Good morning,

 

Please see below and attached for information relating to the DSL Fall 26' Soccer Season, I know this is a long email, but this email contains most of what you need to get things off to a right start this season.  Please refer to the attached as the final schedule.  I believe that I have personally relayed a couple of changes to impacted teams, but there was also a change to the home game times for Holy Cross for their developmental teams, those games will occur thirty minutes earlier than what was shown in the previous schedule (attached schedule has their current home game times):

Schedules:

For those that have coached before in the league, the format of the Schedules should be familiar.   I've attached both in Excel formats, let me know if anyone has trouble opening them.  In both documents, there is a tab for each of the following brackets:

·       First Grade

·       Second Grade

·       First/Second Grade

·       Third Grade

·       Fourth Grade

·       Third/Fourth Grade

·       Girls V 

·       MLS (7's JV/V bracket)

·       Premier (11's JV/V bracket)

Different from previous years, I did include both a full schedule for MLS and Premier, as well as schedules for Aug/Sept and Oct/Nov.  I did this in an attempt to make the schedules more readable.  I only did it for MLS/Premier since those schedules are longer than the other ones.  Let me know if this is helpful or makes things worse (I don’t love the idea of having multiple schedules for a bracket as it could as confusion, but if it makes things easier on your end, I am happy to do this for future seasons as well.)

Home teams are listed first and are in blue, Away teams are listed second and are in yellow, two home games in one day are in cyan, two away games in one day are in purple, one home and one away game are in green, and restrictions are in red- if something doesn't look right let me know, it may be a typo or I should be able to explain it.    For those that are new to coaching and are having trouble understanding the schedule, check with your coordinator, AD or a seasoned coach and they should be able to explain it.  If you still can't make sense of it, reach out to me and I can walk you through it.  Home game days, times and locations are listed for each school and if you are the away team refer to the hosting teams information rows for those details, unless the cell for your game contains a different time or location, then refer to that specific time/location.  Note, we generally conformed to time requests but in some instances modified them slightly to allow for the increasing loss of daylight throughout the season and/or to make referee coverage easier to provide.  Generally speaking, each JV/V team plays 8 games, Girls play 6 games, and each developmental team plays 7 games.  In developmental brackets that have an odd amount of teams, one randomly selecting team has an 8th game to make sure that all teams get at least 7 because of, well, math.  

The attached schedule reflects our best efforts to accommodate all of the requests that we received.  If something changed from the date that you submitted your registration or I was not able to accommodate the request that you made, you will need to reach out to the opposing team to coordinate a new game time, please include me on those emails.  Note, in some instances at the developmental level we have schools with multiple teams playing one another on a black out date with the understanding that the school will play that game amongst its two teams on a date that makes sense for them.   Also, home teams must remember to include me on emails that update game information, and with respect to JV/Varsity Co-ed matches, they must include our JV/V PIAA referee coordinator, Russ Caprio, who is cc'd here, and with respect to developmental or Girls Varsity matches where PIAA refs are utilized, they must include our Dev/Girls PIAA referee coordinator, Chuck Pruss, who is also cc'd here.  Home Teams, please communicate issues as they are discovered with ample time and consideration provided to all involved.  Away teams please be understanding and as flexible as you can when home teams reach out– many of our schools have struggled with field availability issues this and other seasons, any flexibility you can provide if a team reaches out will be appreciated by all involved.

I know that you reviewed these schedules over the weekend, but please take one last look before sharing with your players.   For each cell in your row check the corresponding visitors team cell and make sure the info matches.  This whole process is still done by hand so human error can be a factor.  We coordinated the scheduling of 449 games while taking into consideration countless, and sometimes conflicting, scheduling requests, so despite being reviewed by a couple of people multiple times, odds are still good that a few mistakes made it through, if you see something that doesn't look right, let me know.  The earlier we catch any stray errors, the easier it will be to figure out how to correct them.  Also note that any errors or changes from today onward will need to go through the regular rescheduling process.  

Also note that we are providing this info to our web director at the same time you get it so the website will lag a bit before the games show up there.

Referee Update:  Referees for the regular season will continue in the same format as we did in the spring.  Russ Caprio will coordinate the Co-ed JV/V regular season matches and those referee payments will continue to go through arbiter.  Developmental and all girls games can continue to be staffed by referees that the home team provides, either through your own ref program or if you need/prefer, via the PIAA refs that Chuck Pruss can provide if you coordinate with him.  Schools should continue to pay their referees directly at the developmental and girls levels.

