SOUTHWEST DISTRICT CONNECTICUT JUNIOR SOCCER ASSOCIATION POLICIES AND GUIDELINES
(Revised and codified February 2025) The following policies and guidelines have been adopted by the District Governing Board of the Southwest District and are currently in force. [Link to District Governance document] These policies supplement CJSA policies and where there are conflicts, CJSA bylaws, policies, guidelines and rules shall take precedence.
Lack of knowledge of these rules will not relieve any coach, team official, parent, player, and league or club volunteers from the responsibilities and possible penalties herein. All clubs, team officials, parents, players, coaches, league and club volunteers are bound by their participation in the Southwest District and CJSA and agree to abide by the rules set forth. Outline of contents: REGISTRATION ROSTERS AND LEAGUE ENTRY PLAYER/COACH ELIGIBILITY DISCIPLINE POLICY LEAGUES COMPETITION PROCEDURES – GAME DAY INFORMATION PROTEST PROCEDURES
REGISTRATION
All players and adults participating in activities sanctioned by CJSA must be properly registered with CJSA. All clubs must be properly affiliated with CJSA. Fees for a seasonal year (September 1st through August 31st) currently are: $15.25 for competitive and comp development players, $11.25 for recreational players, and $5.00 for all adults. The district has the right to deny participation to any player or adult not entered in the CJSA database. Club registrars are responsible for inspecting the original documentation for a classic travel or premier player’s proof of age and maintaining a copy on file for any needed inspection by district, state or national authority. The District Registrar shall verify birth documents (generally a birth certificate or passport). Players born outside of the U.S. (including U.S. citizens) must also complete a First Registration form, which must be submitted to the District Registrar and CJSA Registrar. Players residing outside of Connecticut must obtain permission to play from their home state association. The executed permission form must be submitted to the CJSA Registrar.
ROSTERS AND LEAGUE ENTRY
Club registrars assign registered players and adults to teams on the CJSA centralized system (currently SportsConnect). Official rosters are generated from that system. Classic Travel rosters must be approved/certified by the district registrar or VP. Premier rosters are approved by a state official. Use of an unapproved/uncertified roster may result in forfeiture of a match. For all Classic League games, teams are required to provide an approved/certified roster(s) for the referee and opposing coach or manager prior to the start of the game. Roster changes/adjustments will not be accepted after the start of the game. Managers are encouraged to take a picture of the opposing roster(s) for their records. If a player is not on the approved/certified roster, she/he may NOT participate in the match. Players must be on the approved/certified roster to participate for that match for all Classic League games. Guest players are not allowed. In the event that emergency changes to a previously approved roster are needed for regular season matches, teams may present multiple approved rosters containing all of the players participating in the match. Players not participating in the match should be crossed off rosters. Subject to meeting maximum roster and double roster requirements (See #10 and #11 below). Matches in questions could be subject to post match reviews. No hand-written rosters will be accepted. If proper procedure is not followed or non-compliant rosters presented, the match will be subject to post match review. All SWD Classic travel teams are subject to the residency restriction as specified by Connecticut Cup rules (Rule #501-4 copied below). To paraphrase, you can normally have no more than two out of town players on your roster. You can have additional out of town players if they come from a town in the district that is not fielding a team in that player's age group that season. (In other words. the player has no place to play. We typically see this with HS aged teams where several towns may create a co-op team with other nearby towns when each town does not have enough players for a full team.) 501-4 Eligibility. The competitions shall be open to any team from an approved SWD club composed of properly registered and rostered youth players and registered coaches. This is provided such a team is in good standing with CJSA and SWD and each player on the team:
is a resident of the town in which the team’s home field is located; OR is a resident of the district in which the team’s home field is located and is a resident of a town in which NO CJSA CLASSIC competition team exists in the player’s recognized age division in the current playing season; OR is one of, not more than 2 players, not provided for by subsections 1 or 2.
