You make the call - League Formation

[watfly]

I'd like to see a league that incorporates some sportsmanship and acccountability benchmarks.

Sportsmanship: Each team would get a sportsmanship score for each game. The score would be based upon the behavior of the players, coach and parents. The CR, the AR (on that team's side) and the opposing coach would give a score from 1-5, 5 being the best (scores less than 3 would have to be explained). If a team accumulates two games with an average score less than 3, the team losses a home game and a point in the standings. The teams in each bracket that have the highest sportmanship score at the end of the year would be given a points bonus and a partial refund of league fees. Teams that have the lowest sportsmanship score may be eliminated for future consideration in the league.

Parents and coach on same side of field opposite the other team.

Ref Accountability: Pay refs in this league more, maybe something starting at 25% more. Each coach provides a satisfactory or unsatisfactory score for each ref. (an unsatisfactory score would have to be explained) Accumulate two games with unanimous unsatisfactory scores results in the ref's loss of priviledges to ref in the league.

Obviously this league would be more expensive but hopefully it would attract the most disciplined teams.

 

[Real Deal]

Mine has more to do with scheduling:

-League games end by Nov 1. No playoffs.
-CRL concludes in November prior to Thanksgiving (if team is in it)
-State/National cup is a 3 week tournament starting the weekend after Thanksgiving.
-ROSTER FREEZE goes until the conclusion of State/National cup (so from end of August until mid-December).
-The second half of December is BREAK.
-Teams going to Regionals are allowed to add players to their roster at this time (for injuries etc)
-Teams that progress to Regionals/Nationals begin in mid-January.
-Those who don't go to Vegas Cup (or Strikers or Eagles) for FUN.
-Try-outs/trainings in February/early March.
-Everyone gets time off in Mid-March through Spring break.
-Spring leagues begin in Mid-April.

A condensed soccer season? What do you think?

 

[mirage]

If you had a magic wand and could start your own club soccer league, what would you include/not include?
Feel free to add to the list:

• Promotion/Relegation
• How many flights?
• Limit of number of teams per flight for each club?
• How many games during the season?
• How many weeks would the season last?
• Showcase games?
• League / Flight Tournament?
• Standings kept? For all ages?
• What age would it start at?
• Allow players to move within the club during the season?
• Transfers to other clubs during the season?
• When would tryouts be held?
• Coaches and parents on same sideline?
• How would you enforce rules violations?
• Any limit on number of teams that a coach can run?

- Definitely promotion and relegation for top and bottom 3 teams
- 4 tiers with fewer number of teams as tiers increases
- Don't care as competition of promotion and relegation will self police number of teams in each.
- 1 game per weekend and have season start in August and end in May: 10 months like DA
- League playoffs/showcase in June, like DA
- Standing kept for all ages
- Start at U8 with 7v7 and gradually increase to 11v11 by U12
- Players can move about within the club as convenient within the age but cannot play more than 1 game/weekend
- Transfer window from June~August, and December~January to any club
- Tryout held during transfer windows
- Teams on one-side and parents/family on other-side with clear neutral standoff distances between the competing teams parents. No seating within 15 meters/yards on both directions from the center line. Place referee table at the middle of the field to enforce.
- Rules are rules, this is a sportsman's game. Cheating results in the games being forfeit and not allowed to compete in league playoff/showcase. Have yellow card accumulation rule along with SCDSL style sub rule.
- No limit on coaches running multiple teams (its their livelihood and its not a problem now so why make it one)

National Cup that runs Feb~May, depending on the age, can go on simultaneously and scheduled around the league games. Same with CRL which as fall, winter and spring games.

 

[jrcaesar]

- Teams on one-side and parents/family on other-side with clear neutral standoff distances between the competing teams parents. No seating within 15 meters/yards on both directions from the center line. Place referee table at the middle of the field to enforce.

This is a very good idea (esp. adding the table, even if empty) that could be implemented across leagues immediately.

 

[watfly]

Teams on one-side and parents/family on other-side with clear neutral standoff distances between the competing teams parents. No seating within 15 meters/yards on both directions from the center line. Place referee table at the middle of the field to enforce.

This is a very good idea (esp. adding the table, even if empty) that could be implemented across leagues immediately.

What's the advantage to having the parents opposite the teams? With parents and coach on same side of field opposite the other team, the coach can "control" the parents. With parents all on one-side it makes it the responsibility of the refs to address bad parent behavior. IMHO I don't think that should be the refs responsibility, they should be focused on the players.

 

[mirage]

What's the advantage to having the parents opposite the teams? ......IMHO I don't think that should be the refs responsibility, they should be focused on the players.

Its not ref's responsibility, per sa, and is the coach's and admin's.

The advantage of using the other side is for the coaches and players. Coaches and players don't have to listen to parents interfering playing instructions, like many parents telling their kid what and how to do during the game. On the field, almost every player I know ignore parents voices anyway so its when they are off the field.

 

[timbuck]

Yeah, but when parents are on the opposite sideline, they yell instructions anyway. If the coach is on the same side as the parents at least he can tell them to shut up.

 

[younothat]

Yeah, but when parents are on the opposite sideline, they yell instructions anyway. If the coach is on the same side as the parents at least he can tell them to shut up.

Fewer distractions for the players & coach if speculators are on the opposite side. The players /coaches only restricted zones help also.

The potential for conflict, (closer doesn't help) pick your sides exists, either way, respect the game and let the kids play, Kids shouldn't get more distracted because parents can't get along side by side.

 

[watfly]

Its not ref's responsibility, per sa, and is the coach's and admin's.

The advantage of using the other side is for the coaches and players. Coaches and players don't have to listen to parents interfering playing instructions, like many parents telling their kid what and how to do during the game. On the field, almost every player I know ignore parents voices anyway so its when they are off the field.

I guess I haven't seen too much of parents coaching a kid when a kid is on the bench. I've seen significantly more coaching from parents and barking at refs when the parents are opposite the coach. But I agree that kids tend to just block out their parents voices and coaches voices for that matter, if the ball is in play.

 

[jrcaesar]

You would THINK being opposite from the coach would mean more parent sniping, but I've found as a referee that the opposite is true. If you have a hothead coach, the parents tend to be more vocal and disrespectful anyway (since coach doesn't take control or have concerns about this, they just follow the coach's lead) so it's actually worse when along with the same sideline with the coach. Better to keep them separate actually.

With most coaches/sidelines it's really a non-issue. So as others have written, much better to keep the players and coaches together without parents.

 

[watfly]

You would THINK being opposite from the coach would mean more parent sniping, but I've found as a referee that the opposite is true. If you have a hothead coach, the parents tend to be more vocal and disrespectful anyway (since coach doesn't take control or have concerns about this, they just follow the coach's lead) so it's actually worse when along with the same sideline with the coach. Better to keep them separate actually.

With most coaches/sidelines it's really a non-issue. So as others have written, much better to keep the players and coaches together without parents.

Actually, I didn't THINK that but that's been my experience; however, you see far more games as a ref than I do. I agree that a hot head coach would certainly defeat the purpose of having the coach on the same side as the parents.

Encouraged to hear that the sidelines have been a non-issue for you, some make it out to be an epidemic of abusive parents.