INDIANA FIRE JUNIORS TEAM MANAGER HANDBOOK Updated July 2017
Commonly Used Acronyms and Terms at Indiana Fire Juniors... 3 Organizational Structure... 5 The Team Officials Job Description - Overview... 5 The Team Officials Job Description - Detail... 5 Pre-Season Need to know... 7 Team Bank Account Procedures... 7 Team Fees... 8 Practice Scheduling... 8 Leagues... 8 Game Scheduling for ISL... 10 Game day procedures for ISL Game cards... 11 Game Scheduling CNC... 10 Friendlies... Error! Bookmark not defined.2 MRL - Midwest Regional League Sanctioned through USY/ISA... 122 Tournaments... 166 Booking Hotels for Tournaments/League Games... 18 Coaches Expenses... 19 Injuries and Insurance... 200 U15-U18 Indiana Fire Juniors Team Brochures... 200 Indiana Fire Juniors TOPSoccer Program... 20 Indiana Fire Juniors Policies... 21 Youth Soccer Rules... 21 Team Manager Tools of the Trade & Checklist... 22
Commonly Used Acronyms and Terms at Indiana Fire Juniors Birth Year refers to the group designation of a team example 2005 Girls Club Indiana Fire Juniors and other area soccer clubs such as ZYSA (Zionsville Youth Soccer Association) for example. Club Pass for league games, teams may add players from another Club team. Those players are Club Pass players Cup Play refers to the USY/ISA Sanctioned cup events State, Challenge or Presidents Cup DA Developmental Academy Sanctioned by USSF DOC Director of Coaching Friendly Refers to a self-scheduled, non-league or non-tournament game between two teams. Teams will arrange for their own field and their own referees with the help of the Club Game Card is a card printed from within your schedule that lists the details of that game. ISL teams will generate this using GOT prior to each game and it also includes a roster list and is where guest pass players will appear. GOT Soccer AKA GOT - Software program used by USYSA and ISA for management of team accounts. Guest Player for tournament play, teams may guest play a player from another Club team or from outside the Club. Each tournament will have its own rules regarding guest play. Game Roster is a roster generated by USC Teams prior to each game if there are roster changes for that week. This is generated on the USC Website. Home team the team who is designated as the home team in any particular game Host team the team who is playing on their home fields ISA Indiana Soccer Association -Sanctioned by USYA, WYSA and Indiana Fire Juniors is a member of ISA ISL Indiana Soccer League Sanctioned by ISA League Refers to the leagues teams play in such as ISL, MRL or ICL. MRL Midwest Regional League - Sanctioned by USYSA and ISA Official Roster the officially registered roster for USY teams One off game refers to an ICL game that has been moved off a hosted play weekend. Permission to Host is a host form provided by tournaments which tells you which body sanctions their tournament. Permission to Travel is a form needed to travel to an out of state tournament or friendly game for USYS. A permission to travel is not required for MRL league games. Self-schedule game a game which is scheduled by the teams and submitted to a league for recording. Stay to Play a tournament which requires that the team stay in a designated hotel to remain eligible for participation. Team Age group refers to the group designation of a team example 2006 Girls Team Color group refers to the Indiana Fire Juniors team color example 02 Girls Red or U11 Girls Navy
Team Official includes managers, treasurers and assistant managers Team Year group refers to the year age designation of a team now designated by calendar year example 02 Girls TOPSoccer - a free, community-based training and team placement program for athletes with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers. USC United States Club Soccer A national sanctioning body of soccer; Sanctioned by USSF USSF United States Soccer Federation USYSA AKA USY United States Youth Soccer Association; A national sanctioning body of soccer; Sanctioned by USSF, which sanctions ISA and affiliated members WYSA The Parent 501c3 who does business as Indiana Fire Juniors. Westfield Youth Soccer Association, Inc. Our recreation program uses the name WYSA/IFJ Rec.