Teams participating in district Classic Travel league play (including U9 and U10) shall have no more than 40% of its players rostered with other in-district classic travel team within its own club. Additionally, if a club has more than 2 teams in an age group, players can only be double rostered to the next closest team in terms of division placement (e. g. club with an A, B and C division team can only double roster players between A and B or B and C but not A and C.) All double roster requests should be sent, in advance, to the District Registrar, who will review with district vice president. The district restricts U9 and U10 active players to a maximum of 12. Rosters for U11 and U12 are restricted to a maximum of 16 active players. The rosters may exceed the maximum, but the number of participating players in a district match must not exceed the maximums. Requests for exceptions can be made and should be sent to district vice president for approval. Teams from outside the district may request to participate in the Southwest district leagues. If permission is granted by the district vice president, the teams must furnish rosters to the district officials and comply with rules set forth for teams playing within the district. Teams must apply for participation in a particular league using the district league management system (currently SportsConnect). Cutoff dates for league entry are determined prior to the season and published on the district website. Club registrars are responsible for properly entering teams. All clubs entering teams must comply with the District naming convention for teams. Naming convention is “Town/Club, Gender (B/G) Birth Year, Nickname; for example Wilton B2014 Blue”. For more on leagues, see section V below. Classic Travel rosters will freeze for playoffs, and the remainder of the travel season, approximately 2 weeks before the last day of the regular league season with the exact date to be determined and communicated by the SWD officers. Rosters may freeze earlier for playoffs as specified in the guidelines for playoffs. Only players on a pre-existing roster to that point of the season may be included on a playoff roster. For playoffs, rosters must be substantially the same as season roster. Players on A teams rosters for the regular season may not play down on B or below teams for playoffs. A majority vote of the District Governing Board [Club Presidents] will be required for any waiver of the policies contained in this section.
PLAYER/COACH ELIGIBILITY
For Classic Travel league competitions, only players who appear on the SWD approved season team roster may participate in a match. Guest players are not allowed.
Eligible players may only play for one SWD Club. Any player who has participated in the current Fall CIAC (high school) season is ineligible to participate in SWD Classic Travel during the same season.
A maximum of three (3) team officials who are registered with CJSA for the current season may be present on the sideline. If a team official appears on a different team’s certified roster that approved roster must be presented in order for him or her to be present on the sideline, subject to a maximum of 3.
Any violation of the eligibility rules may result in the forfeiture of the match. Team/Club and its officials may be subject to further sanctions per the discipline policy below.
IV. DISCIPLINE POLICY The SWD and the clubs within the SWD will abide by the CJSA disciplinary policies. [Add link to CJSA policy document here] Violation of the rules and the terms of suspensions and sanctions imposed by CJSA or the district may be posted on the district web site. (See CJSA 1000-5) Each seasonal year, a District Discipline Committee shall be elected by the Governing Board. The Discipline Committee shall consist of five members, and two alternates, each from a different member club. If a matter involves the club that the member is from, they shall recuse themselves and an alternate will serve in their place for that specific matter. The District VP shall appoint one member as a Chairperson. Sanctions imposed by the Discipline Committee shall be in accordance with CJSA policy 1000-7. A simple majority of three votes shall be sufficient to impose sanctions. First disciplinary action results in sanctions as applied by Discipline Committee. Second disciplinary action results in sanctions as applied by Discipline Committee and active probation. Three disciplinary sanctions in a seasonal year could result in removal from SWD. Sanctions are final and are not subject to appeal.
