This document describes the selection process of coaches, teams, and players for Post- Season play in Region 76. Our objective is the participation of the largest possible number of players in Post-Season play and to keep them playing for as long as possible. Following the AYSO philosophies, we hope the players will have a positive experience during Post-Season play.
The following sections of the AYSO National Policy Statements regulate Post-Season play, in particular the sections on "Secondary Programs" and "All-Star Programs".
Our Region’s policy statement will be guided by the AYSO philosophies and will be consistent with the above rules. The ideal solution of organizing and implementing a full Spring Regular season like our Fall season is not feasible given the lack of field space. Therefore, we need to rely primarily on tournaments and Spring leagues from other Regions to provide our players with a positive soccer experience in the spring and summer.
There are four (4) types of Post-Season teams in Region 76: (1) League champions from divisions 10U, 12U, and 14U that represent our region in the Area 1-P League Champions Playoffs, (2) teams from divisions 10U, 12U, and 14U that represent our region in the Area 1-P All Star Tournament; (3) tournament teams from divisions 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 19U, and (4) “Extra” teams.
In 16U and 19U divisions, regular season play involves interregional competition and some of our teams could make the Sectional playoffs in upper divisions.
The league champions in 10U, 12U and 14U divisions represent Region 76 at the Area 1-P League Champions Playoffs in early January. These teams have absolute priority over the other Post-Season teams regarding players. A league champion team might advance to the Sectional and Western States Playoffs, which are usually played in March.
Our representative All-Star teams in divisions 10U, 12U and 14U participate in the Area 1-P All-Star Tournament in mid-January, following the conclusion of the Area 1-P League Champions Tournaments. These teams might advance from this tournament to the Sectional Playoffs in early March, and after that, to the Western States Playoffs in late March. All-Star teams cannot be formed before December 1. Once an All-Star team has concluded its’ participation in the Area, Section and Western States playoffs, it has no special status and is treated like any other category (3) tournament team. Players assigned to Extra teams cannot play in the All-Star tournament.
In addition to the All-Star teams, we also have tournament teams in 10U, 12U and 14U divisions and, based on player demand and coach availability, we typically have 16U and 19U teams as well. We encourage as many teams and players as there are qualified coaches, referees, and committed players.
All teams may participate in Thanksgiving tournaments and will participate in our Sportsmanship Cup tournament. In mid-January, the All Star A Team represents Region 76 in the Area 1P All-Star Tournament, and possibly in early-March and April as well if the team advances to the Sectional and the Western States Playoffs. All teams continue play in available tournaments.
The Tournament Director (also referred to as the Post Season Director) makes available a list of tournaments that are historically relatively competitive, and tournaments that allow grouping of teams according to strength/experience. This raises the probability that all teams will have competitive games and that the tournaments will be fun for the players. In addition, participants will find tournament information on the AYSO National website at http://www.ayso.org, go to the “Events” drop down menu, and click on tournaments.
By mid-October and confirmed at November Board Meeting.
All candidates must fill out the AYSO Region 76 Beverly Hills / Tournament Team Coaching Application Form and deliver/mail it to the appropriate Division Director (DD) and Post Season Director.
Candidates are typically, but not necessarily, coaches of record for regular Fall season play.
Division Directors are not eligible to coach All-Star/Tournament teams in their own divisions unless a specific exception is made by the coaching commission, Post Season Committee, and confirmed by the Board of Directors.
All candidates must have Safe Haven training, concussion awareness training, and the division-appropriate coaching certificate; oftentimes the Intermediate and Advanced Coaching Certificates. Please consult the Coach Administrator if you have any questions.
All coaches for teams at games will be AYSO volunteers. No coach can charge a player for private lessons if he is coaching on a Post-Season team on which such a player is eligible to participate. Violation of this rule shall be grounds for terminating the coach.
The coach shall sign a pledge that he/she will not attempt to take the tournament “team” club in the following season. “Team” for this purpose shall be defined as more than three (3) players.
The Tournament Director(s) or Division Director(s) provide all coaches an opportunity to fill out the AYSO Region 76 Beverly Hills Coach Tournament Application.
