AYSO adds a sixth tenet

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, May 29, 2009

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) added a sixth philosophy, "Player Development," to its foundation tenets during an executive membership vote at its AGM last weekend in Dallas, where President Mike Wade was reelected and three members for the National Board of Directors were elected.

The addition of "Player Development" was the first new philosophy adopted by the organization in nearly 25 years. Its six philosophies are: "Everyone Plays," "Balanced Teams," "Open Registration," "Positive Coaching," "Good Sportsmanship" and "Player Development."

The "Player Development" addition was made to "reinforce our historical focus on developing the 'whole child' and our existing goal of fostering youth development through soccer."

Wade was reelected by acclimation for his third term as National President of AYSO. The position of president is a one-year term and is elected annually.

Incumbents Adrienne Coffin and Bill Hummell and first-time board member, Tony Veronico, were elected to the National Board of Directors. Board member Jim Gregory, who is completing his first three-year term, was not reelected.

Wade focused on three key topics in his remarks to the delegates: the importance of leadership at every level of AYSO; growth of the organization so that every child has the opportunity to participate in AYSO; and accountability to ensure that every player, parent and volunteer has a wonderful AYSO experience.