It becomes the fourth tournament in NSCAA’s showcase series, joining other featured events in Overland Park, Kan., Geneva, Ohio and Baltimore, Md. staged and executed by NSCAA’s partner Elite Tournaments.

“We’re so excited about joining with NSCAA and Elite Tournaments,” said WAGS president Kathie Diapoulis. “Our tournament has been a great event for more than three decades, but with their expertise, this partnership will take us to the next level and make it a can’t-miss destination for the nation’s best teams.”

NSCAA showcase tournaments are attended by college coaches from across the nation, who have the opportunity to participate in NSCAA educational courses following the close of match action.

Clubs and players receive sustained exposure to top NCAA and NAIA programs at these NSCAA events – as well as a complimentary one-year NSCAA membership for each team entered – while college coaches can take advantage of recruiting and continuing education opportunities at the same location.

“The WAGS showcase is one of the premier girls’ tournaments in the U.S.,” said Joe Cummings, NSCAA’s CEO and Executive Director. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the NSCAA to further our brand message, the NSCAA College Showcase Series and our partnership with Elite Tournaments.”

Elite Tournaments will assist WAGS with the tournament’s planning and execution, a process which is already set to begin this month with preliminary site evaluations. The nation’s leading tournament coordinator, the Maryland-based company organizes some 50 events per year.

“The WAGS Tournament is one of the oldest and most prestigious girls’ soccer events in the country,” said Mike Libber, founder and president of Elite Tournaments. “Adding the WAGS Tournament to the NSCAA Tournament Series was an opportunity that all three parties could not pass up.”

The next edition of the

WAGS

Tournament Presented by

NSCAA

is scheduled for Oct 6-8, 2

The 2012 MSYSA Presidents Cup is accepting applications for U13-U17 boys and girls interested in playing in a highly competitive tournament with state, regional and national level competition. This event will be played in conjunction with the MSYSA State Cup.

Applications will be limited to the first 8 teams that apply in each age bracket.

Application deadline date is March 1st.  Application, timelines, and additional information can be found on the MSYSA website

The ODSL has a spring program for small sided 6v6 play for high school aged teams U15 through U19.  If your WAGS team is sitting out the Spring 2012 season because of depleted numbers they may want to consider this option.  Your team can play in this program on your 2011-2012 roster and player passes.  Rules for the small sided play can be found on the ODSL website www.odsl.org in a center column article.  Registration for these divisions will be open until Feb 14th but you must contact the administrator to register.  administrator@odsl.org.

All U12 & U13 Teams,

 Registration for STAR Classes is now open.  The list of all classes in Maryland and Virginia as well as the registration link can be found on the league website at http://wagsl.com/Referee/445957.html.  

For complete details of the STAR Program, refer to the STAR Program link http://wagsl.com/Referee/196218.html on the WAGS website.

Please be aware that at least one STAR must be certified before the season starts, and the remaining must be certified before the season ends.  STAR certifications last one year.

Direct all STAR questions to rdadmin56@gmail.com.

Dotty Talbott

STAR Program Administrator

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

for a research study 

“Physical Activity:
Using Concept Mapping to Sustain Participation in Youth Sport”

Youth soccer athletes, their parents/guardians, and soccer team coaches are eligible to participate in the research study.

The purpose of the study is to develop a framework to understand best-practices and barriers in order to sustain the family and developing children and adolescents’ participation in youth sport.

Participation will involve a short series of focus group meetings (participants need not participate in all meetings within the series) and/or completion of short survey questionnaires about youth sport participation.

Your participation in this study may benefit youth sport organizations, coaches, and parents in enhancing the youth sport experience for children and their families.

Persons Interested in Participating in the Study

Please contact:

E-Mail: avisek@email.gwu.edu Principal Investigator: Dr. Amanda J. Visek
The George Washington University Medical Center
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Exercise Science
2033 K St., NW, Suite 210
Washington, D.C. 20006

Office Phone: 202.994.3997

Mobile Phone: 703.994.5484

E-Mail: avisek@gwu.edu

We ask that if you do not wish to receive this monthly membership benefit, that you simply click the “unsubscribe” link at the top of the newsletter the first time it comes to you. Please do not report the email as spam through your email software.

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Tuesday - 9AM-12PM

Wednesday - Office Closed

Saturday and Sunday -Open for any issues that may arise during league play.

Welcome Letter

Regional Alignment PowerPoint

 Survey Results

Please read this information carefully and through to the end.

There are many important changes.

This information is sent to all travel teams in our data base and is specific to State Cup play in VYSA this year. On July 30, 2011, at the US Youth Soccer AGM in Phoenix the membership of US Youth Soccer voted to make changes to the National Championship Series.

In this letter to all of you we have tried to highlight the changes that begin this seasonal year 2011-2012.  We know there will be many questions and there will be several people who can answer your questions: the State Cup Committee, the VYSA State Office, and the Registrars for your club.

It will take some time to set all of the changes in motion as most of them will require us to reprogram our Youth Leagues system.  Because these changes have given us such a short time to react we are going to change the calendar dates for State Cup this Fall. This information is included here in this letter to you and it will be on line on the VYSA web site.