The Division Director(s) along with one of the Assistant Regional Commissioners, and/or the Tournament Director will form a committee to review the candidates and if necessary interview and evaluate the candidates by applying the criteria set forth herein. The choices will be presented to the Post Season Committee which will determine the coaches who will be presented to the Board for confirmation.
The appointment of a coach to an All-Star team does not guarantee that his/her child will be on the team. A tournament team, as opposed to an All-Star team or “A” team, head coach normally will have his/her child on a team.
The following criteria, in the stated order of importance, guide the selection:
The recommendations of the Post Season Committee or Regional Administrator appointed as described below along with confirmation by the Board of Directors is necessary for appointment of a Post-Season team coach. In the event of a no confirmation vote the Division Directors or the Post-Season Director shall appoint the Post-Season Coaches.
The selection of coaches should be made by mid-October subject to confirmation at the November Board Meeting or earlier by e-mail to the Board by the Regional Commissioner. This deadline is necessary to give the coaches time to observe as many players/teams as possible, prior to the player selection process.
Tournament team coaches are required to confirm their understanding that teams are not their teams but the Region’s teams. Coaches have an affirmative duty to know these and all other applicable rules, which they agree upon with their signing of the regional contract including signing that they have read and understand these rules.
Teams first play in a Thanksgiving Weekend tournament and then in our own Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup (mid-December). The Area League Playoffs will take place during (or right after) the first week of January, and the Area All-star Tournament will begin mid-January. There are also numerous tournaments throughout the spring and summer.
No later than the first weekend in October, all coaches will provide information on players (the number to be limited by the Post- Season Tournament Director(s) and Division Director) whom they believe to meet the criteria for playing in Post-Season tournaments. (The number may be different from one division to another, bearing in mind different team sizes.) They will provide the team letter, coach’s name, player’s name, position(s) played, color of uniform and player’s jersey number to the Division Director. The DD must to ensure the participation of all coaches in the player identification process.
If an All Star Team player is unavailable for one or more games for the Area All-star Tournament, then that player might not be selected to play in the Area Tournament or may be an alternate on a team with a roster size greater than that allowed by the Area.
Numbers of players per team. If there are two or more tournament teams in a division, then the top group of players (up to 18 players but no less than 15) in 14U, (up to 14 players but no less than 12) in 12U, and (up to 12 players but no less than 10) in 10U, as determined by the coaches, the Post-Season Tournament Director(s) and by the Post-Season Selection Committee will form each team. The All-Star team is the A team. The next group of players forms the B team. The subsequent group(s) selected comprises the C team(s). The age of the player is not necessarily a deciding factor but it is an important factor to be selected to the A tournament team. If there are two players of roughly equal skill/commitment, preference should always be given to the older player as this player must move up to the next division at the end of the season.
The most skilled group of players forms the first tournament team, TEAM A, which will represent Region 76 in the Area playoffs normally an older team. Under the guidance of the Division Director and the Post-Season Tournament Director(s), the remaining tournament teams can be formed. The B team shall be composed of the most qualified younger players, although the roster may be augmented with extra older players at the discretion of the Post Season Committee. The rest of the teams may be mixed as to ages. As mentioned before, we encourage as many teams and players as there are qualified coaches and committed players.
Under no circumstances at any point in the tournament season may a coach either add a player from within the region or borrow a player from another region without consent of the Post-Season Tournament Director(s) or, in an unavoidable emergency, the Tournament Director, a Coach Administrator, or the Regional Commissioner.
Coaches may not solicit a player from one tournament team or the parents of such player to leave that team or to decline an invitation to join a tournament team for which the player has been selected in order to play on a different team – this is ground for immediate dismissal as a coach.
Post-Season Selection Committee. In all cases, the Post-Season Selection Committee retains the authority over the selection of players. After the regular season ends the Post-Season Tournament Director(s) will have the authority. The Post-Season Tournament Director(s) may with the consent of the Regional Commissioner adjust teams for any reason, if necessary or appropriate in the interests of the children in question or the program as a whole.
A Post-Season Selection Committee for each Division shall exist consisting of a Regional Administrator appointed by the Regional Commissioner such as Assistant Regional Commissioner, Coach Administrator, or other experienced coach who does not have a child playing on a regular season team in the division being evaluated, the Division Director, the Tournament Team Head Coach and up to six (6) experienced regular season coaches who will meet to pick the teams after reviewing all of the coaches’ recommendations, and observing the teams. The Committee must follow the player selection criteria set forth above.
