AYSO on Both Coasts - Celebrating a Soccer Tradition for Over 50 Years

• The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), started in 1964 with 125 players in Redwood City, CA.
  
  
• 11 Years later, there still were only 53 Piloted and Chartered Regions combined. July 15, 1975, was a day of incredible growth when 38 new regions were piloted: Region 54 Buena Park, CA; Region 55 Fountain Valley/Huntington Beach, CA; Region 56 Huntington Beach South, CA; Region 57 Corona del Mar, CA; Region 58 Encino/Sherman Oaks, CA; Region 59 Huntington Beach/Westminster, CA; Region 60 Alhambra/Monterey Park, CA; Region 62 San Mateo, CA; Region 63 Burlingame, CA; Region 64 San Jose, CA; Region 65 Alta Loma/Fontana, CA; Region 66 Ontario/Pomona, CA; Region 67 Chino, CA; Region 68 Camarillo/Santa Rosa, CA; Region 69 Brentwood/Malibu, CA; Region 70 Century City/Westwood, CA; Region 71 Tarzana, CA; Region 73 Bakersfield, CA; Region 74 Portage, MI; Region 75 Whittier, CA; Region 76 Bel Air/Beverly Hills, CA; Region 77 Lompoc, CA; Region 78 Hollywood, CA; Region 79 Monroe, CT, Region 80 Palm Springs, CA; Region 81 Reddington Beach, FL; Region 82 Santa Paula, CA; Region 83 San Luis Obispo, CA; Region 84 Mission Viejo, CA; Region 85 El Toro, CA; Region 86 Laguna Beach, CA; Region 87 San Juan Capistrano, CA; Region 88 Glendale, CA; Region 89 Casa De Oro, CA; Region 90 Muncy, PA; and Region 91 Lancaster, CA.
  
  
• In 1975 Bill McLean, a UK native, contacted AYSO's Executive Director Ross Alger to receive the necessary papers to make Monroe/Easton/Newtown/Trumbull (Connecticut) Region 79, the first region East of the Mississippi, and he became the RC (Regional Commissioner) October 17, 1975. He had first experienced AYSO in the late 1960's, while stationed in Southern California for the U.K. military.
  
  
• In California, on November 26, 1976, Dick Wilson became Section Director South and Ben Sanquinetti Section Director North, which became resp. Section 1 and 2 on March 25, 1977. March 25, 1977 is also the birthday of Area T - Eastern USA, which then consisted of 13 regions in CT, FL, NY, PA, SC, TN, VA: Regions 79 (Monroe, CT), 81 (Reddington Beach, FL), 90 (Muncy, PA), 95 (Somers, NY), 111 (Mahopac, NY), 124 (Knoxville, TN), 128 (Concord, TN), 132 (Spartanburg, SC), 134 (Clinton-New Hartford, NY), 139 (Chappaqua, NY), 141 (Yorktown, NY), 142 (Somerset County, PA), and 149 (Syracuse, NY). Bill McLean became its Area Director that day.
  
  
• During the 1977 NAGM, Bill was elected to the NBOD on May 29, 1977, as he remembered it "I was nominated from the floor, the first time that had ever happened. Fred Mautner, the then National Secretary, complained that his budget would be hurt by this, because Bill was the first Board member from outside California".

AYSO Section 3 Spreads its Roots, Area 3T Takes Hold

In June 1977 the following geographic Areas were considered to be included in the loosely defined Section 3, which was merely a catchall description for all Regions not physically located in California, either within Section 1 or Section 2 (but there's no reference to a Section 3 Director): 

Area O - Hawaii (which later became Section 7) 
Area R - Inter-Mountain States (ID, UT, which later became Section 9) 
Area S - Northwest (OR, which later became part of Section 2) 
Area T - Eastern USA (CT, FL, NY, PA, SC, TN, VA, which later became Section 3, 5, 13 and 14) 
Area U - Central States (KS, NM, which later became Section 4 and 12) 
Area W - Great Lakes (IL, MI, which later became Section 6 and 8)

On July 20, 1977, during a NBOD meeting, AYSO Area T was split to form three AYSO Areas: 
Area 3T - North (Regions 79, 95, 134, 139, 141, 170, 171, which continue to be part of current Section 3) 
Area 3X - South (Regions 81, 128, 132, 160, which subsequently became the core for current Section 5) 
Area 3W - Central (Regions 90, 99, 124, 142, which subsequently became the core for current Section 13).

On November 30, 1977, Hans Portegies, AYSO Vice-President, sent a letter to Bill McLean, stressing the importance of recommending a new Area Director for Area 3T and a Section Director for "East of the Mississippi AYSO territory". This letter was the first mention of Section 3 covering "everything East of the Mississippi, except Chicago".

On January 9, 1978, Burt Haimes became the Area Director of Area 3T.

February 9, 1979 is the official birth date of Section 3 and that same day Burt Haimes became the official Section 3 Director (he was also Area Director of Area 3T).

Section 3 then consisted of the following AYSO Areas: 
A - Mid Central States 
B - Northern New England 
C - Western Michigan 
D - Northern New York and Connecticut 
T - Eastern USA-North 
W - Great Lakes 
X - Eastern USA-South 
Y - Eastern USA-Central

Since 1984, Area 3T has included all AYSO Regions in Westchester & Putnam Counties, New York. 

In July 2009, Area 3J was dissolved and regions Region 790 (Harrington Park, NJ) and 1073 (Monroe-Woodbury), both West of the Hudson, became part of Area 3T.

• Bill McLean became the first AYSO Area Director (AD) of Area T on March 25, 1977, from Region 79 Monroe/Easton/Newtown/Trumbull, CT.
• Burt Haimes became AD of Area 3T on January 9, 1978 (when Area T is split into Areas 3T, 3X and 3Y), from region 3/T/139, Chappaqua.
• We not sure of the AD status between 1979 and 1983.
• Rick Miller became AD in the spring of 1983, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow. In 1984 Area 3T became "Westchester and Putnam Counties".
• The years between 1984 and 1990 show no documented Area Director.
• Joe Umansky was the AD from 1990 to 1998.
• Irwin Kavy became AD in 1998, from Region 3/T/201 Ossining.
• William (Bill) Hummell became AD in May 2001, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.
• Jordan Becker became AD November 15, 2003, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.
• Dan Howald became AD for AYSO Area 3T on January 26, 2007, from Region 3/T/455 Croton on Hudson.
• Peter van der Heijden was Acting AD in January 2010, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.
• Hossein Fassa became AD February 2010, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.
• Luis Lewis became AD April 2014, from Region 3/T/221, Mt. Pleasant.
• Matt Evans became AD April 2017, from Region 3/T/220, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.

The first NAGM (National Annual General meeting, during the Memorial Day Weekend) was held in New York, was at the Stouffers Inn in White Plains, NY.

From July 30 to August 5, 2001, Section 3 hosted the AYSO National Games, a spectacular tournament which was held on the playing fields at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY (an AYSO Region in AYSO Area 3T). AYSO Regions from all over the United States participated in this very special event. The Chairman of the 2001 National Games Committee was Irwin Kavy, who also was the AD of AYSO Area 3T and a contributing author for the AYSO National Tournament Manual. Currently, Irwin serves as a member of the AYSO National Tournament Council, a member of the AYSO National Tournament Commission, and a member of the Section 3 Staff.