This league will be known as the Broome County Soccer Association or BCSA. BCSA is affiliated with FIFA, USYSA and NYSWYSA. Only teams affiliated with BCSA member clubs can play in the BCSA Spring League.

The philosophy of BCSA is players want to play games. Parents want to see their children play games. The players will not improve their skill level by not playing games.

The governing body of BCSA shall include the President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Spring League Coordinator, Scheduler, Registrar and Member Club Presidents.

Teams must be registered with New York State West Youth Soccer Association (NYSWYSA) or an approved National State Association affiliated with US Soccer.

The participation fee in the BCSA Spring League is $60 per team for teams using Binghamton Group Soccer Referees (BGSR) for assigning referees to games and $40 per team for teams using another referee assignor or referee association. BCSA will pay BGSR an assigning fee as established in the current contract. The league fee, regardless of cost, must be paid at least 3 weeks prior to the start of the season. Failure to pay this fee will result in suspension from the league until the fee is paid. Associations other than BGSR who provide referees for BCSA Spring League games may charge an assigning fee to member clubs whom they serve.

All games shall be officiated by referees who are registered with USSF.

The spring season will run from late April through June. The

schedule is designed with the following factors considered:

  • Players availability to play games
  • Travel time of teams
  • Field availability
  • Referee availability
  • Conflicts with school events
  • State Cup, President Cup and District Playdowns
  • Club or team requests
  • All teams will play 8 games.

AGE GROUPINGS

The BCSA Spring League is comprised of six age groupings. Each age group shall be separated into a girls and boys conference except for the Under 8 age group. Divisions within an age group shall be determined by the Age Group Coordinator and league officers in conjunction with the coaches.

EXCEPTIONS:

  • If the number of teams in an all 'girls' or all 'boys' division is less than four teams, then those teams may participate by joining the other conference in the same or lower division or by moving to the next higher age division. If an older age is not available in their division, then this team may play in the lower grouping of the next higher division within their conference.
  • Girl's teams may play in the boy's conference only with the approval of the BCSA Board of Directors.
  • Girls may participate on boy's teams.

Age groupings are determined by the player's age as of the beginning of each soccer year. The date that is used is August 1st which immediately precedes the beginning of each season. If on that date, the player is 9 years old, he/she would be considered a U10 or Under 10 player. If on that date the player is 10, he or she would be considered U11 and so on. In the Broome County Spring League, divisions are set up for U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19. This means that in the U12 bracket, players which are U11 and U12 would be playing together. When we refer to a player playing up a year, this would mean a U9 or U10 player playing on a U12 age team. When we refer to a player moving up 2 age groups, this would refer to a U13 or U14 playing on a U19 team (or like scenario.)

TEAM REGISTRATION

The entry of teams into the BCSA Spring League must be accepted by the BCSA Board of Directors whose decision is final. Acceptance and placement of entry may be based upon findings of competitive skills, the risk of injury to the players, the best interests of youth soccer, field submissions, certified referee availability, acceptance of the BCSA Code of Conduct, and previous history. Teams entering state cup or looking to have league support in promotion to a premier league must participate in the highest division of whatever age group they enter.

Teams may request the approval of the BCSA Board of Directors to play up one age group. The coach must submit a letter to the Spring League Coordinator (with the team registration form) in January.

Teams which were ejected from the league in the previous year must submit a letter to the Spring League Coordinator requesting permission to play in the BCSA Spring League.

TEAM ROSTERS

Team rosters must be:

  • Submitted for team registration with player passes
  • Correctly filled out
  • Stamped with the official NYSWYSA seal or an Official NSA State stamp or seal.
  • Submitted to the Spring League Registrar by the date of the annual coaches' meeting. If not received by this date, the team may face suspension by being placed in bad standing with the league.

The roster limit for U14-U19 shall be 22 players (however no more than 18 may check into any game), for U12 is 16 players, U10 is 14 players. The minimum roster for U14-U19 shall be 11 players, for U12 shall be 8 players, for U10 shall be 6 players. U8 has no roster limits. U8 and U10 teams do not need player passes. They must have certified rosters however. Any changes and/or questions regarding team rosters shall be submitted to the Spring League Registrar.

