2.   General Definitions for League Playing Format and Qualifying Tournament

a.   Teams are invited back into LHGCL for the next soccer year (“Bye”) according to the playing format below. The spirit of a bye is to reward returning teams/players for their performance the prior year.  A “team” is generally determined by the team name and club affiliation. There is no minimum number of players from the previous soccer year that must be retained by a team to keep a Bye for the club for the next soccer year.  However, there are two situations where a bye would not be extended to a club based on the team standings from the prior year.

(1.) If 75 percent of the players on a team (based on the roster as of April 1 of the previous soccer year, rounding fractions up to the next whole number*) leave a team/club to join another team/club, the league Bye will be awarded to that group of players with their new team/club, except as outlined in (2.) below.  If this takes place, the Age Division Commissioner must be informed  at the time the roster is submitted.

*Examples:

            75% of 14 players = 10.5 = 11 players

            75% of 15 players = 11.25 = 12 players

            75% of 16 players = 12 players

            75% of 17 players = 12.75 = 13 players

            75% of 18 players = 13.5 = 14 players

 

(2.) If a club registers a team for a non-North Texas league, without that team also playing in a regularly scheduled Division of Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, they will lose the bye most closely associated with the group of girls leaving the league.  For example, if the majority of the girls are leaving from Division I, a Division I Bye will be forfeited by that club in each applicable age group.  The Lake Highlands Girls Classic League will make available participation in a separate division with an abbreviated schedule and reduced league fee if a sufficient number of teams agrees to participate with sufficient notice for the coordination and scheduling of that division. The final decision as to whether or not a separate division would be viable will rest with the Lake Highlands Girls Classic League Board of Directors.

 

Open spots that are created by the above outlined situation, will be filled as follows: 

 

Any Division II team that was being promoted will still be promoted.

 

Division I teams that would have normally been relegated will be kept in division I in order of their full year standings from the prior year, as needed to fill the Division I spots.

 

If more teams are needed, the teams that earned Division II byes will be promoted based on their full year standings from the prior year, as needed to fill the Division I spots.  

 

Division II spots will be filled in the same order. In Division III, additional byes will be granted to returning Lake Highlands teams, up to the number of byes forfeited, with remaining spots being filled in the Qualifying Tournament.

 

 

 

Note: If a dispute arises over who has the right to a Bye, the LHGCL Executive Board will determine whether a Bye exists in that particular situation and which team/club will receive the Bye.  There is no further appeal allowed on this decision.

 

 

b. A team within a club that changes names will be considered the same team as the previous year for purposes of retaining a Bye, except as outlined in 2a above, as long as the name change is reported to the league by a club official (President, DOC, Executive Director, Club Administrator, etc.) that it is a name change only within the same club and the team retains the club’s name.  The name change must be noted on the team’s roster, i.e., ABC 94 Blue (formerly ABC 94 Green), and the Age Division Commissioner must be informed  at the time the roster is submitted.

 

A team within a club that changes names will be considered the same team as the previous year for purposes of retaining a Bye, except as outlined in 2a above, as long as the name change is reported to the league by a club official (President, DOC, Executive Director, Club Administrator, etc.) that it is a name change only within the same club and the team retains the club’s name.  The name change must be noted on the team’s roster, i.e., ABC 94 Blue (formerly ABC 94 Green), and the Age Division Commissioner must be informed  at the time the roster is submitted.

c. Teams desiring to change their club affiliation during the soccer year must have completed all required NTSSA paperwork and obtained their home association approval for name change prior to February 1 in order to retain their Bye.  If the team changes clubs on or after February 1, the Bye will remain with the club affiliated with the team prior to the club affiliation change, except as outlined in 2a above unless 75% of the players move to another team as outlined in 2a above. The name change must be noted on the team’s roster, i.e., ABC 94 Blue (formerly XYZ 94 Green), and the Age Division Commissioner must be informed  at the time the roster is submitted.

