Rules
On behalf of the BYSA, all rules, statements of philosophy, and codes of conduct will be kept and maintained, by the Secretary, in one book, where they will be complete and easily available to any BYSA participants or potential participants.
The payment of fees for player participation and clinics must be paid on a schedule as determined by the Board prior to the start of a particular playing season.
For those participants selected for scholarships, all payments shall be made in keeping with the rules for scholarships as determined by the Board prior to the start of the playing season. A player may not play or participate in practice without having paid his or her fees in full, or having signed a scholarship or installment payment agreement.
Participants will be given a fee schedule, on or before the time of registration.
Parents who have concerns regarding the coaching of their child should discuss the matter with the coach before the problem is made a matter for resolution by the general Board. A Board member will be made available to participate in these coach-parent discussions at the request of either party.
A player shall not “play up” above his/her youngest available age group. The reasons for this policy are noted as follows:
The loss of a talented player is a hardship to the team losing such a player from its roster, implying (incorrectly) that the older team has priority of choice over the younger team.
The selection of one player over another may well result in needless discord in one form or another among the teams involved and their families.
The ultimate value to a player of moving up is unclear. It is often the family more than the player that pushes for the move. There are often benefit for staying put, which include growth in confidence and camaraderie among teammates of the same age.
Exceptions to the rule above are as follows:
a) a true "phenom" appears who is so good as to be beyond merely unusually talented. Such a player would demonstrate the ability to clearly dominate not only in his or her own age class, but in the age class of players two years older;
b) the older team has a shortage of available players to choose from, to the point that, without a player or players moving up, the older group cannot field a team. In the case of the two above named categories, exceptions) may be made by a two-thirds vote of the full Board, after consultation with both coaches of the teams involved.
Double-rostering of players shall be permitted if approved by a two-thirds vote of the entire Board under the following circumstances: a) the primary team of the double rostered player shall be his/her lowest age-available age group; b) the secondary team must demonstrate that there would be a potential roster shortage without double rostering.
All BYSA coaches must hold a minimum "F" class license, or the equivalent, and attend a BYSA coaching orientation which includes a review of coaching methods and conduct codes. The BYSA will fund approved clinic participation.
Ages of players on youth soccer teams shall be as defined by the USYSA. Age levels for the various teams sponsored by the BYSA in any particular season shall be as determined by the Board. In general, the BYSA shall try to put forth competitive teams at the U-8 thru U-16 levels, to the extent that these age classifications are offered by leagues in which the BYSA participates.
Codes of conduct will be adopted for spectators, parents, coaches, and players. They will be reviewed each year and will be distributed to BYSA players, coaches, and parents. The codes for this year follow.
See Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure.