2018 TEAM FORMATION RULES

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1 Section 1: Overview 2018 TEAM FORMATION RULES Lee s Summit Football Association (LSFA) provides two (2) options for youth football. Each option has similar team formation rules based upon LSFA s objective to provide a positive environment for sportsmanship, character development and learning of football skills. The two-level offering includes: 1. Flag League: The flag program is designed to facilitate a successful transition into the tackle program if pursued. This program is available for youth in K-7 th grades. 2. Tackle League: The tackle league participates in the Kansas City Youth Football League (KCYFL). KCYFL rules dictate certain formation guidelines which LSFA must adhere to. LSFA has expanded the KCYFL rules to support formations being guided by school boundaries to assist with fostering longterm relationships and preparing our youth to compete at the high school level. KCYFL has two divisions of tackle (NFL (lower division) and AFL (higher division). The division a LSFA tackle team participates in is dependent upon years of experience and past performance. The KCYFL Board, which LSFA is a voting member of, determines division placement for all participating teams in late July early August. a. NFL Tackle League (lower level): NFL tackle is designed for youth and/or teams who are just entering the tackle program. Team play is matched against teams who are newly formed or are unable to compete at the higher level. This program is available for youth in 2 nd - 7 th grades. b. AFL Tackle League (higher level): AFL tackle is designed for youth and/or teams who have previously participated in the tackle program. Team play is matched against teams who have experience and are competitive at the higher level. This program is available for youth in 2 nd - 7 th grades. Formation rules are reviewed annually by the LSFA Executive Board. The LSFA Executive Board utilizes input from the LSFA Board, league coaches, parents, Lee s Summit School District High School football programs and other successful youth football programs when making decisions. Designated Geographic Regions: The basis of team formation is a tiered geographic approach. The number of participants in a league determines the level which is to be applied. The designated geographic region (DGR) levels are: 1. Elementary Boundary 2. Middle School Boundary 3. High School Boundary 4. City/Community The DGR s are formed to accommodate LSFA s charter to serve the citizens of Lee s Summit and individuals attending Lee s Summit School District (R-VII). DGR s are based upon Lee s Summit School District boundaries. For areas of Lee s Summit which are not served by the Lee s Summit School District, the closest school boundary is extended to incorporate the area in the DGR. The basic principal of the DGR is to group players who go to school together to play together to allow fostering of relationships and to develop cohesiveness of play at the middle and high school levels. The DGR is also used in formations of flag teams for youth who do not reside in Lee s Summit. In these cases, the league will attempt to form teams in accordance with that community s DGR if a head coach from that 1 P a g e

2 DGR has declared AND sufficient players are participating from that community to form a team. For the tackle league, KCYFL rules will not allow participants who reside outside of LSFA s declared zip codes to participate on LSFA teams in most instances. Section 2: Public Elementary School Declaration Prior to forming teams, each player and head coach must declare a public school. This declaration allows LSFA to determine how the players should be placed on teams according to the DGR guidelines. Head Coach Public Elementary School Declaration All head coaches participating in LSFA are required to declare a public elementary school for their team. The following rules outline how the public elementary school will be declared: Original Public Elementary School Declaration: 1. The head coach will declare the public elementary school their child/legal dependent is currently enrolled. a. If the child is in the 7 th grade, then the public elementary school the child did/would have attended according to their current address will be declared. b. If the child attends a non-traditional school (home schooled, alternative, denominational, or other recognized school of LSFA) then the public elementary school being declared will be the school associated to the child s current address. i. An exception to this requirement may be made by formally petitioning LSFA for Board approval of a Special DGR (SDGR). A SDGR will be expected to operate under all DGR Formation rules. Further, the SDGR will be required to confirm current active enrollment prior to being assigned players that may reside within a separate DGR zip code. The Board will evaluate SDGR petitions on a case-by-case basis. c. If there is no child involved or if the child is not school age, then the public elementary school being declared will be the school associated to the coach s current address. If there are extenuating circumstances where the head coach without a child being involved in LSFA, they may petition the LSFA Board for a different school. The Board will decide on petitions on a case-by-case basis. 2. The public elementary school declared during the Original Elementary Declaration will be retained by the head coach for as long as the head coach is active within the league unless a Modified Elementary Declaration is received. A coach is considered active if they coached their team during the last fall season. 3. In instances where multiple head coaches have declared the same public elementary school for the same grade level, the following precedence will be utilized in determining which coach receives their first choice of school: a. Prior declaration history b. LSFA participant who is a dependent of the head coach attending the school c. Existing coach in good standing with LSFA d. Board membership in LSFA e. Volunteerism to LSFA f. Tackle coach returning over flag coach moving into tackle g. The head coach who first submitted their declaration form to the league 2 P a g e