Organizational Structure Most Indiana Fire Juniors teams are members of and sanctioned by, Indiana Soccer Association (ISA), which is a member of and sanctioned by the US Youth Soccer Association (USYSA). Indiana Fire Juniors registers its players and teams with Indiana Soccer Association (ISA) in the Indiana Soccer League (ISL) and/or Midwest Regional League (MRL). The only exception here is players who are registered with DA (USSF). DA players may not be dual-registered or participate in USYS or ODP events. Insurance is provided by USYS or USC or USSF as a part of each player s registration fee. The insurance provides supplemental coverage for all coaches, staff and volunteers. In order to have the coverage, all the participating coaches, team officials (managers and treasurers) and players must be registered with the appropriate governing body. That is one important reason why we do not allow unregistered players, coaches, or managers to participate. As a team manager you should always be mindful of the question is every player out here registered, if they are not registered they are not insured. The Team Officials Job Description - Overview Manager The manager is the primary contact person between the team and the league (MRL, ISL), other managers, between the Indiana Fire Juniors Directors and the team coach. He/she takes care of league and game day responsibilities. The manager is also the primary contact for the parents. It is the manager s responsibility to ensure good communication and the overall organization of all team activities, but always in deference to the soccer decisions of the coach, DOC or club. The manager is also responsible for reminding families about proper code of conduct, including-approved sideline behavior for all spectators. Treasurer- The treasurer will be the signer on the team checking account and will issue all payments on behalf of the team. Treasurers for 8u to 10u teams will be provided a budget from the club. Treasurers for 11u to 14u Teams will do two budgets a year using a club provided template. Treasurers for 15u to 19u Teams will do one budget a year using a club provided template. All treasurers will communicate the team fees to their parents, then collect and deposit the funds into the team s checking account. They will work closely with the team manager in coordination of payment of team expenses such as hotel and coach travel expenses, and referee fees (in cash) at each league game. Assistant Managers/Treasurers The assistant manager can serve in any capacity where that team has the need. i.e. Tournament/Hotel coordinator, fundraising tasks (Fire and Ice Basket). The goal is for them to learn the position, serve as your backup as needed and handle tasks that the manager or treasurer may not have time to complete. Not all teams will have an assistant manager and/or treasurer. *Note assistant managers and treasurers will receive half credit of their 2017-2018 team fees for the team they are assisting. The Team Officials Job Description - Detail Working with your coach All team officials need to be mindful of the need to have excellent communication with their coaches. Along with your coach you are responsible for the management and success of the team. Managers should support their coach s decisions at all times, and never contradict the coach publicly to parents. If there is confusion around a coach s statement, please address the coach in private first. If there are parent comments which come to the manager and are related to
coaching rather than managing, please do not engage in discussion of coaching issues with the parents, rather refer them directly to the coach. In short have your coaches back and expect them to also have yours. Work with your other team officials to determine who will perform each item below. League Registration- Manager The Club will register all ISL/MRL (USY) teams via the online registration program using the GOT Soccer Team account. PLEASE NOTE: Each year the club will register all teams for leagues and events (tournaments for the Fall Season which have a registration deadline prior to August 30 th. The club will also pay for all leagues and events (tournaments) which fall during this time frame. The Club will pay for ALL Registrations for both Seasons Spring and Fall for league play in ISL and MRL and all State Cup Events (State, Presidents and Challenge Cup). No team should ever write a team check payable to Indiana Soccer Association. When your registration is complete, a club director will send ISL and/or MRL a check on behalf of your team and you will receive an emailed invoice from the club which you will pay via a team check payable to Indiana Fire Juniors and mailed to PO Box 346, Westfield, IN 46074 Uniforms- Manager/Assistant Manager Contact a club travel team director to ensure new players are added to the uniform ordering module. Ensure all players have ordered and received training and game day gear through Soccer.com Practices Manager/Assistant Manager Communicate practice location/times- check the online schedule daily and be diligent in monitoring your email. Communicate rainouts and change of practice venue Schedule any offsite practices or games and coordinate with club to ensure site is insured. Games- Manager/Assistant Manager Provide game schedule, directions to away fields and field maps Player cards laminate the cards and ensure you have them at each game or the coach has them if you will not be there. Game cards (USYS Teams Printed from ISL Game Schedule or from you GOT Soccer Team Account) Phone in scores after the game (depending on the league rules see their website) Complete online game report (depending on the league rules see their website) Pay referees (coordinate with your treasurer to be sure one of you will have money at each game) Reschedule games if necessary always confirm with your coach first and the club via a support ticket if a game is requested for a weeknight. Confirm game dates, times, and location with manager of opposing team the week before Communicate rainouts and schedule changes to parents Tournaments- Manager/Assistant Manager Application & tournament fees (coordinate with your treasurer) Provide travel & hotel information and directions to tournament and field maps Disseminate game schedule, rainouts and reschedule information Obtain out-of-state travel permits you can do this for any ISA Sanctioned tournament within your GOT team account for other tournaments please see the ISA or Tournament Website. Reimburse coaches for expenses (see Coaches Expenses in this document) Volunteer Coordination Manager/Assistant Manager
