Team Rules

The following is addressed to coaches and administrators of All Star and tournament teams:

Although common sense should be your guide in dealing with All Star and Tournament teams, which collectively will be referred to as "post-season teams", we have put into place rules and guidelines to avoid problems and maximize the enjoyment of all the participants - players, families, coaches and other AYSO volunteers:

Team Status

All post-season teams are Tournament teams until December 1. After this date All Star teams may be announced. It is important to note that post-season play may not in any way interfere with the regular season. Once the Area All Star tournament (including the Sectional and Tri-Section tournaments) has been completed, each All Star team becomes another Tournament team and will have no special status or priority.

Team Organization

It is recommended for each team to appoint a team administrator. The team administrator will need to:

Collect three copies of medical release forms per player. Make sure the forms are completely filled out, are dated and have a wet signature, keep one set and give the other two sets to coaches.
For teams participating in Area tournaments, collect a birth certificate or other proof of age for each player.
Collect an ID picture for each player to create AYSO Player ID Cards.
Pertinent information from players and parents for a team roster (address, phone numbers, including cell phone, e-mail etc) will now automatically be available online once players have been assigned by the division director.
Arrange for parents to pay uniform and tournament fees (tba by Tournament Director) using our tournament payment system. Parents can access this through their Family Profile.
Provide a list of referees that are planning to support the team during the post season to the Referee Administrator at referee@ayso76.org.

Team Expectations

At the first team meeting the following needs to discussed with the parents and players:

Notify parents that they are required to volunteer at the Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup, usually the third weekend in December. Team coach or administrator is responsible for signing up the team's volunteers and their scheduling.
Stress the fact there is a long-term commitment; most teams will play well into the spring or until the summer.
Discuss the team's expectations in regards to practices.
Discuss that parents are expected to pay for tournament/travel/field fees.
Encourage parents to become referees. Tournament teams directly benefit from bringing a referee team to a tournament. Many tournaments prefer complete referee teams to come along (3 referees completing 3 games each) and tournaments are now rejecting applications if a team does not provide certified referees. Tournaments may not accept teams that come from regions that did not supply referees in the past; this is not always explicitly stated. It is important for each team to do its utmost to bring referees to each tournament. There is a higher likelihood of admission to a tournament if a team brings a complete set of referees.

Fees

There is a one time uniform fee for each tournament team player, as well as an administration fee. All teams are responsible for all tournament fees and referee deposits for all tournaments, including the tournaments that we will apply to as a region: Thanksgiving tournament, Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup (no referee deposit required) and the Riverside Locomotion tournament. Tournament application fees are typically $350-$600, and the referee deposits are about $150-250.

Uniforms

Uniforms are ordered by the Region. The uniforms for all teams will be the same pattern, each jersey in each division having a unique number. This will facilitate players moving between teams. There will be additional uniforms available to each team in case of new players or other changes later on in the season. Contact the uniform coordinator with any questions you may have. Uniform numbers will be allocated to players by coaches according to the following procedures:

First, different sized uniforms will be allocated by the coach or team administrator as needed according to the sizes of the players.
Second, if two players on the same team request a jersey with the same uniform number, and jersey size is not a consideration in the particular case (in which case the jersey will be allocated to the player for whom it was more size appropriate, the coach will seek to resolve the conflicting requests amicably. If agreement cannot be reached, the jersey will be assigned to the player with seniority, that is with the greater number of years playing in the division, irrespective of whether they have previously played in a tournament team in that or any other division. If two or more players with equal seniority request a jersey with the same uniform number, the jersey will be assigned by coin toss (if two players) or by random drawing (if three or more players), in either case conducted by a coach or team administrator with each player either present or represented by a parent. Once a uniform is assigned to a player in accordance with these procedures (size/seniority/coin toss or random drawing), that player may not switch it with another player except with the coach's consent and, if three players have requested the same jersey, by repeating the procedure without the participation of the player who wishes to switch. A player may not have a request for more than one jersey number resolved by a coin toss or random drawing
The coach retains final discretion over the allocation of uniform numbers

It is optional for a team to order bags, jackets and other team items. Each family and team orders these individually. The region's color scheme (black/white/orange) and logo need to be adhered to.

Tournament Applications

Every tournament team must follow these procedures:

You may not enter a team in a tournament without first notifying our Tournament Directors. E-mail to tournamentdirector@ayso76.org.
All rosters must be printed out from our online system and signed by the Regional Commissioner or one of their designees. Most tournaments require that players be listed in order of uniform number. It is recommended to have a few rosters signed at the same time. However any roster changes (other than an absent player) need to be signed by the Regional Commissioner.
All tournaments must be paid for by a Region check, to be issued by our Treasurer, and the funds for payment must be deposited into a team's account before the Region will issue a check for any team.
Please follow this procedure when applying to tournaments (other than those that we apply to as a Region): As soon as a coach knows they wish to attend a tournament, they should send a check request online to the Registrar. Coaches will need to get Tournament Applications, team rosters, etc., and submit them to the Post Season Director for review. After review, either the Post Season Director will sign them on behalf of the Regional Commissioner (if so authorized) or send them on to the Registrar who will sign them (with the authorization of the Regional Commissioner) and then mail them off with the check.
If any player is unable to afford the cost of participation in a tournament, please let us know and we will determine if funds are available to subsidize participation. Unfortunately, we are prohibited from using general Region funds but we hope the Sportsmanship Cup will provide us with a profit that can be applied for this purpose. For full or partial scholarship requests, the applicant is required to contact the Regional Commissioner or their designee.
We apply to the Thanksgiving, Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup and Riverside Locomotion Tournament as a region. We may apply to other tournaments as a region - our Tournament Teams Committee will let coaches and team administrators know. Teams need to apply to all other tournaments on an individual basis. Information about tournaments can be found on the National website. The Tournament Teams Committee will also try to notify the teams of additional tournaments as they become available.

Referees

For all tournaments, teams are responsible for providing their own referees and they must provide their names and other information at the time of application to a tournament. If a team does not have any referees, the team may be barred from applying to a tournament and if the referees fail to fulfill their assignments, they will lose their referee deposit. Whenever a tournament team is accepted into a tournament, the team must finalize the referees by contacting the referee(s) and notifying our Referee Administrator by e-mail at referee@ayso76.org.

Referee Desposits

Tournaments will refund the referee deposit when referees are supplied and complete all assignments. The region will receive a check and will credit each team that receives a refund.

Conduct

We expect coaches, assistant coaches, parents and players to remember that they represent our Region and to conduct themselves appropriately. In particular, everyone is required to cooperate with tournament officials and referees and to make sideline comments that are positive, instructional (in the case of coaches only) and encouraging.

Practice Fields and Scrimmage Games

Teams may contact the Post Season Director, who will work with the Field Allocation Director, for practice time field space availability. After the city permit ends, the Region will try to secure field space at local parks, however there may be a cost to the teams. Scrimmage games can be arranged with the surrounding regions by contacting the region (e.g., Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, West LA, Hollywood/Wilshire). Contact information is at http://www.ayso1p.org.

Player Transactions

Please refer to Rules Governing Selection of Coaches, Teams and Players for Post-Season Play for information about player transactions between tournament teams.

Fundraising

Please refer to the Memorandum On Fundraising Rules and Guidelines for information on team fundraising.

PLEASE NOTE that failure to adhere to any of above mentioned rules may result in your being terminated as a coach or even disbanding of the team.