3 h. If the Board determines that a declaration must be modified due to multiple submissions, the closest public elementary school in proximity to the originally declared school which is in the same high school boundary which has yet to be declared will be selected. **Exception**: In the event the elementary school has sufficient participants to field multiple teams then the LSFA Board may allow multiple head coaches to declare the same elementary. Modified Public Elementary School Declaration: 1. A head coach may request for their public elementary school declaration to be modified under special circumstances. Instances where a Public Elementary School Declaration may be modified may include; but, not be limited to: school closure, change of address where the change moved the participating child into a different public elementary school, change of non-traditional school (home, denominational, etc.) where the change moved the child into a different public elementary school boundary, etc. 2. The LSFA Board will determine requests on a case-by-case basis: a. Whether the Original Public Elementary School Declaration will be approved to be modified b. Whether the head coach will retain the rights to the players previously placed on their team associated to the Original Public Elementary School. LSFA Player Public Elementary School Declaration 1. The player must denote during registration the public elementary school they will be attending for the upcoming season. If the player is in middle school, then the associated elementary school will be selected. 2. If the child attends a non-traditional school (home school, alternative, denominational, or other recognized school of LSFA) then the public elementary school being declared will be the school associated to their current address or a properly approved SDGR, if applicable. Section 3: Player Division Registration LSFA strives to place players in its football leagues by grade level for the previously stated reasons. At times, a player may elect to play at a different grade level or division depending upon which league they participate in. The following rules apply to the different leagues: Flag League: 1. The parent/legal guardian will request during registration which grade level their player will participate 2. If the player is requesting to play up a grade level the request will be reviewed by the Flag President and decided on a case-by-case basis 3. If the player is requesting to play down a grade level the parent/legal guardian is required to submit a written statement with reasoning to the Board who will decide on a case-by-case basis Tackle League: 1. The parent/legal guardian will request during registration which grade level their player will participate 2. Players are not allowed to play down a grade level due to KCYFL rules. All requests to play down in this league will be disallowed. 3. KCYFL will determine which division the team the player is placed on will compete. In general, a tackle team with little/no tackle experience and/or demonstrating a lower skillset will be placed in the lower division for health/safety reasons. 3 P a g e

4 4. If the player is requesting to play up a division level different from their league assigned team within the same grade level, the request will be reviewed by the Tackle President and decided on a case-bycase basis. In most instances this request will be denied for health/safety reasons unless the player has had previous participation in tackle and demonstrated an advanced skillset which warrants the change. 5. If the player is requesting to play down a division level different from their league assigned team within the same grade level, the request will be reviewed by the Tackle President and decided on a case-by-case basis. 6. If the player is requesting to play up a grade level the request will be reviewed by the Tackle President and decided on a case-by-case basis. In most instances this request will be denied for health/safety reasons unless the player has had previous participation in tackle and demonstrated an advanced skillset which warrants the change. All grade level and division disputes may be appealed to the LSFA Executive Board for final determination. Section 4: Head Coach Selection Precedence Due to fluctuating participation numbers, the number of football teams per season per grade level will change. The following precedence will determine the order in which head coaches are assigned teams: 1. Existing coaches in good standing within a division. 2. Number of years coaching within the division. 3. Service to the LSFA Board with precedence in descending order President, Executive Board, League Representative, Board Member. 4. Volunteerism to LSFA 5. Prior experience coaching tackle w/ LSFA (in good standing) w/ a Sponsor 6. Prior experience coaching flag w/ LSFA (in good standing) w/ a Sponsor 7. Prior experience coaching tackle w/ LSFA (in good standing) w/ out a Sponsor 8. Prior experience coaching flag w/ LSFA (in good standing) w/ out a Sponsor 9. New coaches w/ Sponsor 10. New coaches w/out Sponsor In order of the Coaches Declaration received by LSFA Section 5: Sponsorship LSFA is a non-profit league which strives to provide youth football opportunities as affordably as possible. As such, sponsorship provides an avenue to offset registration fees which cover the league costs (mowing, field striping, officials, insurance, city fees, etc.). To assist the league with keeping costs low and participation high, teams are encouraged to actively recruit sponsors. If a team can secure a team (Bronze) or league (Silver- Platinum) sponsor, then the team will be provided the following Sponsor Exemptions: 1. Practice field preference. Practice field locations will be assigned according to the following: a. Executive Board Members b. Teams with sponsors i. AFL Tackle Teams first ii. NFL Tackle Teams second iii. Flag Teams third 4 P a g e

