DSL Week 8 email

All:
Just a few quick notes this week:
1. Developmental – Our season ends this weekend with our end of season tournament at No Off Season this Saturday.  Please review the rules and your game times and come ready to play.  Don't forget to bring pinnies if you don't have dark and light jerseys.  Any questions, let me know.  Here is a link to the Tournament Page.  Between this and the tournament tent you should be able to keep an eye on how you are doing and assess your odds of advancing out of bracket.  https://pittdsl.org/tournament/
2. JV/V – Remember, the last day to get your games in is Sunday, May 25th.  Games must be played by then and score cards must be loaded immediately following the game to count for standings.  If a game has not been played the starting point is that it is assessed as a “non-played” game and neither team gets standing points.  If a forfeit win/loss is requested we will assess the situation, including why the original game was not played and what efforts were utilized in trying to reschedule the game.  If a forfeit win/loss is determined to be warranted the “winning team” gets 2 standing points and the losing team get -2.
Please take a look at the standings and results tab of the webpage and make sure that all of your games have been correctly uploaded.  If you see an error or that a game was not loaded correctly contact me so that we can fix it well before 5/25.  The most common reason for a game upload not being accepted is someone leaves the page before the results have been fully loaded and so long as you still have the game cards, its an easy fix.
Looking ahead, the date and location of the JV/V Championship Series has not changed from the information provided at the beginning of the season, but I can add some detail.  We will Play Thursday, May 29 through Sunday June 1, at Seton LaSalle High School.  Play in games will be Thursday and Friday, Semifinals will be Saturday, and Championship Games will be Sunday.  I'll get an exact schedule to everyone that Monday, assuming everyone has entered their game cards and I can make determinations of who advanced out of bracket.  Brackets of 8 or 9 will have the top 5 advance.  Brackets of 11 will have the top 6 advance out of bracket.  The Thursday/Friday games for the brackets of 8 or 9 will have the 4 seed play the 5 seed.  The Thursday/Friday games for the brackets of 11 will have the 3 seed play the 6 seed and the 4 seed play the 5 seed.  If your team has a conflict and cannot make its designated game time we cannot reschedule, the next team up will have an opportunity to fill that game spot.
More details to follow on the JV/V games in the next week or two, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, but understand that this week is a bit crazy with the developmental tournament so I may not get back to you until next week.
Rob

DSL – Tournament Update

All:
One correction, I attached the wrong set of rules.  Disregard the rules I sent out earlier this evening as they were for the JV/V Playoffs in a few weeks.  Here are the correct rules for the Developmental and JV/V Girls tournament.  Specifically note the location of the tournament continues to be at No Off SEason in Russellton (the JV/V Playoff Rules reference Seton LaSalle as the venue, which is correct for that tournament, but not correct for the May 17th tournament). 

DSL – Tournament email and schedules

Coaches:

 

For those that are participating in next Saturday's tournament (May 17th), 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.

Final Numbers for Dev/All Girls Tournament

Good morning:
Registration is closed for the May 17th Tournament.  Below is what I have for registrations for each school.  Please take a look and let me know of any errors that may have occurred by the end of day today (Friday, May 2).  At this point, if you have registered a team, you are expected to attend, after the end of day today it will be too late for changes.  Thanks and let me know if you have any questions and I will follow up with each school's AD individually on rosters and registration fees.
SCHOOL NAME 1st   1st/2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd/4th 4th JV Girls Varsity Girls Total
Aquinas Academy 3 0 3 2 0 1 1 1 11
Archangel Gabriel  1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Ave Maria Academy 2 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 7
Blessed Seelos 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 6
Blessed Trinity Academy 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Butler Catholic 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Carlow 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Christ the Divine Teacher                  0
Divine Mercy Academy                  0
Eden Christian Academy                 0
Guardian Angel Academy 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5
Holy Cross Academy 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 5
Holy Family 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Holy Sepulcher 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Mary of Nazareth  0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Mother of Mercy Academy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Northside Catholic Assumption                 0
Our Lady of Fatima 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Providence Heights Alpha 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sacred Heart 1 0 3 1 0 2 1 1 9
St. Bede 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 4
St. James 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
St. Kilian 3 0 3 1 0 3 1 1 12
St. Louise de Marillac                 0
St. Monica                 0
Sts. Peter and Paul  0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
South Hills Catholic Academy 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Regards,
Rob