We will extend the application deadline for State Cup. The new application deadline is Tuesday, August 30, 2011.  All State Cup rosters and on line applications with payment will be due to the VYSA State Office by 4:00 PM on August 30, 2011. You will also see that we have changed the Cup Draw, the freeze date for State Cup Rosters and the play dates in September. The Cup will now begin games on September 17, 2011. If you have already applied on line that application is just fine. If you are in the process of finalizing your State Cup roster, or if you have finished, there is still time to make any changes and in any case all changes will be final only on the freeze date of September 15, 2011, at 12:01 AM.

Fall 2011, U18, U17, U16, U15 Boys and Girls

DAY            DATE                       INFORMATION

Friday              July 15, 2011            Applications Out

Tuesday                   August 30, 2011           Applications Due 4:00 PM at the VYSA State Office

Wednesday      September 7, 2011        State Cup Draw at the VYSA State Office

Thursday         September 15, 2011     All U18, U17, U16, U15 Boys and Girls State Cup Rosters Frozen at 12:01 am

Saturdays         September 17, 24, 2011           Cup Game Dates

Saturdays         October 1, 15, 22, 2011           Cup Game Dates

Saturday/Sunday          October 29 and 30, 2011         Semi Finals and Finals

Rain Dates       Next Available Date (as determined by the Cup Director)

Changes to the National Championship Series:

1. Each team U14 and older may have 22 players on their roster.

This applies to the VYSA State Cup roster and may or may not apply to your league roster.

2. Your State Cup roster and your league roster do not have to mirror each other at the time of the freeze date.

(Currently the rule states that your State Cup roster and your league roster are exactly the same on the roster freeze date and only after rosters are frozen, your team may add additional players to your league roster.) This is no longer the rule.

With the new rules...

You may add players from your club to your VYSA State Cup roster that don't play on your league team.

For example:

•       U17 boys United has a roster of 16 players. They would like to add an additional 4 players to bring their roster to 20. They may look for these additional players only in their own club and add them to their State Cup roster.

•       These additional 4 players will not be on the U17 boys United league roster. These additional 4 players can stay on their own league roster or rosters.

The roster will still freeze at the date set for Fall State Cup competition, September 15, 2011, at 12:01 AM, and the frozen VYSA State Cup roster can have no additions or transfers after the freeze date until the completion of VYSA State Cup competition. (See #3 below)

A player may still only play on one VYSA State Cup team in a seasonal year. If the U17 United wants to take additional players from their club and put them on the State Cup roster these additional players may only play VYSA State Cup with the U17 United team.

The U17 United team will have a league roster with 16 U17 players. They will have a VYSA State Cup roster with 16 U17 players and 4 additional players from their club. At all times a VYSA State Cup roster must have a continuity of 9 players between their State Cup roster and the league roster.

A team may still have 5 player transfers. These transfers are processed with your registrar just the same as they have always been. The transfers must be on your roster prior to the freeze date. After the roster is frozen you may make no further transfers to your roster.

The State Cup roster will be for VYSA State Cup play only and the league roster will be the roster to use for both league and tournament play.

3. Changes to the frozen roster after the State Cup Champions are chosen.

There are 3 separate Cups: the VYSA State Cup, the Regional Cup, and the National Cup.

After the VYSA State Champions are decided, the Championship team must keep 9 players from the VYSA League and Tournament roster used for league play......At that time and up to 7 days prior to Regional Competition the team may add additional club players to their roster for play in Regional Cup competition. The numbers of players 10-22 may be fluid, but any player changes can only be made with players from the State Champion's club. Any player that can be considered for the team must have been registered with your club by September 15, 2011 at 12:01 AM the Fall State Cup freeze date

•       They must be the appropriate age.

•       They may have played on a team that participated in State Cup, but cannot be from a team that won VYSA State Cup or a player that may advance to Regional Cup from another venue.

•       You may add to your VYSA State Cup roster to a maximum number of 22 players. Movements of club players are not considered transfers. The current player passes used by VYSA teams are considered club passes. Each pass in VYSA has the name of the players club, which is what is required in a 'club pass'.

The team that wins the VYSA State Championship cannot change clubs as long as they are going forward in the National Championship Series, to Regionals or Nationals.

These player movements to your Championship team can take place between the date your team wins VYSA State Cup and June deadline set by the Region for Regional Competition.

Thanks for reading all the way through. Now that you all have some more time to apply take some time to read these changes and talk about them with your club. The registrars will be ready to help too, in about a week. This is new to everyone and we will get it sorted out. Have patience.

                                                                  Winners

Teams will continue to have the option to request one Saturday and one Sunday as non-play days each season. Should a team be informed of their acceptance into a tournament subsequent to submitting a schedule request form, but prior to the pubic release of the schedule, teams may request a schedule adjustment as follows:

By Chris Hummer

One of the top leagues for youth travel soccer in the United States has answered the calls of their elite teams. Beginning with the Fall 2010 season, the Washington Area Girls Soccer League, or “WAGS” as it is known, has created a “Masters” and “Premier” bracket as a way for elite teams to compete locally against top competition in league play without having a negative impact on their ultimate goals of winning State Cups and showcasing their players in other competitions , please read more ..

