On the Pitch Pitch The 2016 MIAA Soccer Newsletter August 2016 Team Sportsmanship Award Winners The Massachusetts high school soccer community--school administrators, coaches, players, game officials, and the MIAA State Soccer Committee, has worked diligently over the past decade to improve the quality of interscholastic soccer, with a strong emphasis on sportsmanship. Through a unified effort and with a balance of educational programs and strict accountability measures, the goal has been to significantly reduce the negative behaviors exhibited by some soccer players, coaches, and spectators. The MIAA Soccer Committee would like to recognize those schools, whose soccer teams, during the 2016 season, distinguished themselves in the area of good sportsmanship, which earned them an MIAA Soccer Team Sportsmanship Award presented at the 2016 State Soccer Finals. These are teams which, through the collective efforts of their coaches, players, fans, and administrators, demonstrated their unique commitment to sportsmanship, integrity, and ethics. Congratulations to: 2016 Cut-Off Date: Matignon High School (Girls) Mohawk Trail Reg. High School (Boys) The cut-off date for the 2016 Soccer season is Tuesday, November 1, 2016. 2016 Dates to Remember August 25, 2016 -First Practice Date September 4, 2016 -First Contest Date -Varsity Rosters to be entered in Members Only of the MIAA Website prior to your first varsity contest. September 30, 2016 -Schedule & Commitment Due October 25, 2016 Sportsmanship Responsibility of Competing Schools Compliance Policy Due November 1, 2016 -Cut-Off Date November 2, 2016 -Tournament Seeding November 19, 2016 -Championship Saturday, All divisions.
From the State Interpreter... As we pass through the mid-point of the Summer, those of us involved in high school soccer become anxious to get our kit together and back onto the pitch. We concern ourselves with getting older legs and lungs up to speed to be able to chase down the ever faster and more skilled teen aged athletes we will be privileged to work with AND to assure ourselves that we have a full appreciation of the rules we are given to manage our assigned games. The game itself changes only minimally year to year. It is so with the rules. It becomes our obligation to establish a uniformity of understanding and application of those rules. Many of our calls (and non-calls) are in the category of ITOOTO (In The Opinion Of The Official). Coaches, players and the folks in the stands want, and are entitled to, CONSISTENCY of our calls during THEIR game! Preseason chapter interpretation meetings are scheduled and dedicated to that end! Best to all for the 2016-2017 season, may all our calls be fair! Calvin G Perry, O.D. MIAA Interpreter MIAA Official of the Year Award Congratulations to the 2015 MIAA Soccer Officials of the Year! CARA PEMBER JEFF KEARNEY Page 2 On the Pitch
2016-17 NFHS Soccer Rule Changes 4-2-9 NEW: A soft-padded headband is permitted. 14-1-4:.Once the kicker starts his/her approach toward the ball during a penalty kick, he/she may not interrupt his/her movement. Failure to kick the ball as specified will be considered a violation by the attacking team, and the appropriate penalties shall apply. 18-1-1 NEW u: INTERFERING WITH AN OPPONENT Preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent s line of vision or movement of challenging an opponent for the ball. Think Taylor: Concussion Awareness Week September 12-16, 2016 *During the week of September 12th, all MIAA Member High School varsity athletes will take part in ThinkTaylor/MIAA Concussion Awareness Week. *Every varsity athlete, coach, athletic director & athletic trainer will receive a ThinkTaylor orange wristband to wear during matches. Also, an educational tag to place on their bag throughout the week. Please take part in the #TTpledge with your students at ThinkTaylor.org and by posting your support on social media using #TTpledge. Breast Cancer Awareness Soccer Matches October 2016 If any school is hosting a fundraising soccer match or tournament for breast cancer, please email Phil Napolitano (pnapolitano@miaa.net) with the event name and date by September 16, 2016. Brine, the official soccer ball of the MIAA, has graciously provided us with a limited amount pink/white Brine soccer balls for these events. Don t forget to email Phil a photo of your team holding the pink/white Brine soccer ball prior to the Breast Cancer awareness match!! Page 3 On Page the 3 Pitch