5 c. Coach s Meeting Attendance i. AFL Tackle Teams first ii. NFL Tackle Teams second iii. Flag Teams third d. At large 2. Designate up to 2 coaches and their dependents in flag and up to 2 coaches and their dependents in tackle as roster exemptions. Note, for tackle teams, KCYFL rules still apply and may nullify placement. 1 dependent is allowed for each exemption. If a designated coach were to have more than 1 dependent in the same grade-level, then the exemption would count as 2 for this coach designation. a. The head coach of the team must first obtain permission from the coach prior to placing any designation on the coach and dependent player. Additionally, the head coach must communicate that the designation is only valid for the current year; but, will be retained for as long as the team is active, and sponsorship does not lapse. b. To qualify: i. Designated coaches and dependents must be registered on prior to league formations. ii. The designated coach must have completed their USA Football Certification and back ground check prior to league formations. iii. The head coach must have submitted written communications to admin@lsfootball.org communicating any new exemptions for their team prior to the formation date. Note, rollover exemptions from previous years do not need to be communicated as these designations will automatically be applied to the team s roster. c. Coach/player designation is only valid for 1 season. Sponsorship must be renewed the next season to retain the designated coaches/players; otherwise, the players are returned to the pool and will be assigned to teams following the normal formation rules. d. The elementary school boundary & previous team fall roster rules supersede this rule; therefore, if the team fills its allotted roster spots with players from its declared elementary school and/or players who participated during the last fall season then the 2 additional players will not be allowed. 3. If the head coach of the fall team coaches a spring team then they may declare up to additional 2 players who are not part of an existing team to be placed on their fall team. Note, for tackle teams, KCYFL rules still apply and may nullify placement. a. The head coach of the team must first obtain permission from the guardian(s) of any declared player. Additionally, the head coach must communicate that the designation is only valid for the current year; but, will be retained for as long as the team is active, and sponsorship does not lapse. b. To qualify: i. The designated players must be registered on prior to league formations. ii. The head coach must have submitted written communications to admin@lsfootball.org communicating any new exemptions for their team prior to the formation date. Note, rollover exemptions from previous years do not need to be communicated as these designations will automatically be applied to the team s roster. 5 P a g e

6 c. Player designation is only valid for 1 season. Sponsorship must be renewed the next season to retain the designated players; otherwise, the players are returned to the pool and will be assigned to teams following the normal formation rules. d. The elementary school boundary & previous team fall roster rules supersede this rule; therefore, if the team fills its allotted roster spots with players from its declared elementary school and/or players who participate during the last fall season then the 2 additional players will not be allowed. 4. Additional incentives as communicated by the Executive Board Sponsorship level and pricing can be found on the leagues website: Section 6: Flag League Team Formation LSFA strives to have at least nine (9) and no greater than twelve (12) players on a roster. Accommodations are made to ensure every regular (vs. late) registered player is placed on a roster. Registration levels and the number of head coaches will determine the number of players per team in each division. As a rule, once a player is assigned to a team, the player will continue participating with that team unless: 1. The player does not participate the previous fall season 2. The player changes divisions 3. The player only participated with the team during the spring season. 4. A parent/legal guardian of a player submits a written request to the LSFA Executive Board to be placed on a different team. If the Board deems the request as warranted, then the player will be placed on a different team of the Board s choosing. In this situation, a sponsor exemption will not be allowed by any team to designate this player. All team rosters are subject to final approval by the LSFA Flag President. Any disputes may be appealed to the LSFA Executive Board for final determination. New Team Formations A new team is defined as a team who did not play together during the previous fall season. Teams who played together for the first time in the spring season are not recognized as a team during fall formations. The following rules will be applied in sequential order until a team has reached the allotted roster spots. 1. The head coach declaration will be used to determine the elementary school boundary 2. The roster will be filled with available players from the elementary school boundary 3. Sponsor Exemption: the roster will next be filled with up to 2 coaches and their dependents 4. Sponsor Exemption: Up to 2 players can be added who have not been declared by another team who participated with team during the spring season 5. Remaining roster spots will be filled with players in the following order: a. Players from the associated middle school boundary middle school boundary. Players from the same elementary school will be placed together as b. Players from the associated high school boundary 6 P a g e