BYLAW CHANGES

HOUSEKEEPING

Spring 2011

Housekeeping   

Change Title to:       League Rules – Spring 2011

Change Heading to:  Spring 2011

Proposed Bylaw Changes

V.     Officers  

B.  The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of representatives of members of the Association for the purpose of nominating candidates for Officers who shall constitute the Board of Directors.

B.1. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidate(s) for each office. After

securing the consent of the person(s) nominated, the Committee shall immediately report their nominations to the Board of Directors in writing, no later than May 15.

B.2. Additional nominations may be made upon written petition of a member eligible

to vote and with the attestation by the nominee of his willingness to serve. Such

petitions shall be submitted to the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

B.3. If there is no candidate by the deadline, individuals may be nominated from the floor, in which case, the forgoing provisions relating to nominations shall be suspended. 

F.  All vacancies among the Board of Directors, however occurring, may be temporarily filled by a majority vote of the remaining Board of Directors, although the remaining Board of Directors may be less than a quorum.

G. All vacancies among the Board of Directors, however occurring, may be temporarily filled by a majority vote of the remaining Board of Directors, although the remaining Board of Directors may be less than a quorum. Vacancies among the Corporate Officers shall be filled by majority vote of the members present at the next AGM after the vacancy occurs.

Rule Changes

C.  CLUB ENTRY AND OBLIGATIONS

1.  b. a.   Once entry of the Club is approved, they may enter teams.

1. b. b.    Any club not providing sufficient fields (1 field for every 4 WAGS/NCSL teams) will not be permitted to enter any new teams. One field is defined as five (5) game slots. 

2.   Any Club in good standing with the League, which at the start of the WAGS Season, does not have any team entered for League play, on any WAGS Sit-Out List will be placed on an Inactive Status. While on Inactive Status, the Member Club may enter teams for League play, put a team on a Sit-Out List in accordance with all other WAGS Rules and be removed from Inactive Status. Any Member Club which is placed on Inactive Status at the beginning of the Spring Season of play and is still on Inactive Status at the beginning of the following Spring Season of play will be expelled from the League. Any Club which is placed on Inactive Status at the beginning of the Fall Season of play and is still on Inactive Status at the beginning of the following Fall Season of play will be expelled from the League. Each club so expelled must apply for entry as a new club in accordance with WAGS Rules.

D. REGISTRATION

2.     Team Rosters – 

a.      The Official State Association Team Roster or a WAGS Provisional Roster shall be used for WAGS play. The Roster shall be submitted, to the designated Registrar, with an original and one (1) copy for all teams along with completed USYS or MSYSA Secondary Player Passes. See your Registration Manual for requirements of proof of birth. Every team must designate at least three (3) participating adults to assume responsibility for the team.

4.  C. U-13 through U-19 Structure

1.  U-13 through U-19 will play 11 v 11
2. Seeding, scores, and standings will be published.

D.      Club Pass Procedure

There will be no separate club pass issued. All guest players will provide their current USYS or MSYSA Secondary player pass to the hosting team on game day. Guest player’s name must be included on Game Report Card submitted to the referee. An asterisk (*) must be placed next to the guest players on the Game Report Card.

Reason: Change from C to D.

G.     DIVISION SIZE & STRUCTURE  

2. Each club shall be allowed a maximum of two (2) teams per Age Group.  A club may petition the WAGS Board of Directors to add a third (3) team provided that the club has sufficient fields as stated in WAGS Rule C.1.b.b. A club may petition the WAGS Board of Directors to add an EXISTING WAGS team to their club. Teams from Clubs with presently more than two (2) teams in an Age Group will be allowed to remain in WAGS. In the U-12 age group, scores will be kept in the fall season for the purpose of seeding the teams in the Spring Season. Beginning Spring 2011, divisions 1 through 5 will have a cap of 50 teams.  All teams ranking 51 and below will be placed in a pre-divisional program.

a.  In the case of 5 teams or less participating in the pre-divisional program, the WAGS Board of Directors will have the discretion of waiving the 50 team cap.

3. Each Age Group (except U-9 through U-13) will drop a maximum of five (5) teams from its lowest division to compete in the pre-divisional program. Pre-divisional program will consist of teams from each age group ranking 51 and below.

4.  Teams in the U-9 through U-13 Age Groups are expected to play both Seasons each seasonal year. 

H. STANDINGS & AWARDS

a.  single division, games will be scheduled randomly by the Demosphere data base and the top 5 teams move up. Invite teams on the wait list into the pre-divisional program.  Teams will receive a refund if they do not want to enter the league for the Spring 2011 season. 7 days to submit league fees.

• Western Regional Park Guidelines - TSC
  Guidelines
  
  
• Covenant Park/Howard Community College Guidelines - SAC
  Guidelines
  
  
• Maryland Soccerplex Guidelines
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