DSL – Week 6

Good Afternoon, just a reminder that registration for the May 17th tournament closes tomorrow.  Once registration closes I will follow up with each school on details, but a few have asked if the registration fee will stay the same this season, yes, it will continue to be $125 per team, there is no increase.  
Below are the schools/teams that I have registered.  Please let me know if you intend to play at the tournament but your team is not listed below:  As a reminder, once registration closes tomorrow we are locked in.  Teams cannot withdraw.  If you want to add a team, reach out to me, the answer may be no, but if there is an easy way to accommodate before I have made the schedules, then we will try to do so.  Also please note, I do not have any registrations for Guardian Angel, Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of Mercy and South Hills Catholic.  If you would like to play in this spring's tournament please let me know by the end of  the day tomorrow.
SCHOOL NAME 1st   1st/2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd/4th 4th JV Girls Varsity Girls Total
Aquinas Academy 3 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 9
Archangel Gabriel  1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Ave Maria Academy 2 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 7
Blessed Seelos 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 6
Blessed Trinity Academy 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Butler Catholic 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Carlow 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Christ the Divine Teacher                  0
Divine Mercy Academy                  0
Eden Christian Academy                 0
Guardian Angel Academy                 0
Holy Cross Academy 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 5
Holy Family                 0
Holy Sepulcher 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Mary of Nazareth  0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Mother of Mercy Academy                 0
Northside Catholic Assumption                 0
Our Lady of Fatima                 0
Providence Heights Alpha 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sacred Heart 1 0 3 1 0 2 1 2 10
St. Bede 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 4
St. James 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
St. Kilian 3 0 3 1 0 3   1 11
St. Louise de Marillac                 0
St. Monica                 0
Sts. Peter and Paul  0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
South Hills Catholic Academy                 0

DSL – Week 5 email

All:

I don't have much to report this week other than two items, which are as follows:

1. We are quickly approaching May so if you have not rescheduled any make up games yet, please put maximum effort on doing that now.  For JV/V matches no played games will either count as a forfeit or not at all, and by design adversely impact both teams (even a forfeit win is worth two standing points instead of three).

2. Remember that registration for the all girls and developmental tournament will close next Thursday, May 1.  To date, I have the following registrations in:  If you plan on attending the tournament but are not listed, please contact me as soon as you are able as registration will close next week, or sooner if your age bracket hits the maximum capacity before then.

SCHOOL NAME 1st   1st/2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd/4th 4th JV Girls Varsity Girls Total
Aquinas Academy 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 7
Archangel Gabriel  1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Ave Maria Academy     2     2     4
Blessed Seelos                 0
Blessed Trinity Academy                 0
Butler Catholic 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Carlow                 0
Christ the Divine Teacher                  0
Divine Mercy Academy                  0
Eden Christian Academy                 0
Guardian Angel Academy                 0
Holy Cross Academy 1 0 1 1 1 0     4
Holy Family                 0
Holy Sepulcher 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Mary of Nazareth  0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Mother of Mercy Academy                 0
Northside Catholic Assumption                 0
Our Lady of Fatima                 0
Providence Heights Alpha 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sacred Heart 1 0 3 1 0 2 1 2 10
St. Bede     1   1       2
St. James                 0
St. Kilian 2 0 3  1 0 3   1 10
St. Louise de Marillac                 0
St. Monica                 0
Sts. Peter and Paul                  0
Southhills Catholic Academy                 0
Regards,

Rob

DSL – Week 4 Email

All:

I don't have much to report this week other than two items, which are as follows:

1. Updated contact list – attached please find what I believe to be the final coach's contact list, including updates to the Aquinas 4th Grade Coaches Contact information.

2. It looks like it will be another rainy weekend so please communicate to opposing teams and referees if your fields are unplayable.  And remember, if cancellations occur within 48 hours for any reason and you are using PIAA referees (JV/V games and some girls and developmental games), then you need to text Chuck as well so he can coordinate.  I had three cancellations come in via email that were not also texted to Chuck, luckly I caught those and I was able to forward to Chuck via text.  If you fail to text though and refs still show up, remember that the home team is responsible for paying those ref fees, even if a game is cancelled.  don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rob