Players may play up only one age group. When a player wants to play up more than one age group, the coach/parent must submit a letter to BCSA Spring League Coordinator requesting a waiver. The player will be evaluated by a panel of coaches or by the Spring League Coordinator who will submit their recommendation to BCSA Board of Directors.

A player may play for more than one team provided the requirements of USYSA and the National State Association the player is registered with, for multiple registrations are met. The player may be registered on only one team (primary) for USYSA cup competition. All other teams (secondary) registrations shall not be for cup competition. In BCSA, to meet multiple registration requirements, the player cannot play at the same level of competition. Level of competition in BCSA in this case means you cannot play for 2 different teams in the same division. This restriction does not apply to U8 or U10 teams.

If one of the teams is entering State Cup, that team shall be primary. All other teams become secondary. A maximum of three coaches/trainers will be allowed on the team side of the field. Any adult on the team side MUST have a coach's pass. A player from an older team acting as a coach may use their player's pass as a coach's pass must cannot be on the sideline unless there is an adult (over 21 years of age) with a coach's pass on the sideline as well.

PLAYER/COACH'S PASSES:

All players (on teams older than U10) and coaches MUST have a player's or coach's pass, signed and sealed by the league/district registrar or State Risk Management officer, with a photo that is no more than 2 years old, in order to participate in any BCSA game and/or be on the team sideline. If a team is from a state that does not have a Risk Management Program recognized by NYSWYSA, then the coaches and sideline personnel must have a risk management pass issued by NYSWYSA. U8 and U10 players (not coaches) are exempt from this rule. There are no other exceptions to this rule.

This rule is not to be interpreted and must be strictly enforced by all referees at all BCSA league games, including the games on opening weekend. Any team appearing without authorized player passes shall be deemed as forfeiting the game and will be fined the forfeit penalty plus applicable referees fees per occurrence. Any individual player(s) without an authorized player pass (except U8 and U10 teams) will not be allowed to participate or remain on the team/player's sidelines unless that player is an older player acting as a coach and is out of uniform.

In addition the team must present the referee crew with an original signed and stamped team roster listing all players and coaches who are members of the team. Referees are to check to be certain that the passes and the certified roster match.At the conclusion of the match the certified roster will be returned to the coaching staff.

In the event that a team appears at a game site with passes but without the certified roster, a neatly printed roster with the players' names and pass numbers shall given to the referee who, in turn, will file a report with the league registrar attaching said roster to the report. A $5 fine will be imposed on the team for each such instance.

TEAM PERFORMANCE

Teams will not be required to provide performance bonds. For each forfeit there will be a fine, payable by the club. The clubs will be billed and have to pay the fines in order to remain in good standing. If a second game is forfeited the team will be expelled from the league. Any team which either withdraws from the league or is expelled shall be subject to a $200 fine in addition to all fines incurred by the team up to the point of withdrawal/expulsion. BCSA encourages each club to collect bonds from those teams the club feels are at risk for incurring forfeit charges.It is recommended that the older teams (U19 and U16) post bonds with the club of at least $200.00. All forfeits shall also be deemed a game cancellation.

TRANSFER OF PLAYERS

Any player registered (primary) to a team, is bound to that team for the seasonal year unless a request for transfer is made. Contact your State Association for appropriate forms See Rule 2112 of NYSWYSA manual and use the form provided for player transfer and release.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

All players must have a valid USYSA Player pass and must appear on the team's certified roster. If it is discovered that an ineligible player was used, all games the player may have participated in will be deemed as forfeits. Requests concerning player eligibility should be directed to the BCSA President, Age Group Coordinator, Spring League Coordinator, or BCSA Registrar.

Investigation of player eligibility shall not be construed as a protest. For the good of youth soccer and BCSA, any questions concerning player eligibility must be resolved within 10 days.

RESCHEDULING GAMES - CHANGES TO PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

The preliminary BCSA Spring League schedule will be distributed to club presidents during the month of March. Each team coach/manager will have 2 weeks (free grace period) to review the preliminary schedule with their team and notify the Age Group Coordinator of any changes to this schedule. It is the team coach/manager's responsibility to notify the coach/manager of the other team and establish a new game date.

RESCHEDULING GAMES - CHANGES TO FINAL SCHEDULE

PLEASE NOTE: ALL GAME RESCHEDULES CONSIST OF A GAME CANCELLATION AND A GAME SCHEDULING.

After the 2-week grace period, only 3 changes can be made as long as they are changed at least 14 days prior to that scheduled game to be changed. Again only 3 games may be changed.

No request to cancel a game will be honored by the league with less than 14 days notice unless the requesting team's club president requests the change of the league president and the league president agrees to allow the change. If this permission is not obtained, the game shall be deemed a forfeit.

EXCEPTION: Games which must be rescheduled due to Cup play are not subject to the 14 day or 3 game limitations but will be subject to late cancellation or late scheduling fines.

To reschedule a game the team coach or manager

MUST:
  • Contact opposing team and mutually agree to cancel the original game and schedule a make-up game.
  • Contact Age Group Coordinator with that information. (Remember-All game changes will consist of a game cancellation and a game scheduling. Either or both of these acts may involve fines.)
  • Contact Field Coordinator for the game field.
  • Arrange a make-up date acceptable to both teams and notify all persons listed above in a reasonable time cycle prior to the new date. Failure to notify the league in the proper time cycle will result in a fine.

For each game not made up, there will be a forfeit and fine will be assessed to the team or teams refusing or unwilling to make up the game. The check for this fine is made payable to BCSA and sent to the BCSA Treasurer.

If the fine is not paid, the team will be deemed 'not in good standing', which will prevent that team from playing in any BCSA league game until the fine is paid. Upon non-payment by the team, the club becomes liable for the penalty. If the club does not pay the fine, then the club is put in bad standing. This will prevent all teams from that club from playing in the BCSA Spring League until the fine is paid.

MAKE-UP GAMES

Coaches are expected to work with each other and their Age Group Coordinator to arrange whatever convenient times may be available to make up their games.

All make-up games must be scheduled for a specified date within 2 weeks from the date of the decision to cancel. The game does not have to be played within the 2 weeks, but the new date must be established and recorded with the Age Group Coordinator within 2 weeks of the original game date. A $75 fine will be paid by the team or teams refusing or unwilling to make up or reschedule the game. The check for this fine is made payable to BCSA and sent to the BCSA Treasurer.

If two teams decide to use the District Playdowns (State Cup qualifier) or any local outdoor tournament as a BCSA league game, this decision on the part of both teams must be in writing to the Age Group Coordinator before the Cup or tournament game takes place.

Note: Prior to making this decision remember that tournament rosters generally allow up to 3 guest players (this means that the team roster for the tournament game may differ from the Spring League roster.) Also one should consider that the rules for the tournament will take precedence in that game.

CANCELLATIONS
Teams must play all games and be willing to travel. If a team refuses to travel to a game site, that team may be subject to sanctions in addition to the $75 forfeit fine and/or late cancellation fines which may include expulsion from the league. The team will also have to apply for future acceptance into the league.
SCORING SYSTEM

The following will be used to determine a winner for each division within an age group.

WIN = 3 points LOSS = 0 points TIE = 1 point

No score is kept for Under 8 or Under 10 games.

Both team coaches are responsible for filing a game report for each match played in age groups above the U10 level. This report must be filed online at the internet address which will be provided to each coach by the respective Age Group Coordinators. Failure to report a match shall result in a $5 fine assessed to any coach not reporting any match. The match report will consist of the game score and a feedback form for each assigned referee. Each week, every game which is completed by Sunday midnight must be reported by 9:00 pm on Monday night immediately following that Sunday.

If teams are tied at the end of the season and they played 85% of their games, the division winner will be the winner of the head to head game. If the head to head game(s) was(were) indecisive then both teams will be declared champions. Score differential does not matter in BCSA standings.

If one team forfeits, the result will be a 1-0 score for the team not forfeiting. If both teams are at fault, the result will be a 0-1 result for both teams.

If a team disbands or for any reason shall not have played 85% of its scheduled games, the games that the team played will not count for or against opposing teams.

Example: A team has an eight game schedule and played only three games which were all wins. The losing teams will drop those losses from their record. If the three games were all losses, the winning teams would drop the wins from their record.

BCSA will provide each member of a team finishing in first place of each division within a competitive age grouping a T-shirt provided the team plays at least 85% of their games.