      Movement of teams between Divisions I, II and Division III at the end of the soccer year will be done by promotion/relegation as described in the table below.  (Note:  This table is a generalized synopsis of the rules in sections 3-10 below, and may vary depending upon the actual number of teams in each age division.  This table is only applicable to the transition year of 2011-2012 when the league expansion becomes effective)

 

Promotion/Relegation Impact on Age Groups (for transition year 2011-2012)

 

U11 moving into U12 – (i) relegate 8 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII and (ii) relegate 2 DI teams to DIII

 

U12 moving into U13 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 1 DII team to DI and (ii) relegate 2 DII teams to DIII; promote 1 DIII team to DII

 

U13 moving into U14 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 1 DII team1 to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII

 

U14 moving into U15 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 1 DII team to DI and (ii) relegate 1 DII team to DIII; promote 1 DIII team to DII

 

U15 moving into U16 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 1 DII team to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII

 

U16 moving into U17 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 1 DII team to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII

 

U17 moving into U19 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 1 DII team to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII

e.   Each summer, a Qualifying Tournament will be held to qualify teams for U11 (all divisions) and the remainder of Division III (U12-U19) for the following fall season. The exact playing formats will be set according to the most efficient and expeditious manner possible as determined by the number of teams that enter.

f.    All returning teams from the previous season will be seeded in the Qualifying Tournament in an effort to prevent returning teams from playing each other when possible.

g.   Teams receiving a Bye must pay a Bye fee as set by the league and turn in their preliminary team roster for the upcoming season to the league office by the published deadline. Any “Bye” team failing to comply with this rule may lose their Bye and be required to play in the Qualifying Tournament for entry into Division III of the league.  The League must receive the final roster with signatures from the home association and the coach of record before the team will be permitted to play any games.

h.   In order to participate in the Qualifying Tournament, each team must complete all paperwork required by the league, submit their preliminary fall roster (final roster with signatures from the home association and the coach of record must be received at tournament check-in), and pay the required fee to the league by the published deadline and according to the published guidelines before they will be scheduled to play in the Qualifying Tournament.  No guest players are allowed. All players must be registered to the team for the upcoming season and all teams must be registered with their home association prior to participating in the Qualifying Tournament.  The League must receive the final roster with signatures from the home association and the coach of record before the team will be permitted to play any games.

i.    Rosters turned in by teams that have 75% of the players from a previous team and obtained the previous team’s Bye back into the league will be checked to establish that the 75% requirement has been met.  If the team did not keep 75% of the players from the previous team, the team will not receive the Bye and will be required to play in the Qualifying Tournament to regain entry into the league. (In this case the previous team/club will retain the Bye except as outlined in 2a above.) Any such team that retains a Bye into the league by virtue of this 75% rule that falls below the 75% requirement at any time after the Qualifying Tournament has started and before the beginning of the first game of the fall season, will be disqualified from the league for the fall season.

NOTE: The spirit of this rule will be followed. Coaches found guilty of intentional manipulation1 of this rule for purposes of retaining their Bye will be dealt with severely, up to and including suspension from LHGCL for no less than 1 year.

j.    NO GUEST PLAYERS ARE ALLOWED. Any players that are deleted between the Qualifying Tournament and the first game of the season will be investigated to insure that the player was not playing with the team as a guest player simply to enhance the team’s possibilities of qualifying for the league.  Violations of this rule will result in the team being disqualified from participation in the LHGCL for that soccer year. A report of such activities will be submitted to the North Texas Soccer Youth Commissioner for further action.

k.   Any team that participates in the Qualifying Tournament and qualifies for the league, but decides not to participate in the league that season will not be eligible to participate in the LHGCL for a minimum of one (1) year from the end of the season in which they decided not to participate.

l.    All teams must participate in their proper age division. No team will be allowed to “play up” during the soccer year unless special scheduling for the age division is provided by the Age Division Commissioner. All special scheduling must be approved by the LHGCL Executive Board.

m.  All teams will pay the current league fee by the published deadline and according to the published requirements prior to each season. Under 19’s will pay a discounted league fee for the spring season.

3.   Under 11 Playing Format

a.   The top 30 U11 teams will be identified through play in the Qualifying Tournament. The teams will be ranked (1 through 30) based on the Qualifying Tournament results.

(1) The top 20 teams in the ranking will play in Division I;

(2) The next 10 teams in the ranking will play in Division III.

(3) Each team in Division I will play the other teams in their division once (19 games/team) during the soccer year.  Each team in Division III will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(4) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in each division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Moving Into U12:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I teams plus the 6 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 10^th place U11 Division I teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U12 Division I except as outlined in 2a above.  The 11^th through 18^th place U11 Division I teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U11 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U12 Division II except as outlined in 2a above.  The 19^th and 20^th place U11 Division I teams and the 3^rd through 6^th place U11 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U12 Division III except as outlined in 2a above.

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U12 Division III in the fall.

4.   Under 12 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 10 Teams, Division II = 10 Teams, Division III = 10 Teams

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/year) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in each division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Moving Into U13:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 5 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 8^th place U12 Division I teams and the 1^st place U12 Division II team from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U13 Division I except as outlined in 2a above.  The 9^th and 10^th place U12 Division I teams, the 2^nd through 8^th place U12 Division II teams, and the 1^st place U12 Division III team from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U13 Division II except as outlined in 2a above .  The 9^th and 10^th place U12 Division II teams and the 2^nd through 5^th place U12 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U13 Division III except as outlined in 2a above .

