Returning volunteers, please note that the volunteer registration process has changed for the 2019-2020 season. The registration is now a two-step process. You will select your volunteer role and complete the volunteer application in your account, the same as last year. You will then receive an email from Sterling Volunteers, with a link to complete the background check on their website, in a separate step. Click HERE for volunteer registration instructions.

It's About What's Good For The Kids

AYSO's volunteer foundation ensures that it's all about what's good for kids. It also makes AYSO very affordable. Every coach, referee, and administrator in our region is a volunteer. Nationwide, over 125,000 parents, neighbors, relatives and friends lend their time and talents so that each child gets a terrific AYSO experience. AYSO operates in a business manner, but volunteers ensure its "profits" are happy, healthy kids playing a sport they can enjoy for life.

AYSO has developed special training that helps parents who may have little or no soccer experience quickly gain the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need to be effective coaches and referees. It also has unique administrative and management training. This ensures that each community program:

• Abides by the AYSO philosophies
• Offers a great AYSO experience
• Continues to grow, offering the AYSO opportunity to more children

It only takes a few hours to become qualified as an introductory-level coach or referee. But if you're not able to commit even that much time, there are many small jobs you can help with. Even a couple of hours each season are an important contribution to your team and Region!

AYSO training doesn't stop as long as you're having fun. Referees, coaches and administrators have clinics, workshops and other advanced training available to advance their skills.

Each year, AYSO Region 418 provides more than 2,600 Chicago-area children with a youth soccer experience unrivaled in the city. 

We are an All-Volunteer organization who relies on everyone pitching in, in some capacity, to help fulfill our mission: 

Our mission is to provide high quality, low-cost youth soccer to as many children in our immediate and surrounding communities as possible.

We simply cannot do that without every family pitching in in some way.

There are many ways to be part of your child’s soccer experience.  Some positions require ongoing commitments, such as coaching a team. Other roles support one-time events, like picture day or helping out with our end of year SoccerFest Tournament. Some positions even allow you to volunteer on your own time, from your own home, wearing bedroom slippers if you like :-)

Upon registering your child, you will be asked to select a volunteer role. The roles listed are the most critical to the success of our program.
The more active referees and coaches we have in our Region, the better the high quality experience we can provide to more players.

If you have no desire to coach or referee, or your schedule just will not allow you to make that commitment, we have lots of other essential roles that need to be filled.  Simply select "Undecided - Help Me Choose" during your child's player registration process. You will be able to tell us about what you like to do, what you are good at, and how much time you are able to devote to helping the Region. We will help you find a role that works for you.

Only interest, not experience, is needed.

Region 418 is proud to provide the training and mentorship you need to be successful in whatever role you choose.

A complete list of volunteer positions is available on the AYSO National Website. To access position descriptions, please click here.