Coaches' Contact List

I've also attached a Coach's Contact List for use throughout the season.  Home Teams should be reaching out to opposing teams no later than 3 days prior to your game to confirm location, day, time, jersey colors, and any other venue specific or relevant information.  If the Home team fails to reach out by then the Away Team should then initiate contact.  If either team has difficulty reaching the opposing coach and/or coordinator, feel free to notify me and I can assist.  Coordinators and AD's, you will see that I am missing contact info for certain teams highlighted in Yellow.  Please review and get me this missing info ASAP.  Head Coaches, please take a few minutes to review your contact information and let me know if any changes are needed – I've set a goal for this group to keep the amount of times that we need to recirculate this list to two or less.  Let's review this now and catch any errors the first time. After the redistribution, I will limit updates to this list to every couple of weeks so please take the time to review it now.  If you do not have coach contact information for a particular game, please reach out to the soccer coordinator.

Game Reschedules 

If a venue, date or time change occurs then you must notify the away coach and let me know.  For games that involve our PIAA referees, our referee coordinator must be made aware of the change as well so that he can verify referee coverage. If the change involves a date, time, or venue change then the following procedure must be followed: 

Co-ed JV/Varsity matches – Coaches need to agree on a mutual date and time for a reschedule, home and away status should not change, unless the home team is unable to find a date that works for them and they agree to play away.  Once that date/time/venue is agreed upon an email needs to be sent to me at [email protected] and to Russ Caprio at [email protected] and Russ and I need to sign off on the changes. 

Developmental matches and Girls matches – Coaches need to agree on a mutual date and time for a reschedule, home and away status should not change, unless the home team is unable to find a date that works for them and they agree to play away.  Once that date/time/venue is agreed upon an email needs to be sent to me at [email protected] If our referee coordinator is providing refs to the game then to Chuck Pruss at [email protected] so he can verify referee coverage.  

All changes should be made with a minimum of three hours’ notice and much more whenever possible.  Changes that involve our PIAA referees (all Co-ed JV/V games and certain Developmental/Girls games) should be made with 48 hours notice.  If less than 48 hours notice is provided then Russ or Chuck, as applicable should be called on his cell phone as well.  Failure to follow those procedures may result in game forfeitures and/or the need to pay referees for their time even if no game has been played.  If all of these methods fail, don’t hesitate to call me personally.   It is very important that all games, especially at the JV/V level are played.  We will be more proactive at assessing forfeits if the situation warrants those and as a reminder, forfeit wins result in 2 standing points and forfeit losses result in negative 2 standing points.

Rules

Here is a link to the league's current rule book.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M2NFz3gL87BQtepTvQ0qURi8yJ-_V2Fy/view. 

Also here is a link to some common forms that may be helpful

https://pittdsl.org/forms/ 

Note player rosters are needed for all teams.  Game Day Cards are only needed for JV/Varsity matches– each team needs at least two of those completed, one for the referees and one for the opposing coach.  

Some common rules at the developmental level that are incorrectly applied are as follows:

· Off sides – Not called at 1/2 levels but it is called at 3/4 levels– towards the end of the season 1/2 grades should introduce this concept as obvious offsides calls will be made at the Developmental Tournament

· Fouls – All fouls at the developmental level result in an indirect kick.  We do not have direct kicks or penalty kicks at this level.  If a foul is committed in the penalty box, the ball should be set on the end of the box and an indirect kick should be awarded.  Referees still have discretion to caution players, ask them to sit out for a cooling off period or even issue cards if the situation warrants them.

· Build out line – It is played at the developmental level.  Refer to the rules for a discussion of the build out line.

Finally, here is a summary of game days/procedures cut and pasted from an older email (but still relevant):

1.      Jersey Colors – Home team is dark, Away team is light.  If the referee determines that the colors are too similar the home team is required to either change their jerseys or wear pinnies.  The coordination of jersey colors is something that should be discussed by the coaches in the email/phone/text change that occurs prior to the games and discussed below.

