Coaches:

For those that are participating in next Saturday's tournament (May 17^th), please note a few reminders below:

1. Attached are the schedule, rules, blank form of roster and field map.  If you see any errors that need to be corrected, please let me know by the end of day Sunday, as I have to head to the printer Monday morning to make the tournament boards.  I will follow up next week with a  link to the tournament website as well, where you can see schedules, track results and get a better view of who may or may not advance beyond the group stage. 

2.  Arrive at the facility at least 30 minutes in advance of your first game and check in at the diocese tent with your registration fees and completed tournament rosters (blank form of roster is attached to this email).  Please allow time for parking as the venue is going to be very busy that day.

3. Arrive on field 10 minutes prior to your scheduled time, if we are running ahead the games will start early.  If you have back-to-back games scheduled, get to the field immediately following your previous game.  Failure to show on the field on time will likely result in a forfeit as we don't have the time to chase after teams.  If your team finds itself playing a game that is going long and will make you late, send a parent to the administration tent and let us know so we can facilitate things.  

4. Bring pinnies or alternative jersey colors.  In the event that the two teams playing one another have jerseys that are deemed too close in color (as determined by the referee in his or her sole's discretion), the away team will need to change or wear pinnies.  

5. There is no coin flip to determine possession, the away team gets the ball to start the game.

6. There will be benches on the field for each team.  We ask that home teams use the blue bench and away teams use the black bench.  This will help the referees get the correct home and away teams noted on their score card.

7. Read and be familiar with the tournament rules (see attached rules for your reference).   Some of the bigger ones that have been a problem in the past are as follows:  (1)  All grades will have offsides– 1/2 grade will be limited to more obvious cherry picking.  (2) For 1-4 grade we will be playing the build out rule. First and second grade will use the midfield line as the build out line, third and fourth grade have a separate build out line roughly halfway between midfield and the penalty box.  Also, for those grades, the buildout line will serve as the offside line.  (3) At 1-4 grade, all fouls that are called result in indirect kicks.  Even what would otherwise result in a pk for a foul in the penalty box is treated as an indirect kick and the kick occurs right outside of the 18 yard box.  (4)  For all grades, scoring can only occur in the offensive half of the field.  If you score a goal from the defensive half (including your kickoff), the goal does not count. (5) For all grades punting is not permitted, keepers are encouraged to put the ball back into play by throwing it to a teammate.  (6) Cards will be issued as they would in a normal game.  Any player that gets a yellow card  must come to the sideline for a 5-minute cool down period.  If that cool down period goes to the end of the game and there is a shootout, the player can't participate in the shootout.  Any player or coach that receives two yellow cards in a game or one red card is not permitted to continue to play/coach for the rest of the game and the rest of the day.  They will need to leave the premises.  In my experience, cards are rarely issued at these tournaments and when they are, they are almost always earned.  Along those lines, the Tournament Director reserves the right to ask any players, coaches, or parents to leave the venue if deemed necessary in my sole discretion.

7.  Keeper Changes.  Mid-game keeper changers are permitted during normal substitution times only if the substitute keeper is on the sidelines, ready to go (pinnie on and gloves on if they are using gloves).  No keeper subs from field players are permitted due to the time consumed for that substitute player to get ready.  If the substitute keeper is not ready to go at the time of subbing, they will need to wait until the next sub period when they are ready.

8. Post game coaches should review the score card to confirm accuracy.  Once the score cards are posted they are final unless we can conclusively determine that an error occurred (conclusive in this context equates to both teams agreeing that there was an error as well as agreeing on what the outcome was, not just one team emphatically arguing that there is an error).

9. Check in from time to time at the main tent for standings and/or on the tournament website.   If it looks likely/possible that you will advance to the semifinals/finals stay near the tournament tent for instructions.  In the event that any tie breakers need to be determined we will be figuring that out at the tournament tent.

10. Remember sportsmanship and the 7-goal differential rule.  For tie breaker purposes we do not count anything more than a 4-goal differential when determining who advances on a tie breaker and if you win a game by a 8 goal differential or more, inquiries will be made and there is a strong chance that the game will be scored as a non-played game and you may not receive the 3 standing points for a win.  Any such decisions as to whether a team that exceeds the 7-goal differential is awarded the win or not is in the Tournament Director's sole discretion.  I strongly recommend that as a coach, you do not put your team in a position that the efforts of their win are not counted because you could not control scoring.  My personal recommendation is to start making adjustments when and if a goal differential of plus 4 is achieved so that you have wiggle room in case extra goals occur.  If you don't start to control the score until after you hit a plus 7 goal differential, you are doing so too late and you are not allowing any room for error.

11. Please remind your parents of the venue specific rules that we previously circulated, especially that (1) no pets are allowed at the facility, those with pets will be asked to leave the venue, (2) No large coolers or food set ups are permitted at the fields or in school tents.  Players can bring water bottles and small “six pack” sized coolers, but that is it, and (3) each school that has a tent needs to ensure that everything is cleaned up before you leave, failure to follow this could result in a cleanup fine of $100 being assessed as well as loss of tent privileges at future events, and (4) under no circumstances should anyone double park other vehicles in.  If you double park someone in, you will likely be towed and I will not be able to give you a ride home.

12. Remember, for the Developmental Tournament, players can only play on one team and if they are rostered or play for more than one team, those teams will be disqualified.  This rule does not apply to the all-girls tournament with the result that 4th grade girls can play for both a 4th grade or 3/4 grade team and a JV Girls team, and 5th and 6th grade girls can play for a JV Girls team and a Varsity Girls team.  If a school has two JV teams or two Varsity teams entered though, those girls may play for one JV team or Varsity team, as applicable, but not for both teams that are in the same age bracket.

Finally, if you have any questions, please reach out to me before next Friday.  I will be fairly busy on Friday setting up and running tournament related errands so I will likely not be able to get back to you that day.

That's it from me, apologies for the long email, but as they say, whenever you read a rule, there was a reason that it was created so it's better to get this info to you in advance and reduce any potential missteps.  I wish you all good luck and remember, don't judge the season on the success (or lack thereof) that you might experience on Saturday.  Only one team wins each grade bracket.  It is far better to make this a fun event for the kids and focus on individual goals for the players and teams.  That way if you win, that's just gravy, but even if you go 0-3 for the day, if the kids are getting better, accomplishing individual goals, and having fun with their friends, everyone comes away having a good time.