The team needs a volunteer coordinator to recruit volunteers for the following activities: All Indiana Fire Juniors hosted events Other Indiana Fire Juniors Fundraising events that may change from year to year Finances- Treasurer/Assistant Treasurer Calculate team expenses and submit a budget via the Indiana Fire Juniors Budget spreadsheet provided Maintain team bank account Pay tournament registration fees/travel expenses Monitor any team fundraising items Manage referee money Pre-Season Need to know Mid Late June Tryouts are held and teams are formed from 8u to 19u. Managers and Treasurers are then assigned to each team. Managers and Treasurers will need to complete their registrations, background checks and banking information (Bank Account Signers only) during this time. If you have not completed any of the above you need to contact Christina at chord@indianafirejuniors.com for instructions. Mid July Got Soccer Team Account Access: As soon as you are registered as a manager you will be given the login information for your team account. You should access this and explore the layout to familiarize yourself with the program if you are a new manager. Birth Certificates and Player Photos: These can be uploaded into the players Got Soccer account (by the parent only) or faxed to the club at 317-569-5172 or scanned and emailed to info@indianafirejuniors.com. Parents are notified of this requirement during registration, but managers are asked to follow up with parents who do not timely submit the paperwork. Medical Release Forms (ALL Teams): These forms can be downloaded from our website at http://www.indianafirejuniors.com/forms. The USYS form should be used by all teams except DA and must be completed each year after June 1st. Forms no longer need to be notarized. You will need this document before you attend a USYS sanctioned tournament. Team Bank Account Procedures Each June/July the team bank accounts will be reset to the next year and treasurers will be assigned to the proper account. All Treasurers must register as a Team Manager in the GOT Registration program and complete a background check. You will receive your team checks at the managers meeting each year and will then be mailed a debit card for your team account. Maintaining the team s bank account with online access through Fifth Third direct access which will provided to you by the Indiana Fire Juniors Business Director. All signers must complete an online access form which will be emailed to you for completion. Coordinating with the Indiana Fire Juniors Business director on club invoices payable to the club for expenses paid on the behalf of the team accounts.
Team Fees Account signers (treasurers) will be responsible for the following duties: Maintaining the team s budget and submitting the amount due to each parent on the team each season. 8u to 10u teams will be provided a completed budget by the club. 11u to 14u teams will do two budgets a year. Fall is done in August and Spring is done in February/March. A budget template and example are available online at www.indianafirejuniors.com -> Resources -> Teams and Parents -> Team tab. This form will provide you a template to guide you in preparing your budget. All Team fees should be paid directly to the team, either by a check given to the treasurer or mailed directly to the address of their choosing. Team fee checks should not be mailed the clubs PO Box and should be payable directly to the team. Example: Indiana Fire Juniors 01Boys White. Treasurers should contact Business Director, Christina Hord with listing of player families that have not submitted payments by the due date. New for this year, registration contracts indicated that team fees that are 60 days past due will be charged to the GOT payment form used for registration. Treasurer s must let us know if a parent has failed to pay their fees in order to process the charges via GOT Soccer. Practice Scheduling Prior to each season your coach will submit a practice schedule request and the club will prepare a season practice schedule. A link will be posted on our website s home page and will also be available for viewing from your GOT team accounts and on our website www.indianafirejuniors.com under Teams > Schedules. All teams must follow the posted schedule and any changes must be submitted to the club for approval. DO NOT send your parents a document file or emailed copy of the practice schedule. Only provide them a link to the online schedule, instruction on how to access via TeamSnap and stress they must check it regularly. If you provide a written schedule parents will log this information into their calendars and not update as the season progresses. The manager is responsible for making sure any changes to the online schedule are relayed to parents in the TeamSnap application. The practice schedule also includes goalie training schedules; please look in the Open groups for the goalie schedules. Leagues Indiana Fire Juniors registers teams into ISL and MRL each season. Below is a summary of each league and an overview of their basic rules. You should determine exactly what league your team is registered in and visit their website to read a complete listing of their rules and policies. Indiana Soccer League (ISL) Sanctioned through USYSA & ISA Website http://www.soccerindiana.org/leagues/indiana_soccer_league_isl/ Costs for ISL: Premier and 1st Division U13-U14 - Please check the ISA website for the correct registration fee* 2nd-5th Divisions U09-U14 Please check the ISA website for the correct registration fee Please note these fees may change seasonally or yearly. Always check the website for the correct amount. *The league fee cost for the Premier and 1st Divisions includes the costs incurred by the league to secure neutral sites.