LEAGUES
A. Competition Committee
1. Roles: Competition Committee will consist of 3-5 members from different clubs, including one Chair Person to be approved by district club presidents annually. Competition Committee responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Prepare seasonal calendar with respect to deadlines for team registration, feedback on age groups and brackets and beginning and end of scheduling window, all for review and approval via vote by district club presidents Review prior and rolling seasonal data to assist in construction of future age groups and brackets Accumulate qualitative information from clubs about teams as needed Construct age groups and brackets for review by clubs, gather feedback on age groups and brackets from clubs and revise as appropriate/possible Present final flights/divisions to district club presidents for approval via vote Age groups and brackets shall be made final by majority vote among district presidents, once approved no changes will be made prior to or during a given season unless for very extenuating circumstances for which only the Competition Committee is entitled to determine
2. Conflict of Interest: with respect to all district matters, should a situation arise whereby the District VP, any member of the Discipline Committee or Competition Committee are conflicted, the conflicted member of the committee(s) will recuse themselves from the decision making with respect to the matter at hand.
B. Structure – Brackets Bracket Sizes
Desired Size: . Competition Committee will endeavor to always construct brackets with even numbers of teams to avoid bye weeks. Brackets will ideally be eight (8) or ten (10) teams, and be greater than six (6) teams, but ideally no more than twelve (12) teams.
Team Registration
At the beginning of each season, club officials will register the teams via the CJSA league management system (currently SportsConnect) by the deadlines set and approved by the district club presidents. Relegation and Promotion
The Competition Committee will review prior seasons data to make recommendations for the next season’s brackets. It is understood that teams performing at a high level in divisions below the top division will be subject to upward movement in the next season. It is further understood that teams underperforming in a given bracket will be candidates for downward movement in the subsequent seasons. The Competition Committee will make these recommendations to the district club presidents in context of their responsibilities to create brackets for the upcoming season for review and approval by district club presidents. The primary measures of performance in a given season will be points for wins, losses and draws and goal differential (goals scored less goals conceded). Other factors considered will be playoff performances and CT Cup performances for U11 and older teams, where available. Qualitative factors will be gathered, however, will carry much less weight given the relative nature of these considerations is likely similar for all clubs and teams.
District clubs/teams and out of District clubs/teams
District clubs are subject to annual review and approval by district club presidents. New prospective clubs will be reviewed for approval only one time per year (in June prior to the next fall season).
Out of district clubs/teams who would like to participate in SWD must be approved annually by district club presidents. All participating clubs/teams must comply with all SWD rules and guidelines. Participation in SWD must be granted by approval of the district club presidents. SWD teams/clubs may not be compelled to travel out of district for league games. In cases where the SWD-based team has compelled the out-of-district team to travel despite being assigned as the home team, the SWD-based team will bear the cost of referee fees. Points and Standings:
1. Scoring
All divisions shall record scores for every game. Standings shall be suppressed from public view for U9 and U10 brackets with the exception of the A Division. The data from U9 and U10 games will be utilized to adjust brackets for future seasons. Standings shall be updated and made publicly available for all U11 and older brackets. The data for U11 and older brackets will be used to determine playoff qualifiers (fall season) and seasonal winners (spring season). The data will also be used to adjust brackets for future seasons. 3 points for a win; 1 point for a tie; 0 for a loss. Forfeits are scored 3-0 In the event a bracket has an uneven number of teams or teams are scheduled for a differing number of games, a weighted average score will be used. The formula is: the sum of wins,plus ties multiplied by .333 (one third), divided by total games scheduled, which may include unplayed games. For example: a team has 4 wins and 3 ties, and had 7 scheduled games: (4+(3*0.333))/7=0.714 Goal differential penalty – loss of 1 point for goal differential greater than 6 (except for U11 and older “A” brackets); for standings, maximum goal differential is 6. Repetitious over-scoring or egregious high scores (6 goals or more higher than the opponent) may result in loss of home field assignment.
