Good morning:
This weekend is the start of our season for several of our teams so I wanted to reach out on just a few quick items:
1. Rosters – Rosters are due by tomorrow for the league. It is essential that if you are playing this weekend that you send me your signed rosters before your first game (schedule has the following JV/V teams playing – Archangel Gabriel, Blessed Seelos, Guardian Angel, Mary of Nazareth, Our Lady of Fatima, Sacred Heart, St. Bede, St. Louise, South Hills Catholic). To date I can confirm receipt of rosters from Holy Cross and St. Bede). If you aren't playing this weekend I can give you until Wednesday of next week to turn those in. The purposes of the rosters is to provide verification that the players participating in our league are all enrolled at your school (or another Catholic School that I have approved in advance). If an allegation is made that a player is not attending your school (and I get a few every season), I refer to these rosters as my first line of inquiry. If you have not provided a roster for reference, there is a strong likelihood that your game is forfeited so please protect yourselves and send those signed rosters in. I previously sent the form, but if you need it again, let me know. Also, please have the school's soccer coordinator or AD send them in at one time via email, one off's from coaches can be overwhelming and can be lost in the shuffle given that we have over 120 teams in our league.
2. Registration Fees – Fees were due August 1 so if they have not been received I would ask each school to get that done ASAP and let me know of the status later today or tomorrow. Thank you for the schools that have sent those registration fees in. As of this morning I am still awaiting fees from the following schools – Ave Maria (partial payment received, need fee for the additional team added), Butler Catholic, Guardian Angel, Holy Cross, Mary of Nazareth, Our Lady of Fatima. Everyone should have the relevant details of amounts, where to send, etc., but if you need any of that information again, please let me know.
3. Communication with Opposing Coaches – Coaches should be reaching out to one another before the games to confirm game details. Home team should reach out at least 72 hours in advance of game time to confirm details with the Visiting team. If its 48 hours before game time and the Visiting team has not heard back, Visiting team should reach out and CC me on the emails. This communication will help make sure that everyone shows up at the right time, at the right place and wearing the right color of jerseys. For ease of reference I have attached the most updated coach
4. Cancellations/Reschedules – Please be considerate and provide as much notice on cancellations and reschedules as possible. If your game has PIAA refs, the home team is responsible for ensuring that I and Chuck Pruss (the ref coordinator) is made aware of the cancellation. If you forget to include Chuck I may not catch that and it can result in problems so please include him from the beginning. Such notice should be delivered with as much notice as possible, and in no event with fewer than 3 hours notice. This applies to cancellations due to field closures from excessive rain as well. If the cancellation is within 48 hours of the game time Chuck should be texted or called on his phone as well as he may not have mail access. Failure to follow this protocol will result in the home team's obligation to still pay the refs for their games, even if they are not played. Any rescheduled game needs to be rescheduled within one week of the cancellation date (such game does not need to be played within one week of the cancellation date, just rescheduled). Failure to do so will result in ever increasing odds that the game is never played and, with respect to JV/V matches, either not counted towards standings or having forfeits enforced. Every effort should be made to play the games as reschedules are logistical nightmares. As a reminder, we do encourage all teams to work to reschedule a game regardless of the reason for cancellation, but if the reason for cancellation is something other than weather, a verified school/church event, or something approved in advance by the DSL commissioner, such cancelled game could result in a forfeit. So even if your team is light on players it may make more sense to play with limited subs/no subs/a player(s) down rather than being assessed with a forfeit. Do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions on any issues you know of with respect to rescheduling.
5. Game Cards – For all JV/Varsity matches, including the girls league, Coaches should bring at least two completed game cards with them