2.      Confirmation of Game Details – As we have done in the past, each home coach should reach out to the away coach on or before Wednesday (or two days prior if your game is played before Friday) to confirm game times and locations, directions and jersey colors (see attached spreadsheet for coach contact information).  Please cc the soccer coordinator as well for that school.  The home coach should also share any venue specific rules, if any, that the home school or venue is requiring (such as prohibition on pets, parking rules, etc.).   If the away team has not heard from the home team by Thursday (or one day prior if the game day is before Friday), they should reach out and initiate contact with the home team’s coach and soccer coordinator.  If no contact has been able to be made, please reach out to me.  Be a courteous and respectful guest and remember that whatever regulations and rules that your school employs may not be applicable at someone else’s fields.  If there are compliance issues here, please let me know as I prefer to get ahead of these issues than to let them get out of control.  Also, if the current contact list doesn't include information on a head coach to contact, please send the email directly to the Soccer Coordinator instead.

3.  Attendance at away games is not optional – I have heard reports of schools, mostly at the developmental level, opting not to play another school because the drive was too far.  That is not how this league works.  In order for schools to have home games, away games are part of the deal.  A lot of time and effort has been put into this league by me, by you, by our players and our parents; everyone is pulling their oars in the same direction so that the kids get a chance to have fun and learn the sport.  If I hear reports of schools unilaterally deciding to not show up because of travel times or other unapproved reasons, I will look into the situation and react accordingly.  As I mentioned last year, that could include, but not be limited to losing home games in the following season for either that particular team or possibly the school.  In extreme instances it could also result in schools being suspended for a season.  I am hopeful that we don't have any such issues this season though and we can continue to focus our efforts on making this league and our sport better.

4. Reschedule Requests- Games can only be cancelled and rescheduled due to weather and due to Diocesan and School events.   

i)  For Developmental Games and Girls Games, the coach/coordinator for the requesting school should reach out to the coach of the opposing team with the request and cc the opposing school's coordinator and me.  Both parties need to agree to the rescheduled day and time.  If one school is being uncooperative, let me know.  If PIAA referees are being used, the Chuck Pruss must also be made aware.

ii)  For Co-ed JV and Varsity Games, the coach/coordinator for the requesting school should reach out to the coach of the opposing team with the request and cc the opposing school's coordinator, me and Russ Caprio.   Both parties need to agree to the rescheduled time.  No alternative time is final until Russ can confirm that he is able to provide referee coverage for the alternative time. 

5.  Game Cancellations – As much time as possible should be provided prior to cancelling a game.  In no event should cancellation notice be provided with less than 3 hours notice.  Notice must be given to the other team and I need to be cc'd on the email or sent a follow up email if cancellation notice was delivered via call or text.  With respect to Co-ed JV/Varsity games or Developmental/Girls games that use PIAA referees any cancellation notices that are within 48 hours of game time also need to be texted or called into the referee coordinator (email notice of less than 48 hours may not be received so calling/texting is imperative).  Once the game starts the referee makes the call on cancellation due to weather– Please note, we play in rain, but if the field is saturated to the point where play is unsafe or lightning strikes, that can result in a delay and/or cancellation by the referee.  Failure to follow cancellation protocols can result in league action and if they involve PIAA referees, the referee fees will have to be paid regardless of whether the game has occurred if the referees travel to the game site due to not being informed of the cancellation in a timely and correct manner.

6. Webpage- With respect to the JV/Varsity games those schedules will be loaded onto the webpage.  Please refer to this schedule until such time as we have updated the webpage, please be patient, we are volunteers with day jobs so we are all doing this in our free time and will get it uploaded as soon as we are able.  As always, each coach should be making contact with the opposing team to verify game details in advance of the game.  Relying solely on either this schedule or the webpage can result in errors– in almost every instance of teams showing up on the wrong days/locations/times, it is directly attributable to coaches not confirming with one another game details in advance.

7. Referees –  JV and Varsity games in the MLS and Premier divisions (the 7v7 and 11v11 co-ed league) are provided for by the DSL.  These referees are generally PIAA referees, and the home team is responsible for paying the referee fees, which are $55 per official per game.  There are typically two referees per game so in a standard home series of one JV and one Varsity game, the home team would pay $220 for two referees for those two games.  At the JV/V co-ed league there are 4 home games for JV and 4 home games for Varsity.  At the girls JV/V and the developmental games (grades 1-4) schools have the option of using their own referees at the pay scale they use or they can also use PIAA referees by contacting Chuck Pruss to get such coverage.  Those refs are paid $55 per game and the schools should use one or two referees per game (The DSL recommends one referee for first and second grade levels and two referees for the third, fourth and all girls JV/V games). 