2. Standings and Playoffs
Standings for U11 and older brackets are determined by points or weighted average points in Fall and Spring seasons. Playoffs occur in the fall only for U11 and older. The top 4 teams from each bracket qualify for the fall playoffs. 1st place plays 4th, 2nd plays 3rd on first Saturday after the regular season concludes. Winners play in final on Sunday immediately following the Saturday semifinals. Semifinals and Finals will be played at predetermined neutral locations and game times. The district will assign referees for semifinals and finals. Trophies will be awarded to the finalists in the fall playoffs: Champion and Runner-up. In the Spring, trophies will be awarded to each first place team in each bracket. Tiebreaker hierarchy for determining playoff qualifiers or seasonal champions when equal number of games are played: most wins, head-to-head results, least goals allowed, most goals scored. If three or more teams are tied "head-to-head results" will not be used as a criteria. If teams have been scheduled for a different number of matches which count toward division standings, then the teams’ weighted averages will be compared. If tied, the above tie-breaker rules become effective. Unplayed games count in total games scheduled in the calculation of weighted average. [Playoff Format Outlined Here]
D. Scheduling
District Admin will develop and publish a schedule for each bracket by the dates recommended by Competition Committee and approved by district club presidents prior to beginning of play.
Every effort should be made to play all scheduled matches in a season, even if rescheduling is necessary. District vice president will make determinations of forfeitures in the event matches are not played. District vice president declaration of forfeits may occur when managers do not make good faith efforts to ensure games are played nor show reasonable flexibility to accommodate circumstances beyond the control of both teams.
1. Precedence of Cup matches and Tournaments
State competitions (such as CT Cup games) have a higher priority than League games; a team playing a make-up or postponed CT Cupmatch cannot be penalized for missing a district match. District matches take precedence over tournaments. However, cooperation and reasonable flexibility should be afforded a team attending a tournament as the district recognizes that these can be valuable team experiences along with league games. Whenever possible clubs should opt for tournaments on weekends that are set aside for this purpose by the district league (eg Labor Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day as example) Premier team or any other team conflicts do not take priority over district matches and may not be used as reason to not play a league match regardless if participating teams have players double rostered on such teams. It is recommended that players not be double rostered on district teams and premier teams if at all possible. [Should we consider capping number of premier players?] Teams cannot use the unavailability of their coach as an excuse for not playing district matches. In the event of a coach conflict, the team with the conflict is responsible for assigning another registered adult or coach to manage the game, this is especially the case for teams that are the visitor for a given game, but applies to both teams.
2. Game Time Assignment and disputes
When the schedule is published, home teams bear the responsibility to arrange fields and referees.
Matches should be played on the scheduled days (Sundays) on the dates specified by the schedule and between noon and one hour before sundown (“Prime Time”) wherever possible. For the fall season Prime Time is noon to 6:00 PM, being mindful and adjusting for daylight savings time which takes effect towards the end of the season. For the spring season, Prime Time shall be noon to 6:00 PM. Games may only be played outside of prime time if both teams agree to the day and time. Reasons to play outside of prime time primarily relate to makeup games to allow the games to be played. Regularly scheduled games on initially scheduled dates should always be played on specified dates and in Prime Time. The visiting team may request accommodation on game times within Prime Time and the home team is free to honor the request at their choosing. However, the home team has final say in scheduling the start time as long as it falls in Prime Time. [replace all this with protocol for scheduling window prior to season and adjustments as needed thereafter]. If teams do not agree on a mutually satisfactory game time within Prime Time, then the following protocol should be followed: Team managers should keep copies of correspondence with other managers. Any manager having difficulties rescheduling cancelled matches can elevate the issue to the district vice president . All managers are asked to work within the spirit of getting a full slate of games played to the extent possible. The home team needs to inform the opponent of the start time at least 4 days (i.e. Wednesday prior to Sunday game) prior to the scheduled kick off. If the start time falls within prime time, the opponent must agree or face default which is determined at the discretion of the District VP. Opponents may also lose 2 points in the standings in addition to the forfeit at the discretion of the District VP . Should either team default within the 72 hours prior to scheduled kick off after previously agreeing to a time, the defaulting team may lose 2 points, may be charged with the forfeit and will be required to pay for the referees (even if they were the away team). If the visiting team cancels/postpones a scheduled game within 72 hours of the game, the visiting team will be responsible for paying the referee fees should the home team so request. If a CT Cup game or other state match is delayed from Saturday to Sunday for the visiting team, the above does not apply. If a game is played at the original “away” team’s field, it is expected that the original “home” team will pay for the referees at the prevailing rates for the “away” team’s club.