7 high school boundary. Players from the same middle school will be placed together as c. Players from the associated community boundary community boundary. Players from the same high school will be placed together as Existing Team Formations An existing team is defined as a team who did play together the previous fall season AND has a head coach who is either the previous fall season s head or assistant coach. The following rules will be applied in sequential order until a team has reached the allotted roster spots. **NOTE**: An assistant coach of a flag team who becomes the head coach due to a vacated position will inherit the team s flag players. 1. All players who participated with the team the last fall season will be added to the team. The previous year s sponsor exemptions are to be included if sponsorship has been retained. 2. Remaining roster spots will be filled in accordance to the rules outlined in the New Team Formations. Section 7: Tackle League Team Formation LSFA strives to have at least sixteen (16) and no greater than twenty-two (22) players on a roster. Accommodations are made to ensure every regular (vs. late) registered player is placed on a roster. Registration levels and the number of head coaches will determine the number of players per team in each division. As a rule, once a player is assigned to a team, the player will continue participating with that team unless: 1. The player does not participate the previous fall season 2. The player changes divisions 3. The player only participated with the team during the spring season. 5. A parent/legal guardian of a player submits a written request to the LSFA Executive Board to be placed on a different team. If the Board deems the request as warranted, then the player will be placed on a different team of the Board s choosing. In this situation, a sponsor exemption will not be allowed by any team to designate this player. All team rosters are subject to final approval by the LSFA Tackle President. Any disputes may be appealed to the LSFA Executive Board for final determination. New Team Formations A new team is defined as a team who did not play together during the previous fall season AND doesn t have a head coach who was a head coach or an assistant coach the previous fall season. Teams who played together for the first time in the spring season are not recognized as a team during fall formations. The following rules will be applied in sequential order until a team has reached the allotted roster spots. 1. The Head Coach Declaration will be used to determine the elementary school boundary 2. The roster will be filled with available players from the elementary school boundary 7 P a g e

8 3. Sponsor Exemption: the roster will next be filled with up to 2 coaches and their dependents 4. Sponsor Exemption: Up to 2 players can be added who have not been declared by another team who participated with team during the spring season 5. Remaining roster spots will be filled with players in the following order: a. Players from the associated middle school boundary middle school boundary. Players from the same elementary school will be placed together as b. Players from the associated high school boundary high school boundary. Players from the same middle school will be placed together as c. Players from the associated community boundary community boundary. Players from the same high school will be placed together as Flag Team(s) Formation A flag team(s) formation is defined as a team who participated in the previous fall season AND has a head coach who was either the head or assistant coach of the flag team the previous fall. Teams who played together for the first time in the spring season are not recognized as a team during fall formations. The following rules will be applied in sequential order until a team has reached the allotted roster spots. 1. The Head Coach Declaration will be used to determine the elementary school boundary 2. IF the head coach of the newly formed tackle team coached a flag team during the last fall season: a. All players who participated with the team the last fall season will be added to the team. The previous year s sponsor exemptions are to be included if sponsorship has been retained. 3. If multiple flag teams who participated during the last fall season are forming a unified tackle team a. All players who participated with the merged flag teams the last fall season will be added to the unified tackle team. The previous year s sponsor exemptions are to be included if sponsorship has been retained. 4. The roster will be filled with available players from the declared elementary school boundary 5. Sponsor Exemption: the roster will next be filled with up to 2 coaches and their dependents. 6. Sponsor Exemption: Up to 2 players can be added who have not been declared by another team who participated with team during the spring season 7. Remaining roster spots will be filled with players in the following order: a. Players from the associated middle school boundary middle school boundary. Players from the same elementary school will be placed together as b. Players from the associated high school boundary high school boundary. Players from the same middle school will be placed together as c. Players from the associated community boundary 8 P a g e

9 Existing Team Formations 2018 TEAM FORMATION RULES community boundary. Players from the same high school will be placed together as An existing team is defined as a team who did play together the previous fall season AND has a head coach who is either the previous fall season s head or assistant coach. The following rules will be applied in sequential order until a team has reached the allotted roster spots. **NOTE**: An assistant coach of a tackle team who becomes the head coach due to a vacated position will inherit the team s tackle players. 1. All players who participated with the team the last fall season will be added to the team. The previous year s sponsor exemptions are to be included if sponsorship has been retained. 2. Remaining roster spots will be filled in accordance to the rules outlined in the New Team Formations. Section 8: Disclaimers Attempts to willfully undermine or circumvent the league formation rules could lead to disciplinary action imposed by the league against coaches, parents, or participants. The LSFA Executive Board will review any occurrences on a case-by-case basis. Imposed penalties could be up to and including suspension or permanent removal from the league. The LSFA Executive Board reserves the right to allow exceptions or to make modifications to the formation rules at any time. Modifications will be reviewed and voted on in accordance with league rules. DEFINITIONS: Coach in Good Standing A coach that returns 50% of his prior year roster to LSFA. Note: Returning to LSFA does not require the player to return to the coach s roster. Additionally, to be in good standing, the coach will have not been subject to previous disciplinary action by the LSFA Board. Division A group of teams in the same grade. It is understood that as participants progress through grades, the group of teams and coaches will progress as well. Existing Coach A coach rolling his roster forward. Note: Greater than 50% of the coach s previous year roster must roll forward to the current year roster to be considered a rollover in determining head coach selection precedence. An exception may be allowed if the team splits due to players wanting to play in different leagues (flag or tackle). League Lee s Summit Football Association 9 P a g e