Referee Fees: Referee fees ARE NOT included in the league registration fees. Each team is responsible for splitting referee fees for every league game and is payable in cash only in denominations that do not require referees to make change. Be sure to pay your referees prior to kick off. Only pay the referees who are in attendance. If one referee does not show, the teams keep that referee s fee. If the game does not start due to weather and is not played, the referees do not get paid. If the game begins but is called because of weather, the referees keep their fees. Referees are to be paid prior to kick off. All divisions will pay referees at ½ for each team at all games. 8u, 9u & 10u games will only utilize one referee per game. 11u 18u games will utilize 3 referees per game 1 center referee and 2 sideline referees (aka AR s) All age groups and divisions Please check the ISA website for the correct referee pay amounts. Please note these fees may change seasonally or yearly. Always check the website for the correct amount. League Registration Deadlines: The club will register all IFJ teams in their appropriate league based on the lists provided by the age group directors of coaching. Game Scheduling for ISL ISA/ISL will mandate scheduling meetings prior to the start of each season in which a coach or manager is required to attend. Managers should plan to attend these scheduling meetings. In addition, Club DOCs, Assistant DOCs and coaches will most likely try to attend. Contact your coach directly to make sure that someone is in attendance to cover for your team. Please read the game scheduling section of this document to assist your coach with any team specific information. Scheduling meeting dates are posted on the ISL website. Blackout dates for league play (Dates a team in unable to play) The primary reason teams would utilize blackout dates are for tournaments and major school holidays. Other reasons for possible blackout dates are school events, SAT s, ACT s and proms. Keep in mind that each individual weekend date a team is unavailable to play will count as 1 black out date on your league schedule. It is highly recommended that you reach out to your families very early on, prior to league scheduling, requesting their child s school fall and spring break info. The same should be done with your coach in regards to any dates he/she is unavailable. If you are a Senior Team manager, make note of testing dates and ask your families for prom information. Note, that some leagues do allow teams to count tournament games as league games provided the tournament agrees to comply with the league rules for the match. This scenario is most common for MRL and ISL teams; it can also occur for Cup play in the spring. Remember that both teams involved MUST agree to these terms before the schedule is finalized. Keep in mind that most leagues do try to avoid major holidays; always check your league website/rules to see if the league is already planning not to schedule games on a date. Most leagues will not schedule games on Labor Day weekend, Memorial Day weekend, or Easter.
