Aurora staff lays out rules, safety and schedules for spring 2025 youth soccer season

Aurora Parks & Recreation staff reviewed rules, safety requirements, rosters and schedules for the spring 2025 youth soccer season at a parent-coach meeting at the Southeast Recreation Center.

At the meeting, Matt Barlow, Fieldhouse supervisor and youth soccer coordinator for Aurora Parks & Recreation, told coaches and parents the program serves “600 plus kids” and emphasized safety and sportsmanship as priorities. “Coaches coach, players play, refs ref, and parents cheer, but don't coach,” Barlow said.

Baylor’s remarks set the agenda for the meeting: coach education resources, roster formation, practice permits, uniforms, rules for play and safety protocols. Derek Tripp, recreation superintendent, credited the program’s growth: “Our youth soccer program is our biggest trending program that we have in sports, largest growth that we have every season,” Tripp said, thanking volunteers and parents.

Why it matters: Aurora’s recreational soccer program reaches hundreds of children each season and relies on volunteer coaches, field permits and community sponsors. The meeting covered operational details that affect who plays where and when, what training coaches must complete and how the city will respond to safety or conduct issues.

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