The LSYSA Fall 2009 season kicks off on Saturday, September 5 with great anticipation to be one of the best seasons ever. To date 118 teams representing the entire geographic Coastal region have joined the league with another (6-10) boys and girls U13-14 classic teams expected to enter as well. The growth of the league is a testament to the commitment of the club DOC’s to promote more regional play at the Academy and Classic levels. This league has also moved forward by expanding its age groups to include U13-14 teams for the first time in many years. LSYSA plans to expand to U15-U18 by next fall.
Several clubs will have teams in the league for the first time: Cainhoy Athletic SC (5), Coastal United FC (4), and Hilton Head-Blufton SC (5), soon to become Beaufort County United FC. A total of 12 clubs have teams playing in LSYSA. The Mt. Pleasant Soccer Club is the largest member with 45 teams registered so far. The age group with the largest growth is U11-12 with both the boys and girls having Gold, Blue, and Red divisions of play for a total of (51) teams.
The format for the Fall season is simple: Regular season matches will determine the Champions in each division. All teams will have a 10 match season with the exception of the Boys U12 Gold (8 games). In divisions where there are 7-10 teams, only round robin play will count in the standings. If a team plays another team twice in the season, the first match will NOT count in the standings. (Scores must still be called in, but points will not be awarded.) At the conclusion of the season, the league will invite the Champions to receive their Team Award have their photos taken for the website. (The Spring season will see the debut of the LSYSA Cup!)
Here are a few items to review from the Coaches Meeting:
- Sportsmanship: At all levels of play, it is expected that Coaches, Players, Managers and Parents respect the game, the opposing team/players/coaches, and the referees. It all starts with the Coaches! Coaches will be expected to allow players to play without constant loud commands being yelled. Insults and inappropriate language towards anyone will not be tolerated by the league. Coaches are responsible for their Parents' behavior. Let this season be the season of change where we focus on the players and nothing else.
- Schedules: Teams have up until the 2nd match day of the season, September 19, to submit scheduling conflicts. Coaching conflicts will be monitored and edited by the scheduler. Please email Patrick Jackson and cc: Kenyon Cook for requests. (see Staff on left for emaill addresses). Following the 9/19 match day, schedule requests will fall under the Rules and Regulations of LSYSA with fines from $50-$100.
- Referees: With the growth of the league comes the challenge of coverage of all matches with a full crew of referees and referees with the qualifications to be the center official. Retention of referees in the game of soccer relies on the roles played by our assignors, but also on the actions (positive and negative) by coaches and parents towards them. RESPECT THE REFEREES FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO DO THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE. IF YOU CANNOT SAY ANYTHING POSITIVE TO THE REFEREES, SAY NOTHING!. Coaches are asked to communicate with the LSYSA Referee Assignor, Alex Voelker, with referee matters.
- Offside in U9-U10 matches: For the time being, only (1) referee will be assigned. In many cases, younger referees with little experience will be assigned. They will be encouraged to stay close to play in order to better recognize offside. Coaches and Parents are urged not to be overly critical in cases where it is close.
- Player Passes/Rosters: Teams will be given a grace period of the first (2) match days to get their player passes and rosters in order. Starting with Match Day 3, 9/26, teams will be required to produce player passes (with photos) and rosters to the referees prior to each match. Pool rosters (Rec or Academy) must have the players of that specific match highlighted.
- REPORTING SCORES: It is the responsibility of the Winning team to call in the scores. In case of a tie, the Home team calls in the score. Both teams should verify the score with the referee after each match. Scores are to be reported within 24 hours of the scheduled match. See link in left column.
- Communication: It is imperitive that ALL CLUBS & TEAMS input contact information (email/phone numbers) for Team coaches & Team managers on the Team Pages and club officials (in Club Directory). We would also ask that teams input roster details including email addresses (parents) in order that the "new" LSYSA newslettter is sent to as many homes as possible. (This is not mandatory, but suggested.) Click on Team Application Login to have your Team PIN # sent via email. Then go to your team page and click on Team Login to enter your email address and PIN#.
Lowcountry Soccer is proud to serve LSYSA for the 2009-10 year.
Your contacts are:
Kenyon Cook-Commissioner (795-2005) lcsoccerinfo@comcast.net
Patrick Jackson-Scheduler (843-430-4482) pjjackson20@aol.com
Alex Voelker-Referee Assignor (367-4902) asmv1423@aol.com