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U13 Division III in the fall.

5.   Under 13 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 9 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (16 games/year) during the soccer year. 

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/year) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.  Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/year) during the soccer year.

(2) Champion awards will be presented to the top two teams in Division III based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.  Moving Into U14:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 7 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 7^th place U13 Division I teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U13 Division II teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U14 Division I except as outlined in 2a above .  The 8^th and 9^th place U13 Division I teams, the 3^rd through 8^th place U13 Division II teams, and the 1^st and 2^nd place U13 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U14 Division II except as outlined in 2a above .  The 9^th place U13 Division II team and the 3^rd through 7^th place U13 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U14 Division III except as outlined in 2a above.

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U14 Division III in the fall.

6.   Under 14 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 9 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (16 games/year) during the soccer year. 

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/year) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.  Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play the other teams in their division twice (18 games/year) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.  Moving into U15:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 6 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 7^th place U14 Division I teams and the 1^st place U14 Division II team from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U15 Division I except as outlined in 2a above.  The 8^th and 9^th place U14 Division I teams, the 2^nd through 8^th place U14 Division II teams, and the 1^st place U14 Division III team from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U15 Division II except as outlined in 2a above .  The 9^th place U14 Division II team and the 2^nd through 6^th place U14 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U15 Division III except as outlined in 2a above .

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U15 Division III in the fall.

7.   Under 15 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 8 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (14 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.   Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.   Moving Into U16:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 7 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 6^th place U15 Division I teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U15 Division II teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U16 Division I except as outlined in 2a above.  The 7^th and 8^th place U15 Division I teams, the 3^rd through 8^th place U15 Division II teams, and the 1^st and 2^nd place U15 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U16 Division II except as outlined in 2a above.  The 9^th U15 Division II team and the 3^rd through 7^th place U13 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U16 Division III except as outlined in 2a above.

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U16 Division III in the fall.

8.   Under 16 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 8 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (14 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.   Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.   Moving into U17:

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 7 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 6^th place U16 Division I teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U16 Division II teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U17 Division I except as outlined in 2a above .  The 7^th and 8^th place U16 Division I teams, the 3^rd through 8^th place U16 Division II teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U16 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U17 Division II except as outlined in 2a above.  The 9^th U16 Division II team and the 3^rd through 7^th place U16 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U17 Division III except as outlined in 2a above.

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U17 Division III in the fall.

9.   Under 17 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 8 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (14 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.   Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.   Moving into U19

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 7 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League in either Division I, II or III except as outlined in 2a above.

(3) The 1^st through 6^th place U17 Division I teams and the 1^st and 2^nd place U17 Division II teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U19 Division I except as outlined in 2a above.  The 7^th and 8^th place U17 Division I teams, the 3^rd through 8^th place U17 Division II teams, and the 1^st and 2^nd place U17 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U19 Division II except as outlined in 2a above.  The 9^th place U17 Division II team and the 3^rd through 7^th place U17 Division III teams from the previous soccer year will have earned a Bye into U19 Division III except as outlined in 2a above.  (See 10.d.(2) below)

(4) The Qualifying Tournament will identify the remaining 4 teams to play in U19 Division III in the fall.

10. Under 19 Playing Format

a.   Division I = 8 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (14 games/team) during the soccer year.  Spring season games not played due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

b.   Division II = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.  Spring season games not played due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

c.   Division III = 10 Teams.

(1) Each team will play every other team in their division twice (18 games/team) during the soccer year.  Spring season games not played due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled.

(2) Championship awards will be presented to the top team in the division based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

d.   Moving back into U19

(1) Byes will be based on total points earned throughout the entire soccer year.

(2) All Division I & II teams plus the 6 best Division III teams get a Bye back into the League if they return N+1* players from their previous year’s roster for the next soccer year.  Any team intending to move back into U19 must inform the Age Division Commissioner prior to April 1. These teams will be placed in Division I, II or III as determined by a vote of the Executive Board of LHGCL. The promotion and/or relegation of teams moving from U17 to U19 may be adjusted by a vote of the Executive Board of LHGCL to accommodate returning U19 Bye teams.

(3) *The N+1 formula is ½ of a team’s players plus 1 from the previous year’s roster, calculated as of September 1 of the previous soccer year.  Fractions will be rounded up to the next whole number.