3. Make up games For scheduling make up games please follow section D above. Flexibility is expected given the difficulty in scheduling. In the event the two teams can’t agree on a game time please follow section [D.2] above. Teams must attempt to make up games by the last day of the season and District VP may assess penalties (forfeits and loss of points) for one or both teams for failing to comply.
If an opponent travels to a home team’s location and the match is cancelled or terminated beyond the control of either team (e. g. sudden change in weather), the opponent has the right to compel the home team to travel to the opponent’s location for a make-up game. The opponent becomes the host team and pays for referees. Every effort should be made to avoid having teams travel to play a game if the potential for that game to be cancelled is high.
In the event an opponent travels to a home team’s location and the field is unplayable or the home team cancels (e. g. lack of players), the opponent has the right to compel the home team to travel to the opponent’s location for a make-up game and the original home team will pay for referees.
VI. COMPETITION PROCEDURES – GAME DAY INFORMATION Game duration as follows:
Age / Game Length / Ball Size 11 v 11 9 v 9 7 v 7 U9-U10 / Two 30 minute halves / size 4 If both teams’ coaches agree, the halves can be shortened but must remain equal in length. Agreement must be made prior to the match. Field and goal size:
11 v 11 (U13 and older) 9 v 9 Field size for U11 & U12 will be: Length 70-80, Width 45-55. U11 & U12 goal size will be: Height 6.5 - 7, Width 18.5 – 21
7 v 7 Field size for U9 & U10 will be; Length 55-65, Width 35-45. U9 & U10 goal size will be: Height 6.5, Width 12 - 18.5
Game procedures
Home Team Requirements: The home team/club in any District League game or any inter-club match shall:
Provide a regulation playing field that is adequately marked and safe for play Provide regulation size goals and nets that are properly anchored Provide game day balls of appropriate size and properly inflated Take all the necessary steps to insure the safety and security of players and coaches of both teams, spectators, and referees.
Games should begin promptly at the designated time (see “Scheduling” above). Teams need to allow time for practice prior to the start time. Grace Period for Arrival of Teams: A fifteen (15) minute grace period, beyond the scheduled match time, will be allowed for the arrival of a team. If at least one (1) player – from the team – is at the field within fifteen (15) minutes of the start time, an additional grace period of five (5) minutes will be given for the team to field a minimum of seven (7) players for full sided games and five (5) for small-sided games. The referee shall notify the district of either or both team’s failure to appear within the grace period(s) and either or both teams may take a forfeit loss and lose 2 points from the standings. The defaulting team shall be responsible for referee fees. Minimum # of Players: Games may be played with seven (7) players for full sided games and five (5) players for small-sided games. Grace Period for Arrival of Referees: A twenty-minute grace period will be allocated for the arrival of a USSF certified center referee for all District League games. If a USSF certified center referee does NOT arrive within twenty minutes of the scheduled time of the game, then one of the following will occur: The match is abandoned and all relevant information forwarded to the Commissioner to determine whether or not a forfeit should be declared The match is played with a non USSF certified referee. BOTH coaches must agree to this prior to the start of the match. The match is binding, and no protests will be entertained. A report should be forwarded to the district vice president.
