League Preparation: FAQ's and How To's

SFYS Community,

Thank you for your patience with Fall game schedules. We know two weeks’ notice isn’t ideal and creates challenges. We recently switched to a new scheduling platform, Avario, to make the process more streamlined and transparent. As we use it for the first time, we’ve run into a few glitches, but in future seasons we expect to provide schedules well in advance to support your planning.

Until games are uploaded onto our website, you can use this dashboard to view your team's games. *Please note that the search function (in the upper left corner) is case sensitive! "killer orcas" brings up no games, but "Killer Orcas" shows me all games for that team. Most games will not change, but please understand that they could.

Please review the items below to ensure you have done everything in your control to get yourself and/or your player ready for the season.

Parents/Caregivers

**We have close to 850 players who do not have a photo, or who do not have a correct photo. These players are not cleared to play yet. Here's how you can help.**

1. Ensure your player's profile on www.sfyouthsoccer.org is complete. This means that your player has the correct photo uploaded. We require front-facing headshots - no avatars - of only one person (your player), without hats, hoods, facepaint or sunglasses. You can find instructions here. Please note that a photo is required to play in games. 
2. For some of you, you will also need to upload a photo into our compliance platform, Ankored. If this pertains to you, you will receive (or have already received) an email directly from Ankored. Not everyone will need to complete this step, but it is essential for those who do. This means that some of you will need to upload a player photo in two places (sfyouthsoccer.com AND Ankored).

Team Admins (Coach, Assistant Coach, Team Manager)

1. Please check your team roster to ensure every player has an appropriate photo. Here's how. Note that separate instructions will be provided on how to find and print your Game Day Photo Roster. Checking your team roster is something you can do NOW to make sure your players' registrations are complete.
   1. We have heard from a few teams who have had unknown players join their teams. This can be avoided by setting a team password for your team. Here's a quick tutorial.
2. You can also enter jersey numbers for each player on your team. Here's how.
3. Team STARs (Specially Trained Assistant Referees): these volunteers are essential for our league to run, and each team must have one registered STAR. We currently have over 80 teams who do not have one. 
   1. Did you know? A person can serve as a STAR for two teams. For example, if you have two kids playing in SFYS, and are a registered STAR for one of their teams, you can also be the STAR on record for the other one! This does not mean you have to attend all games for both kids. However, this makes your team compliant, and the best part is that you can train another parent on one of your teams in how to be a STAR.
   2. Are you a licensed referee? Are you the parent or caregiver of a licensed youth referee? Licensed referees can also serve as a team STAR. Bonus: it's great practice for the youth referees.
   3. Next STAR Trainings: 8/24/25 and 8/30/25
4. Livescan (fingerprinting): there are some nuances to the fingerprinting process.
   • Livescans done for Microsoccer during or after February 2023 are valid.
   • The Dept of Justice (DOJ) can indicate "complete" for a Livescan result, but SFYS must wait for confirmation from our governing agency, SAY.
   • We cannot accept previously completed Livescans done for other organizations.
   • Anyone who completes a Livescan for SFYS must be registered in our system (sfyouthsoccer.org). If you are not on a roster, we aren't able to match a Livescan result.
   • There are several agencies involved in the certification process for coaches, please be patient as we have to receive information from a variety of sources.
5. Coach certification tip: if you try to register for a 7v7 or 9v9 grassroots training program on US Soccer and are unable to do so, you might need to first complete the Introduction to Grassroots Training course first.

What other questions do you have? Please post them below and we'll do our best to answer quickly. We are so appreciative that we get to serve the youth of San Francisco through the beautiful sport of soccer!

-SFYS Staff