all of you, the families and volunteers of Quartz Hill AYSO for your understanding of this difficult decision. AYSO Soccer will return when conditions allow and you have a board dedicated to providing a great Soccer experience to the children of our community.
Thank you,
Eric Dilger
Regional Commissioner
Quartz Hill AYSO, Region 638