Interrupted Games: If a game must be stopped for weather before two equal halves have been played, it must be rescheduled and replayed in its entirety. To count, a game must be two equal halves. The make-up game shall be scheduled at the fields of the visiting team. The original home team is responsible for the referee fees for the canceled or abandoned game. The visiting team becomes the new host and will be responsible for referee fees for the replayed match. Lightning – Recognizing the threat: Apply the 30-30 rule: When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If this time is 30 seconds or less, seek proper shelter. If you can’t see the lightning, just hearing the thunder is a good back-up rule. Wait 30 minutes or more after hearing the last thunder before leaving shelter. Referees must protect the safety of all participants by stopping game activities quickly, so that participants and spectators may retire to a safer place before the lightning threat becomes significant. Remember, if you can hear the thunder, you are within reach of lightning. Jersey Color: Each team should inquire as to jersey color so that any adjustments can be made prior to the match. In case of conflict, HOME team must change. Scores should be posted by the home team to the SWD website no later than 48 hours after the match, i.e., Tuesday following a Sunday match. If the home team has not posted the results within this time frame the away team may post the result.
Referee procedures
Only USSF Certified Referee Assignors may assign referees and/or assistant referees to SWD League Games. The DRA may approve an assignment in an emergency situation. Referees or assistant referees shall not be assigned to a match if they are related to any player, coach, assistant coach, or manager on a team in that match. Relation is defined as; father, mother, brother, sister, and step before any of the afore mentioned members. A three-person diagonal referee system will be used for U11 and over. U9 and U10 may use a single center referee. The home club in all Classic Travel and Inter-club Recreational matches shall assign a USSF certified referee and, when possible, the home club will also furnish two USSF certified assistant referees. In situations where two assistant referees are not available, each team will provide a club linesperson. The only function of the club linesperson/s shall be to signal when the ball is out of bounds. If only one assistant referee is available, the visiting team will be given the choice to supply a club linesperson. If the visiting team declines, then the home team will supply the club linesperson. Center referees must be at least two years older than the players for U9 through U14 matches. Center referees for U15 and older must be at least one year older than the players. Any dispute about the qualifications of the referee must be made by emailing the. If the disputed qualification is known prior to the start of the match and not communicated to the, no protest will be considered. Referees will complete a game report in accordance with instructions from the DRA. A game report must be submitted to the DRA for any matches in which a red card(s) is issued, a player or adult send-off occurs or serious injury occurs. As of Fall 2022, the DRA no longer is involved in assigning CT Cup or State Cup match referees. Please refer the Cup Policies page of the CJSA website for more information https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ejtMoJAOvUqzoV32IrLVIlt7h8dbsk2Q/view or contact the SYRA [email protected] The DRA will continue to assign all Fall Playoff Semi-final and Finals matches. At those matches, referees and/or assistant referees will be paid before the game and according to the schedule below. The schedule below includes a travel fee:
No Less Than: U8 to U10 $60.00 U11 $60.00 and $40.00 U12 to U14 $70.00 and $45.00 U15 and up $80.00 and $50.00 VII. PROTEST PROCEDURES [Protests may be submitted for review of actions specific to a game. Protests can relate to potential scheduling violations, roster violations, other policy violations, and any actions that impact the fairness or outcome of the game…] Protests will be submitted in writing to the District Vice President and can only be made by club presidents or other designated club officials. Coaches and managers may not submit protests. Please use [FORM HERE]. Protests will not be accepted on matters related to referee judgment calls, only on the application of the Laws of the Game. Protests must be submitted within 48 hours of the conclusion of the match to which it relates. The Protest Committee will notify the President of the club of the team being protested against and request a formal response within 48 hours. No response will be considered a non-dispute of the protest. The Protest Committee will evaluate both sides of the protest and make a decision on the protest within 1-week of the receipt of both sides’ protest forms. The Protest Committee’s decision shall be final and binding on both teams. The Protest Committee’s decision will include a determination of the facts, home game award, referee fee payment, and time frame for a replay if necessary. A minimum of three members of the Protest Committee are required to render a decision. The District Vice President shall appoint a Protest Committee each July for the following seasonal year.
|