MIAA Soccer Rule Highlights 78.1.1 Any red or yellow card issued to a high school player/coach must be reported on the MIAA Soccer Roster and Score Sheet and also entered on-line in the Members Only section of the MIAA website. (Please see rule 78.2.18 for infraction reporting requirements.) 78.2.5 A player committing a second yellow card infraction in the same contest receives a red card. There are no exceptions. It should be reported as only a red card (not two yellows or a yellow and a red). 78.2.6 Any player who receives a red card is ejected from the contest and shall be suspended from further participation for the next two contests; if a player receives a second red card within the same season, the player is suspended from further participation in that contest and the next two contests. 78.2.10 Any team whose players receive collectively more than three fighting penalties during the regular season shall not qualify for the MIAA tournament. 78.2.11 Any player who receives a third yellow card in a season shall be suspended from the next contest; a fourth yellow card and subsequent yellow cards in a season shall result in suspension for two contests. This penalty carries over to the next soccer season (or next season if senior) if happens in last contest, or the next to last contest. 78.2.12 A coach who receives a third yellow card in a season shall be suspended from coaching the next two contests. A fourth yellow card in a season shall result in a one year suspension. The penalty carries over to the next soccer season if happens in last contest, or the next to last contest. 78.2.14 A deliberate (intentional) handball to prevent a ball from entering the goal is a red card offense. However, the offender will be suspended from the remainder of that contest and only the next regularly scheduled contest. 78.2.16 For purposes of obtaining tournament eligibility, no team may exceed a four red or thirteen yellow cards during the regular season. Delay of game encroachment and deliberate (intentional) handball are infractions, which will continue to be enforced and penalized. The impact of these infractions will be assessed and will be considered towards tournament ineligibility. 78.2.17 Any team whose players/coaches receive collectively five (5) yellow and/or red cards in a contest (including pre & post game) will result in immediate termination of the contest, and result in forfeiture by the offending team. A full list of MIAA Soccer specific rules can be found on pages 80-83 of the MIAA Handbook MIAA Soccer Scoresheets Infractions A copy of the MIAA scoresheet no longer needs to be sent to the MIAA office. All scores and infractions must be entered online in the MIAA Members-Only section. Please do not confuse the soccer scoresheet with the coach/student contest disqualification form. A copy of all DQ forms must still be sent to the MIAA office. Soccer Uniforms 78.1.6 The home team shall wear white or light jerseys and socks, and the visiting team shall wear dark jerseys and socks (which maintains the 2010-11 NF Rule indefinitely). Page 4 On the Pitch
Athlete & Coach Contest Disqualifications/Suspensions 49.1 The contest official who disqualifies a student or coach under the provision of this rule should immediately inform the coach of each team, official scorer (if any), and state the violation. If the game official fails to file his/her written coach/student contest disqualification form, the individual is nevertheless bound by the suspension. An Official who fails to complete the form required as a result of an athlete or coach disqualification shall be suspended from officiating any MIAA contest in that sport for at least two weeks or until the form is completed and received by the principal of the disqualified athlete or coach. Judgments of game officials are not subject to appeal. If the event does not have officials (e.g. golf, tennis) it is the responsibility of the site manager to report any disqualification to the Athletic Director who in turn will complete the MIAA Coach or Student Contest Disqualification Form. 49.2 The athletic director in charge of the contest, or his/her designee, is responsible for: (1) having the official disqualification forms available for game officials, and (2) sending copies to the principal of each school involved, the athletic director of each school involved, and the executive director of the MIAA. Contest official(s) should complete the forms before leaving the site of the contest. Rule Infraction Reporting Summary Infraction Total Cards No. of Red No. of Yellow Code and Name 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 1. Delay of game 64 63 80 0 0 0 64 63 80 2. Encroachment 27 20 21 0 0 0 27 20 21 3. Tactical handball foul 21 24 22 0 0 0 21 24 22 4. Equipment violation 4 13 13 0 0 0 4 13 13 5. Persistent infringement 66 81 81 0 0 0 66 81 81 6. Dissent 150 179 212 1 0 0 149 179 212 7. Incidental language 46 68 69 1 0 0 45 68 69 8. Holding, kicking, tripping 458 578 588 5 0 0 453 578 588 9. Faking injury or foul 4 8 1 1 0 0 3 8 1 10. Subsequent caution 4 11 7 3 9 7 1 2 0 11. Excessive celebration 0 1 4 0 1 1 0 0 3 12. Violent conduct 8 20 28 8 20 28 0 0 0 13. Serious foul play 11 12 15 11 12 15 0 0 0 14. Insulting, abusive 13 18 22 13 18 22 0 0 0 language 15. Taunting 7 5 7 3 5 7 0 0 0 16. Other 53 45 68 14 10 17 48 35 51 TOTALS 936 1146 1238 60 75 97 881 1071 1141 Page 5 On the Pitch
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat First Practice Thursday August 25th First Contest/ Roster Due Online Tuesday September 6th November 2016/MIAA Soccer Calendar 1 2 3 4 5 Cutoff Date Tuesday, November 1st Seeding (N/S/C/W) No Games Brackets Posted Sectional Games Begin (N/S/C/W) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Championship Saturday! D1, D2 D3 & D4 State Finals 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 State Finals (Rain/Snow Date) Thanksgiving 27 28 29 30 The Official Soccer Ball of the MIAA