AYSO serving Los Altos since 1968! Region 43 serving Los Altos since 1973!

Everyone Plays ® * Balanced Teams * Open Registration * Positive Coaching * Good Sportsmanship

Game blow-outs

It is up to the coaches to dynamically manage the balance of the teams at game time to avoid a blow-out from occurring.

From our Regional Policy of Play, the following is extracted:
3. Conduct on the Field
.....
J. Blowouts are defined as matches where the score shows a 6 goal or more margin of victory. Blowouts are incompatible with the basic principles of sportsmanship, and are inconsistent with AYSO’s goal of making participation in youth soccer fun and competitive for all participants. Therefore blowouts are strongly discouraged. Referees will quietly remind Coaches of AYSO’s strong policy against blowouts during matches whenever a team goes up by 3 goals. All blowouts will be reported by both the winning and losing teams to the Division Coordinator for the age group. Clever and discrete coaching can avoid a blowout, no matter how enthusiastic a team might be.
• Judiciously reposition Players (put goal scorers on defense only)
• Judiciously substitute Players (change substitution plans to have stronger players sit out, while still allowing each player to play 2 quarters)
• Instructing Players discretely that they can only shoot on goal with their off foot
• Instruct Players discretely that they must make at least 5 consecutive passes among teammates before taking a shot on goal
• Instruct Players to let defenders get the ball cleared from their defending half of the field
• Requiring that only Players who have never scored before are allowed to take shots

Remember to reward your team for good sportsmanship later if you change the rules to avoid a blowout. Instructing players discretely is not usually effective at U12 and below and so the coach should use positioning and substitution as the main means to adjust the team dynamics.

From our Coaches meeting, the following is extracted (pages 52-53):

• Blowout Definition: one team ahead by 5 goals
• Goal and Mandate: NO blowouts ever
• How to avoid:
  • Change positions if 3 goals ahead: defenders move forward, strong scorers move to defense or keeper
  • Ask team to have anyone who hasn’t scored this season to be the next one to score (pass/assist)
  • Minimum 3-5 touches then pass
  • Score only with left (or opposite) foot
  • Let losing team move ball out of their defensive half before touching ball
• Be circumspect: don’t make it obvious to other team (by counting passes out loud)
• Let team know you’re looking at teamwork and ball handling skill rather than scoring
• Best option for younger players is to change positions. They have a hard time holding back.

From our Referee training (module 7), the following is extracted (pages 8-9):

Blowouts: matches in which the final score shows a victory margin of 6 goals or more.

• Incompatible with: Basic principles of sportsmanship, and AYSO’s goal of youth soccer as fun for all.
• Discretely remind winning coach of AYSO’s blowout policy whenever a team goes up by 3 goals. Offer suggestions on how to handle discretely and judiciously if they are not aware
• Reposition Players (put goal scorers on defense only)
  • Require that only Players who have never scored before are allowed to take shots
  • Instruct Players that they can only shoot on goal with their off foot (do not make players aware why)
  • Instruct Players to make at least 5 consecutive passes among teammates before taking a shot on goal
  • Instruct Players to let defenders get the ball cleared from their defending half of the field
  • Always be discrete and judicious to avoid players figuring out what is happening
  • Substitute Players (change substitution plans to have stronger players sit out, while still meeting guidelines)