Teams with more players than maximum roster size. Except with the permission of the Regional Commissioner and the Post-Season Tournament Director(s), all Post-Season teams must begin with a number of players not less than the maximum roster size generally permitted by AYSO for the division in question, currently 15 in 14U, 12 in 12U and 10 in 10U. The selection process will continue until each Post-Season team has received commitments from parents of the required minimum number of players. The policy of the Region is to permit the addition of between one and three additional players to each Tournament (as opposed to All Star) team.
All players on a Post-Season team are of equal rank. No distinction shall be made between players on the basis that one or more are alternates. Because a team with a greater number of players than the maximum permitted roster size (an “over-size team”) may be unable to have more than such maximum on the roster for any given tournament, the following guidelines shall apply:
Any deviation from these guidelines must be approved either by the Regional Commissioner or the Post-Season Tournament Director(s), who have authority to interpret and implement the guidelines to deal with unforeseen circumstances and generally for the benefit of the players and the program as a whole.
The following is addressed to coaches and administrators of All-Star and Tournament teams:
All Post-Season teams are Tournament teams until December 1. After this date All-Star teams may be announced. It is important to note that Post-Season play may not in any way interfere with the regular season. Once the Area All-Star tournament (including the Sectional and Western States tournaments) has been completed, each All-Star team becomes another Tournament team and will have no special status or priority, except if a particular tournament limits the number of teams from each Region. In that event, the priority of team participation will be the A Team, then the B Team, then the C Team #1, then C Team #2, and so on. When more than one team is permitted to participate in any given tournament, the Post-Season Tournament Director(s) will make every effort to help get each team properly flighted by the tournament to make sure all of the teams have the best experience possible.
It is recommended that each team appoint a team administrator. The team administrator will need to:
At the first team meeting the following needs to be discussed with the parents and players:
There is a one-time uniform fee for each tournament team player, which is around $125.00, and a one-time regional registration fee set each year by the Regional Commissioner. (The registration fee covers the out-of-pocket costs incurred by Region 76 to administer the tournament teams program, which under AYSO National Guidelines may not be borne by general funds of the Region.) All teams are responsible for all tournament fees and referee deposits for all tournaments, including the tournaments that we will apply to as a region: Thanksgiving tournament, Beverly Hills Sportsmanship Cup (no referee deposit required) and the Riverside Locomotion tournament as well as other tournaments. Tournament team players share the full cost of participating in these Post- Season tournaments including the cost of travel, hotel, meals, and other incidentals.
All tournament team related fees are now handled online. Let your parents know how this online payment system works:
Uniforms are ordered by the Region.
The uniforms for all teams will be the same pattern, each jersey in each division having a unique number. This will facilitate players moving between teams. There will be additional uniforms available to each team in case of new players or other changes later on in the season.
It is optional for a team to order bags, jackets and other team items. Each family and team orders these individually. The region’s color scheme (orange/black/white) and logo should be adhered to.
Every tournament team must follow these procedures:
For all tournaments, teams are responsible for providing their own referees and they must provide their names and other information at the time of application to a tournament. If a team does not have any referees, the team may be barred from applying to a tournament and if the referees fail to fulfill their assignments, they will lose their referee deposit. Whenever a tournament team is accepted into a tournament, the team must finalize the referees by contacting the referee(s) and notifying our Referee Administrator by e-mail at referee@ayso76.org.
Tournaments will refund the referee deposit to a team if referees are supplied. The Region will receive a check and will credit each team that receives a referee refund.
We expect coaches, assistant coaches, parents and players to remember that they represent our Region and to conduct themselves appropriately. In particular, everyone is required to cooperate with tournament officials and referees and to make sideline comments that are positive, instructional (in the case of coaches only) and encouraging.
If a player is ejected from a game, any suspensions or sanctions shall be in accordance with the Laws of the Game, AYSO Rules and Regulations, and Tournament Rules. If the action was egregious, the Regional Commissioner, Post Season Director, or other designated Regional official may impose additional sanctions.
