Big Island HYSA is a league comprised of individual clubs or teams from all over the Big Island of Hawaii, much like Pop Warner or the Pony leagues. Big Island HSYA has been around since 2000 and is a member of the state organization, Hawai’i Youth Soccer Association (HYSA). HYSA is a member of US Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) and US Soccer (USSF) both national organizations. USYSA is the largest of all the US Soccer affiliated youth organizations with a membership over 3 million nationally.
What is the difference between BI-HYSA and AYSO?
While HYSA supports and endorses the same level of sportsmanship as AYSO, our league does not govern playing time for players and allows the clubs and coaches to use their best discretion for their teams. The cost and time required for travel required is generally greater for BIHYSA than for AYSO. Therefore, BI-HYSA league is meant more for the dedicated player who wants to play soccer at their highest level and is willing to spend the time and money required to do so. For this reason the BI-HYSA league is more competitive. In accordance to the higher level of competition, our league also compensates referees and expects a high level of officiating to support a more competitive environment. While this contributes to a higher level of play, this also creates an additional cost to the players, teams and clubs when compared to AYSO. BIHYSA fully endorses AYSO for its efforts in creating a fun environment for kids to be introduced to and continue playing in the game of soccer. We offer the BI-HYSA league for those Big Island soccer players who have decided that they want to play soccer at the highest levels with year round training and committed team competition. Players from BI-HSYA are also eligible to participate in the HYSA Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) training competition, which selects top players from our state to represent each age and gender as a team at the Region IV ODP Championships in Phoenix, Arizona every January. Players from the state ODP teams are eligible for selection to the Region IV teams and then to the National teams.
When are the playing seasons for BI-HYSA?
BI-HYSA has two seasons as part of our fiscal year (August – July), a spring and fall season. Both fall and spring seasons consist of ten games for the U8 through U14 divisions. For our older U16 and U19 divisions, the seasons are shortened to 8 games to enable players to participate in high school soccer. The spring season usually starts in March and ends in May. The fall season usually starts at the end of August and ends in November. Each season culminates with a playoff for the U8 through U14 divisions, which consists of a semifinal and championship game for our top four seeded teams. In addition to our regular seasons, there are numerous HYSA tournaments throughout the year located on all of the islands and USYSA tournaments held in the mainland. The largest one for the league is in April and is held in Honolulu. It is the “US Youth Soccer Hawaii State Cup” and is the regional qualifier for the national championship.
Who runs the BI-HYSA league?
BI-HYSA is run by a volunteer Board of Directors (BOD) comprised of a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary. In addition, the board has an at-large member of the referee community, designated the league referee administrator. All clubs in BI-HYSA who have at least 3 teams are at-large directors of the board. The BI-HYSA BOD meets twice a year to implement new rule changes and discuss the functioning of the league. A complete copy of our By-Laws can be found HERE .
How much does it cost?
BI-HYSA charges each player $45 per year (Aug-Jul) for registration and insurance. Each team is charged between $250 and $650 per season depending on their age group and the number of games in a season. These team fees are used to pay the referees, field maintenance and scheduling for the league. In addition, each club or team will set their own club fees, which may include player registration, teams fees and any other costs associated with the club, such as uniforms, coaching fees, equipment purchases, etc.
What does it take to get involved?
As with all youth leagues, BIHYSA is only as good as the volunteers who run it. In order to give the youth the best opportunity to be successful not only as soccer players, but as young adults, it takes quality coaching, quality referees and an administration to run the league. BIHYSA is here to support the coaches, referees and team managers as they are the role models for our youth. We require that each coach become certified with at least a grassroots license. We also require that every referee have a current certification as at least a USSF grassroots referee. The league provides regular classes for our coaching and referees around the Big Island.
How do I sign up?
Go to the contact page and locate a club near you. If you still need help call 808-640-6290.