Player and Coach Eligibility
Players are selected through a tryout process over the course of 2-3 days. Team selection must be completed by June for the following Fall season, and submitted to the Section EXTRA Director. The final roster freeze deadline is typically around Halloween.
Not all regions have EXTRA teams. EXTRA is a special program that requires additional resources to manage. AYSO Regions which elect to promote one or more EXTRA teams to the league must provide qualified Intermediate/Advanced referees to officiate home games, and in the event of a team advancing to playoffs, provide a referee crew to travel to the semi- and final match location. Also, Regions must nominate high caliber coaches with soccer or athletic backgrounds, with certifications at or above the standard of the Core of AYSO for their age groups. Lastly, each EXTRA team must have a representative referee or referee crew (depending on the region rules) and contribute to the Core program; Teams lacking sufficient volunteer effort can be excluded from EXTRA playoffs.
How is EXTRA different than Core?
Aside from the travel matches and higher level of competition, EXTRA maintains the AYSO Six Philosophies. Players will get to play a minimum of 50% of the match, and coaches will be required to use positive reinforcement, develop their players, and incubate great sportsmanship. If in the event of a region having two teams from the same age division, teams are balanced.
EXTRA teams get longer practice sessions and special uniforms. The registration cost is slightly higher than Core, but significantly cheaper than Club soccer. Many EXTRA teams require players signing on for a combined Fall + Spring season from the onset, typically doing AYSO Tournaments or leagues to maintain their athleticism for continued seasons.