If a coach or parent is ejected from a game, the coach or parent will be suspended from participating or attending the next scheduled tournament. The Regional Commissioner, Post Season Director, or other designated Regional official may consider extenuating circumstance to either reduce or increase this sanction.
Teams may contact the Post-Season Director, who will work with the Field Allocation Director, for practice time field space availability. After the city permit ends, the region will try to secure field space at local parks and schools. This field space will be paid by using funds from the Registration Fee paid by the families of Post-Season tournament players. Scrimmage games can be arranged with the surrounding regions by contacting the region (e.g.: Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, West LA, Hollywood/Wilshire).
Please refer to Rules Governing Selection of Coaches, Teams and Players for Post- Season Play for information about player transactions between tournament teams.
Please refer to the memorandum on fundraising rules and guidelines for information on team fundraising, which can be found on our website at https://www.ayso76.org/post-season/fundraising-rules/.
If for any reason a Team does not have enough players to play in a Tournament, the coach shall make a timely withdrawal so that other teams can compete. This should occur at least seven (7) days before the Tournament and must be communicated in writing and by email to the Post-Season Tournament Director(s). Region 76 Teams do not forfeit unless the safety of the players is in real danger.
If for some reason a team loses players or is short of players for a particular tournament, then it can borrow players from the other team provided that the coach of the lending team and the Post-Season Division Director(s) are consulted prior to the borrowing of the players.
If the two teams want to go to the same tournament and there are not enough players to field two teams, then no team has priority, and one of two procedures will be followed: (a) additional players will be called upon; these names can come from the original coaches’ ballots (b) a single team with a large number of players will participate with the understanding that some players (never the same player twice) will sit out one game; for example if there are 18 players on the team, then 12 players will sit out one game each (with 20 players, each player sits out exactly one game in a typical 4- game tournament), assuming (i) a roster size of 15, AND (ii) the tournament organizer’s approval of different rosters/line-ups for each game. Some tournaments allow teams to keep more than 15 on the roster with a different line-up for each game; some do not. If they do, the second procedure will allow all of the players to go as one team and have fun at the tournament, with minimal heartbreak. If there are more than 20 players (U-16 and U-18), it should be easy to come up with 4 additional players to field two teams. With 20 players or less, procedure (b) is easily applied. However, if a tournament does not allow the implementation of the second procedure, then some players will be left off the roster for that tournament, with the promise to guarantee them spots in the roster in the next available tournament, so that the players are rotated in successive tournaments.
To facilitate movement between teams, whether by permanent transfer or by loan for a specific tournament, the Region will continue to follow the practice of recent years of having the same uniform for all tournament teams (uniform styles may be different for boys and girls) and of having a unique number for every player within a particular division. For example, TEAM A might be given jerseys between 1 and 15 and TEAM B would receive jerseys in the same style numbered 16 to 30. For 10U, it would be 1-13, and then 14-26.
Our Region has a Post-Season tournament team accounting system which MUST be used for the following transactions 1) purchase of uniforms, 2) entry fees and referee fees for tournaments; and 3) all major expenditures by a team that require to be funded ahead of time. As a general rule, coaches and team administrators may not collect funds in advance for tournament team expenditures – funds for these expenses must be paid into our account and drawn against properly detailed and supported requests. The Region keeps these funds segregated from its general funds. It is intended that each team be financially self sufficient. If there is a negative balance in the team’s account a regional check will not be issued absent the Regional Commissioner’s Approval.
More detailed guidelines on tournament expenses are at https://www.ayso76.org/post-season/team-expenses/. The tournament team expenses guidelines will be revised to conform to changes made in these guidelines and in the event of any conflict between the two, these guidelines will take precedence.
Post-Season play can be relatively expensive so Region 76 wants to help those worthy players whose parents face verifiable economic challenges and need financial assistance. For these reasons and for accounting economics it is expected that each team will be asked to keep a $600.00 cushion in their team account (to be used in emergency situation by the team to enter a tournament for instance at a time when it has earned the refund of a one or more referee deposits from earlier tournaments but these have not yet been returned).
PLEASE NOTE that failure to adhere to any of above mentioned rules may result in coach be terminated or even in disbanding of the team.
Questions about these guidelines may be addressed to our Post-Season Tournament Director(s).
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