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DIVISION I QUALIFYING Information for Clubs, Coaches, Teams, Players, and Parents LHGCL's mission statement is: Dedicated to
the promotion and advancement of the most competitive In keeping with our mission statement, the board has instituted the following change to the league playing format: Division I qualifying games between the Division I teams that did not earn a Division I bye and the top finishing Division II teams has been moved to May, beginning the second week of State Cup. Change is effective May 2002. 1. When will these games be played? 3. What will the playing format for these challenge games be? 4.
What happens if a
team who is qualified to play in the challenge games 5. What happens if a team that qualifies for Division I does not keep N+1? 6. Team responsibilities for challenge games 7.
What happens to a team that
plays in these challenge games and, unbeknownst ************************************* Most of the below applies to Spring 2002 1. When will these games be played?
We will try to play as many games on the second
weekend of State Cup 2002 as possible, but some games may spill over into the
next week and the next weekend. We will try to keep as many games as
possible to the weekend, playing as few weeknight games as possible, since this
may be a time when some players are having final exams at school. We chose
this weekend because a majority our teams will be playing in State Cup, and have
not entered tournaments for that weekend. If any of the teams who will play in
these challenge games are still involved in State Cup on the second weekend, we
will, of course, work around that. We do not expect our teams to make a
choice between State Cup and these challenge games. Teams should also
realize that these games may flow over to the weekend of May 18 and 19,2002,
and should keep that weekend free from tournament commitments as well. We
also strongly urge all teams to notify their parents to not schedule vacation
for this time period.
When players are deciding which team(s) to tryout
for, a major concern and a major source of stress for some players is where the
team will play in the following soccer year. There is always a question for
these players as to which teams will actually make Division I, and which will
make Division II. With this new format, everything will be decided prior
to tryouts. This eliminates this stress on the players, and helps them
have more information to decide which team best fits their abilities and their
goals.
We also believe this will help strengthen the
teams that earn places in Division I, making the division more competitive.
Division II teams will benefit, as players who prefer to play on a Division II
team can join a team they know will be in Division II. All participating
teams will benefit from not having to play these crucial games in the oppressive
heat of August.
3.
What will the playing format for these
challenge games be?
The number of Division I teams scheduled to
participate in qualifying games varies according to the league playing format
for each age group; the top 2 Division 2 teams at the end of the Spring season
are eligible to participate as well.
In divisions where 6 teams participate in the
challenge games, we will divide the teams into two groups of three:
Every team plays the teams within their group.
The second round will be:
Group A Winner v. Group B 2nd place
The winners of these last 2 games qualify for
Division I; the remainder of the teams qualify for Division II. The round
robin games can end in a tie. In case of a tie in the second round games,
the games will go to two 10-minute overtime periods (no Golden Goal), then FIFA
kicks from the penalty mark to determine the winner.
In divisions where 4 teams participate in the
challenge games, each team will play each team once (4-team round robin).
The two teams who earn the most points in these round robin games qualify for
Division I; the other 2 teams qualify for Division II.
In this case, we will change the format of the
games to accommodate the number of teams who are eligible to play. Again,
only the Division I teams that have not secured a Division I bye and the top two
finishing Division II teams will be eligible to play in these challenge games. 5. What happens if a team that qualifies for Division I does not maintain N+1?
In age divisions where there are only four teams
playing for the Division I spot, we will take the third place team from the
challenge games. If the third and fourth place teams from the challenge
games are tied in points and tied head-to-head, then we will have a playoff game
between those two teams.
In age divisions where there are six teams playing for the
Division I spot, if the two losing teams from the second round come from the
same preliminary bracket, then we will take the team who finished highest in the
preliminary bracket. If there was a tie, or if they haven't played each
other in the challenge games, we will schedule a playoff game for that spot.
Playoff games will be scheduled after tryouts at a
mutually agreeable time, but must be played prior to the end of the qualifying
tournament. If a mutually agreeable time cannot be determined, the league
will set the schedule with the information available.
6.
Team responsibilities for challenge games
The entry fee for these challenge games is $400
per team. This amount will be deferred until the following fall. So,
teams that play in these games are required to send $400 when they send their
fall rosters in by the deadline of Thursday, July 18, 2002.
Teams will pay the referees at the field.
Each team should pay 1/2 the middle, and one lines person at the field prior to
each game. Referee fees will be the same as for league games by age group.
Be sure to check
the Bye Team Information page for more information.
All teams who played in the challenge games must
maintain N+1 to be qualified to play in the league as they finished in the
challenge games. Any team that finds itself in the situation where they do
not keep N+1 after tryouts should notify the league immediately.
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