DSL – Week 3 email

Good evening everyone, just a few topics as we head into week 3 of our spring soccer season, they are as follows:
1. Spring Developmental and all girls tournament.  This Spring's tournament will be Saturday, May 27th, at No Off Season Sports in Russellton.  Registration is open as of today and will continue to remain open until the earlier of (i) May 1, 2025, or (ii) until particular brackets fill up.  As in the past, registration is first come, first serve so I encourage schools to register teams sooner rather than later as every season I have to turn away a team or two that waits too long.  I anticipate having the following brackets:
1st Grade – 5v5
2nd Grade – 5v5
1st/2nd Grade – 5v5
3rd Grade – 7v7
4th Grade – 7v7
3rd/4th Grade – 7v7
JV Girls – 5v5
Varsity Girls – 5v5
2. Uploading of Game Cards – As a reminder, for your JV/V games please upload your scorecard immediately following the game and also check to make sure that the website registered your score.  We sometimes encounter glitches in the system where cards aren't registered, especially earlier on in the season.  If you verify your games are recorded on the website, that will go along way to making things go smoother once we hit the later part of the season.
3. Communication – Please remember to communicate with your opposing team each week prior to the game.  This week and last week in particular were rough with weather and illnesses and a few minutes to coordinate will avoid bigger issues down the road.
Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Rob

DSL – Week 1 email

Coaches:
Welcome to week 1 of our soccer season.  I won't repeat everything from the schedule distribution email, but as we head into week 1, here are a few friendly reminders:
1. Communication – For all teams, Developmental and JV – Home teams, if you haven't already, reach out to your away teams to coordinate details.  This is always a good idea, but even more so in the first few weeks of our season where weather can be a gating issue on whether or not games are played.  I've attached the most current coach's contact list (only change from the previous list distributed is to the email address of Carlow's 1/2 grade team).  As a reminder, we can and do play in the rain.  We do not play during an active lightning storm and we do not play on fields that present a substantial health risk.  Generally speaking, mud is fine, standing water is not.  But I have seen standing water on playable fields and I've seen fields with mud bogs that were shin deep (and not safely playable).  Prior to the game starting the home team determines if the game and field are playable and they should make that determination no fewer than three hours in advance (so for those 9 am games, someone should make the call by 6am if a game is going to be cancelled).  During the game only a referee can call it due to rain.  Also, once a determination is made the visiting team and referees should be notified immediately.  See attached contact list for that information.  For games utilizing PIAA referees, any decisions to cancel that are made within 48 hours of game time need to call/text Chuck as well.  Failure to do so can result in the referees showing up for a cancelled game and the home team will be responsible to pay those refs for the games if they are not notified in a timely manner (generally speaking, notice to chuck via text/cell phone three hours or more prior to the start of the game should be sufficient).
2. Rosters – I am missing rosters for all teams other than Sts. Peter and Paul and Blessed Trinity.  Those should be completed, signed by your principal and emailed to me by Friday.  Failure to do so could result in your teams not being eligible for postseason play at the developmental tournament and JV/V playoffs. 
3. DSL Registration fees.  I have followed up with a few of you.  At this point the fees should have been received almost a month ago.  Please submit those to me ASAP and no later than Monday of this week.  Tournament and Playoff eligibility may be impacted for teams that are not current on their registration fees.
4. Game Cards – For our JV/V teams, please use the attached game card form for your games.  Players names and numbers should be written legibly (I've attached the form in word format if you want to type players and names into it and save it for future use.).  Two copies of a roster need to be in hand for your games, one of which is given to the referees and one of which is given to the opposing coach.  The winner of the game (or home team if there is a tie) is responsible for uploading the game results via the QR code immediately following the game.  Game cards that are lost or not submitted within 24 hours of the game may not be counted for standing purposes and you could put your team at a competitive disadvantage for postseason play qualification.  When uploading the game card please make sure you are clicking on the correct league (Girls/MLS/Premier), division (JV/V) and correct home team and away team as listed on the schedule.  This is particularly relevant for schools that have multiple teams such as AMA where there is a blue team, a white team and a girls team.  If you select the wrong team when uploading the results it wont register correctly.  Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions on this as the system works pretty good when the data is inputted correctly, but if you enter it wrong, the computer won't try to figure out what you really meant.  It'll just reject the game card or overwrite or steal a spot for the teams that you indicated.
5. Referees.  Home teams are responsible for paying the refs.  The JV/V games typically have two refs (although the girls games could be one ref).  The PIAA refs for most JV/V games are paid $50 per ref, per game so the home team needs to have $100 cash available to pay the refs for each game.  Developmental games and girls games that are not using PIAA refs are responsible to pay their refs at the agreed upon rate that the home team sets.  Also, while we are on the topic of referees please note that referee abuse will not be tolerated.  At the JV/V level most referees will give a a verbal caution, then a yellow and then a red