PROTESTS

All protests must be submitted in writing to the Age Group Coordinator within 1 week of the game in protest. All game protests will be handled according to the appeals procedure detailed in article VII of the BCSA Bylaws.

A referee's judgement is normally not considered a valid reason for protest. Incorrect application of The Laws of the Game is considered valid reason for a protest.

The game officials must be advised that the contest is being played under protest.

APPEALS

Appeals can be made pertaining to rulings and actions taken by the league. All appeals must be filed within 1 week of the action or ruling being appealed. See Article VII of the BCSA bylaws for the proper procedure.

RAIDING

While BCSA recognizes the right of players to play with the club or team of their choice, we cannot condone any coach, player, or parent taking the initiative to recruit players outside their club once the players are registered with a club.

Coaches and players are encouraged to report instances of violations of this policy. Reports of suspected raiding will be acted upon with the coaches and clubs involved. It is the intent of BCSA to promote and maintain competitiveness and balance among clubs/teams, avoiding select mentality.

MEDICAL RELEASE FORMS

Coaches or managers must have in their possession at all games a medical release form for each player. It is strongly recommended that they be notarized.

FIELDS

There must be an active field coordinator for each club. This person will be responsible for all fields used by their club. BCSA reserves the right to use this person as a liaison between the club and the league on issues pertaining to the fields used by the club.

The home team is responsible for the proper preparation of their fields. This means that grass must be cut, fields properly lined, nets properly secured in all areas, corner flags installed, spectator lines clearly visible, no obstacles on the playing field, and the field is in playable condition. At game time a referee may declare the field unplayable. If unplayable for above reasons, not acts of God, the home team club is responsible for payment of the referees for the cancelled game, reporting to the Age Group Coordinator and scheduling a make-up game.

OTHER

Each club shall have on file a current copy of the BCSA Code of Conduct signed by both the player and their parents. BCSA has the right to sanction a player, coach, or team who has demonstrated misconduct with another individual or organization.

If an occasion should arise that is not fully covered by BCSA Policies and Procedures in any section of the coach's manual, then the Board of Directors shall have absolute power to decide that case.
The Broome County Soccer Association Spring League is based on the objective of providing the youth of the Southern Tier of New York with the opportunity to acquire and develop skills through a higher level of competition. These skills, as well as the individual growth of players, must be nurtured in anenvironment which is free of confrontation, poor sportsmanship,and verbal and physical abuse among spectators, game participants and game officials. Not only is this type of behavior contrary to the spirit of the game and examples we are trying to set for the participating youth, it also creates situations which could place BCSA in bad standing with New York State West thereby threatening the continuation of high level competition in the Southern Tier of New York.

While BCSA does not dictate the internal administrative rules and regulations of member clubs, it must provide the framework for governing undesirable behavior within which member clubs must administer their teams.

Players are expected to perform in a manner consistent with the principles of good sportsmanship. Coaches and spectators should act in a manner which reinforces this concept. While aggressive play should not be discouraged, physical and/or verbal abuse of opponents will not be allowed. Verbal or gesticulatory dissent with referee's decisions will not be tolerated.

If carded, a player is expected to observe the presentation of the card without comment, and the player should be determined not to repeat the behavior which elicited the card. Coaches, parents and spectators must also show respect in disagreeing with referees' decisions. While one cannot expect all referee calls to be accepted without reservation, loud or abusive dissent is unwarranted and reprehensible.

Under no circumstances should a player, parent or spectator come onto the field unless invited by the referee. The same level of constraint should be observed after the game is over. Parents and spectators should be made aware that the coach is responsible for their actions on the sideline, and he can be cautioned, sent off the field, or suspended from future games for their misbehavior.

Member clubs will ensure that the approach to playing the game, which is dicussed above, is fully disseminated and understood throughout their club. Member clubs will also establish internal procedures, consistent with each clubs' regulatory process, which provide for suitable controls and punishment for proscribed behavior.

Each club must also ensure that, as warranted by specific events, swift and appropriate action is taken to ensure that members of its club do not repeat their mistakes. Repetition of occurences of misconduct which shows a disregard for these guidelines could lead to long term penalties.

BCSA Board of Directors