8. Post-Season Play – While playoffs are still a ways a way, there are a few notes on post-season play that I wanted to share with everyone.  For Grades 1-4 and for the JV/V Girls league, we will have a round robin style tournament on May 16^th at No Offseason in Russellton.  Registration for this tournament will open April 1^st, and will close on the earlier of May 1^st or until such time as the brackets fill.  JV/Varsity co-ed playoffs will be the week of June 1^st through June 7^th. Generally speaking, the following brackets will have the following playoff spots allocated to them:

            JV MLS –12 teams, top 6 will advance to playoffs

            V MLS – 7 teams, top 4 will advance to playoffs

            JV Premier – 10 teams, top 6 will advance to playoffs

            Varsity Premier – 10 teams, top 6 will advance to playoffs.

The play-in games between the 3^rd and 6^th seeds and 4^th and 5^th seeds at the MLS JV and Premier JV and Varsity leagues and between the 4^th & 6^th seed and 3^rd & 5^th seed at the MLS V league will occur during the week, likely Wednesday through Friday during that first week of November.  Semifinals for all MLS and Premier divisions will be Saturday, and Championship matches for those divisions will be on Sunday in that first full week of November.

Finally, here are a few more points as we go into the season:

· Two (2) Game Cards should be used for all JV and Varsity games – one is for the opposing coach and one is for the referee. Other documents will not be accepted. Call up players, e.g. JV playing up on varsity should be added to the game card for the game.  Results of the game are to be posted online using the webpage or QR code by the winning team (or, in the event of a tie, the home team).  A picture of the results, roster and yellow/red card information must be included or the results will not be official.  It is best to upload this information immediately following the game. 

· Let’s remember sportsmanship and not run up the score. If you are up on a team by 3 or 4 goals you should start to implement measures to make the game more competitive.  You could instruct your players to pass more, playback and practice your build up, have your players shoot with their non-dominant foot, pull off a player or two, or ask the team if they would like to add a player or two (if the ref consents).  It is ok to want to win, and the players that work hard and are the better team that day deserve the win.  But it is also important to teach them how to win (and lose) with grace. Teams that win by more than 7 goals will be flagged for review and the results for that game could be set aside by the commissioner, in my sole discretion.  Repeat violations of this rule may result in the offending school being sanctioned with the loss of home games in the current or future season.

· We are a co-ed league, all coaches should be playing boys and girls in an equal manner and doing what they can to encourage the development of all players.

· Field Dimensions Below is a quick summary of some division specific information, but please consult the rules for a more detailed listing:

Division	Grades	Ball Size	Game Length	Field Size	Format	Goal Size	Heading	Slide Tackle
Jr. Developmental	1 & 2	3	50 minutes	¼	5v5	6×8 or 6×12  (We will use 6×12 at the tournament)	No	No
Developmental	3 & 4	4	50 minutes	½	7v7	6×12	No	No
JV	5 & 6	4	60 minutes	Full (shorter field for 7's if possible)	11v11 or 7v7	8×24	No	No
Varsity	7 & 8	5	60 minutes	Full (shorter field for 7's if possible)	11v11 or 7v7	8×24	Yes, but not punts or goal kicks	Yes, but not from behind and contact with the ball must be made first

 

Additionally, for the 5v5 Girls league I would recommend that field size be roughly equivalent to the 3/4 grade fields, which are to be roughly 1/2 field size or as close to 120' x 180' as you are able to get to.

We understand that everyone's field situations may differ and that you may not have a lot of control on the dimensions, that being said please try to adhere to a standard size field (or relatively close thereto) whenever possible.  The actual dimensions that I use in post season play serve as a good benchmark, and they are as follows

· 11v11 field – 200 ft x 360 ft

· 7v7 field – 160 ft x 250 ft

· 5v5 girls field – 120 ft x 180 ft

· 3/4 grade field – 120 ft x 180 ft

· 1/2 grade field – 80 ft x 120 ft

Last, but not least, please remember, we are doing this all for the kids.  Let’s keep and maintain a safe environment for them and set good examples for them throughout the season.  That’s all, if you've read this far, congrats, hopefully this is the longest email I will send all season.  Play safe, I hope you all have a great season this year, and don't hesitate to reach out if we can be of any help along the way.

Regards,

Rob Glentzer