Author: Bob Mueser
DSL – Weel 1 email
DSL Fall 2022 Kickoff Email
All:
Thank you for all of your efforts in getting things ready to start with this year’s Fall soccer season, attached to this email you will find brackets and schedules. Please review and let me know if you see any errors. We ended up scheduling 393 games and typographical errors sometimes happen despite our best efforts.
Brackets for Developmental are fairly self-explanatory. For the developmental program our goal is to get each developmental team 7 games during the 7 week season. In the third grade bracket we had an odd number of teams so one team in that bracket ended up with an eighth game inorder for everyone to play 7. That team was chosen at random.
With respect to the JV and Varsity Brackets we had enough teams to do 3 divisions (One 7's division consisting of 5 JV teams and 7 Varsity teams) and 2 divisions of 11's (MLS and Premier, each of which consisted of 6 teams at the JV and Varsity levels). For JV/Varsity Playoffs we will keep to our long standing 50% plus one formula in deciding how many teams make the playoffs. That means that if your bracket has 5 teams in it, the top three of each bracket will advance to the post season with the first seed getting a bye into the championship game and seeds 2 and 3 playing a play-in game. If your bracket has 6 or 7 teams in it, the top four of each bracket will advance to the postseason with seeds 1 and 4 playing and seeds 2 and 3 playing in the semi final matches.
At the JV/Varsity level brackets are determined in accordance with our league rules, largely based off of a formula that takes into account previous records for the combined JV/Varsity squad and their previous bracket strength.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out and I will be happy to explain why schools have been placed where they are, but please understand that these determinations are final, and as always, we will rebalance our brackets again for next Spring based upon the results of this Fall.
Additionally, attached to this email is a listing of contact information for head coaches and soccer coordinators for each school. Please review and make sure that any necessary parties are listed and listed correctly. Let me know if there are any corrections. Data entry is not a forte of mine, typos can occur, if something is off with your contact info let me know and I will correct it.
Also note the following:
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 COVID regulations, if any, that the home school or venue is requiring (such as spectator limits, mask requirements, 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. Scheduling Requests. I did my best, there were a lot of requests this year. In the aggregate some of them became incompatible with one another. For those that turned in “clean sheets” with no requests, thank you, you are the unsung heros that give me the flexibility to maneuver and make a schedule that accommodates as many requests as we do. As you review the schedules let me know if you have questions.
Scheduling requests caused a few issues at the JV/Varsity level such as schools playing the same team in consecutive weeks. These compromises are not ideal, but they were necessary in order to accommodate the scheduling requests and get the games in during our allotted season.
We had more problems at the developmental level because we have 7 weeks to get 7 games in and we are working around conflicting schedules for cross county, volleyball, musicals, etc. Also, there are instances where schools with multiple teams in a bracket requested a black out date and I have them playing each other on that date with the understanding that the schools can make that game up with their two squads whenever it is best for them. You will also note that there are more double header games than we typically have in a season. This is a direct result of trying to accommodate all of the scheduling requests that we received.
If additional requests come since the time that your registration was delivered you will need to work those out with the opposing team (see below for reschedule procedures). All games should be played. Schools have registered with the understanding that they will get to play at least 7 games at the developmental level and 8 games at the JV/Varsity level. At the JV/Varsity level, at best, unplayed games will put you at a disadvantage for league standings and depending on the circumstances, could result in forfeit wins (2 points instead of 3) and forfeit losses (-2 points instead of 0) being allocated.
5. Reschedule Requests– Games can only be cancelled and rescheduled due to weather and due to Diocesan and School events.
i) For Developmental 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.
ii) For 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 Chuck Pruss (Chuck is cc’d on this email and his email is in the schedules). Both parties need to agree to the rescheduled time. No alternative time is final until Chuck can confirm that he is able to provide referee coverage for the alternative time.
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.
Finally, here are a few more points as we go into the season:
- Registration Fees are overdue. Fees are $100 per team. The check is payable to Diocese of Pittsburgh and sent c/o Rob Glentzer at 116 Wickerham Drive, Mars, PA 16046
- Rosters are due for all teams – Developmental, JV, and Varsity – by September 1 via e-mail or US mail. If you use e-mail, please properly scan and/or attach the document. Improperly scanned documents or unreadable/partial pictures will not be accepted. Preferably a soccer coordinator can send all of the rosters for all of their teams. Jersey numbers for JV/Varsity should be listed on the roster. Roster forms are attached to this email.
- Referee Fees for JV and Varsity are $45 per ref per game so with 2 referees it is $90 per game so for 4 home games, it would be $360 for the regular season. Home teams pay for the JV/Varsity Referees. For developmental games home teams supply and pay for the referees and the home team sets the pay scale, unless they are utilizing PIAA referees. Those that are using PIAA referees for developmental games need to coordinate with Chuck. Also note that referee fees have held steady for a number of years, but we are scheduled for an increase in fees to $50 per ref per game for the Fall 2023 season so please plan accordingly.
- 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. I have attached a sample game card and they can also be found online
- 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 |
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 |
- Let’s remember sportsmanship and not run up the score. If you are up on a team by 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 8 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.
- 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 and I hope you all have a great season this year.
Rob Glentzer
DSL Commissioner
DSL – Upcoming call, Schedules, and other matters
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DSL – Last Day to Register and DSG Event Update
DSL Fall 22 Season
DSL Fall 2022 Season – Registration/Rules Update
- When registering you need to keep the same format for both JV and Varsity if you are registering both. Our scheduling requirements will not permit you to have one JV at 7v and one varsity at 11v. You will need to figure out which league is best for your school as a whole.
- If you have multiple teams at JV or Varsity you could put one in 11v and one in 7v. (just remember the above bullet point where we need to keep JV/V together for scheduling purposes, but if you have a second JV/V team they could be in a different league).
- As of now cross-rostering of varsity 11v to varsity 7v (as well as JV11v and JV 7v) will not be permitted. Just like we have it with different brackets, players can't cross over (if we revisit this I'll let you know, but our concern here is stopping schools from registering multiple teams and stacking them to collect trophies).
- You should not register two 7v teams at the JV or Varsity level without getting my approval in advance. Generally speaking I am not inclined to grant that approval since if you have enough for two 7v teams, you should be playing 11v, and if I see a school with two 7v teams registered I will more than likely enter them into 11v instead. If there is a situation that I am not considering I am open to discussing it, just know that I am inclined to say no.
- Schools that are playing 7v7 may consider shortening the field a bit for that format to 250 foot in length or so. There will be schools that are not able to shorten the fields and if that is the case, be prepared to alter your strategy (more passing instead of dribbling, for example). There is a decent chance that come playoffs we do not play on a shortened field since we play on turf and I can't paint new goal boxes for our games. These are all factors that should play into whether you want to register for 7v.
- Once all registrations are in, I will see whether or not we have enough teams to make both leagues viable, if we do not we may need to revisit and I'll reach out to you if needed.
- If we have enough to do 11v and 7v please understand that this will wreak havoc on our bracketing this season and possibly future seasons. As schools jump in and out of brackets I'll do my best to place people where the composite rankings say you should go, but this could result in a school going up or down more than one bracket (something we try to avoid). You will have to trust me that I am doing it fairly, and as always, if you have any questions as to how I bracketed, I am happy to take the time to talk specifics with you.
- Other things may come up, this is new and new things have unforeseen ripple effects. Thank you in advance for both your patience and suggestions as we try to navigate this change. It is my earnest hope though that by making the change to the two formats that we are able to keep more schools and students participating in the league and mitigate the occurrence of forfeits/cancellations throughout the season.