Millbrae Soccer Celebrates New Season

Millbrae youth gathered at the Mills High School soccer fields Saturday to kick off the city's local American Youth Soccer Organization season.

Roughly 300 players comprising 59 AYSO teams of young boys and girls from Millbrae amassed in the field next to their respective team banners and parent coaches, waiting to play.

"This program isn't about winning or losing, it's about having fun," Steve Chinn, the co-regional commissioner for Millbrae AYSO said to the crowd before the teams paraded through the field.

Kids from four to 18-years-old were in attendance for the openning ceremony. Friends, parents and relatives as well as volunteer AYSO staff were in attendance. Millbrae AYSO staff, including referees and management are comprised entirely from community volunteers.

"The referees you see over there and the staff to my right are all unpaid," Chin said. "These people wake up on their days off to pick up trash and set up fields for the kids, they work hard."

Chin added that more players have signed up than can be accommodated for.

"We're floored, we have people still trying to get into the program," he said. "We're trying to get everyone in, but some won't be able to."

Simon Greenwood, a parent of a player on the Demons AYSO team talked about making the banner for his son's team.

"I did the artwork and made this myself" Greenwood, the team's coach, said. "Mostly everyone makes a cheap fabric banner, but this one is printed."

The teams will be playing for the next few months at Mills High School, Spring Valley Elementary School and Capuchino High School.

To volunteer, contact rc@millbraeayso.org.