Always check the ISA website to confirm Cup dates and if the State will blackout the first weekend of Cup play. Teams participating in State Cup are now given the option to self-schedule preliminary games which would leave you to black out the semifinal/final weekend as a precaution. Once the blackout dates are known, each league has its own procedure to follow. Indiana State League (ISL) Blackout Procedure ISL allows a maximum of 6 blackout dates during the season. As many IFJ teams do 2 tournaments, this means that a team may only be able to blackout 2 additional dates. For ISL, blackout dates should be entered by following the instructions below: Log into your team Got Soccer account, and navigate to the correct ISL season tab under Event Registration History. From there you will click on the Requests tab. A calendar will appear and you may begin blacking out your unavailable dates. You can change the month by clicking on either the upper left or right months above the calendar. Be sure to hit save when you have completed your blackout dates. *If you choose to blackout dates AFTER registering, make note of the blackout request deadline. In both cases, a calendar is presented to the user. Game Scheduling ISL teams Prior to season start scheduling ISL has a set period of time after the mandatory league meeting to allow managers to reschedule games. Pay careful attention to the league rules and know your timeframe to get this done. You should look carefully at the league documents, game schedules and your team s tournament schedule to determine where you have conflicts. Also check with your coach to see if they have any scheduling conflicts with other teams or personal conflicts. At the pre-season scheduling meeting, you will be provided a draft schedule for your division. You will sit with the other teams in your division and will review the schedule provided. Each team has this opportunity to make changes to their schedule if they have a game on a date that does not work for their team. Team s do not have to agree to change a game but we encourage you to do your best to accommodate requests from other team managers/coaches and expect them to do the same for our teams. If a club asks you to change a weekend game to a weeknight, keep in mind that field space may be issue due to training. Do not assume you can just have a game on your training field. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Submit a support ticket via your GOT Soccer team account to ISL league requesting the game to be changed and provide dates/times. 2. Wait for confirmation of a set field space date and time via a support ticket response. ISL will contact Grand Park to determine field availability, Grand Park will contact the club only if they are unable to provide a field and will ask if they club wants to change our training schedule to open up a field. 3. ISL will assign the referees.
During Season Reschedules - If you reschedule a home game that was already on the schedule, either at your own or the other team s request, you should immediately contact the field scheduler and the referee assigner to tell them the game will not be played as scheduled. If a game is cancelled by a team for non-weather-related reasons within 48 hours of the scheduled game, the responsible team will have to pay the referee fees, and perhaps a fine. If a game is cancelled due to weather it is the home team s responsibility to contact the other team and arrange a new date and time. The league will NOT do this for you automatically. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Submit a support ticket via your GOT Soccer team account to ISL league requesting the game to be changed and provide dates/times. 2. Wait for confirmation of a set field space date and time via a support ticket response. ISL will contact Grand Park to determine field availability, Grand Park will contact the club only if they are unable to provide a field and will ask if they club wants to change our training schedule to open up a field. 3. ISL will assign the referees. Cards and Rosters for ISL The Club will submit your team s player registration, birth certificate and head shot to ISA on or about Aug 1 st of each year. The state office will process your team s player cards and rosters. Upon approval, ISA will email your player cards and official roster in PDF format back to the club. The club will then in turn upload the official roster and player cards into TeamSnap to you for printing, separating, lamination and hole punching. Please place the player cards in your team binder on a ring for safe keeping and ease of use during the year. You may reprint rosters as needed throughout the season from your team Got Soccer account under the Documents tab but there is to only be one (1) printed player card. Game day procedures for ISL Game cards (Accessible from your Got Soccer team account) 1. Ensure any Club pass players are submitted to the appropriate Director of Coaching 3 days prior to any game. This must be done before the final game cards are printed for that game and is usually submitted by the coach. Managers should always follow up with the coach to confirm if club pass players have been added. Be sure the game card is printed after any Club pass players have been processed. 2. Confirm game dates, times, and location with manager of opposing team the week before the game is scheduled 3. Pay referees (coordinate with your treasurer to be sure one of you will have money at each game where needed) 4. *Each team is to pay half of the referee fees in cash. 5. Communicate any schedule changes to parents 6. Phone in scores after the game (depending on the league rules see league websites for directions) 7. Complete online game report (depending on the league rules see league websites for directions)
Game Scheduling CNC teams CNC is the Central North Conference and is a league created by several area clubs for our 8u to 12u teams. These schedules are done by the directors of coaching from each club and normally a manager will not have to work out any schedules. If games are rained out during the season you may be asked to work out availability of the team s players. If this occurs your coach or director will contact you. Friendly Games ALL TEAMS Your fees include 3 or 4 home games per season (1/2 of your league schedule) at Grand Park, any games above this total will be paid by the team s budget. 1. Submit a support ticket via your GOT Soccer team account, under events IFJ 2017-2018 training home games only. We will use the Training Event for all internal club game or training requests. Please do not use email. 2. Wait for confirmation of a set field space date and time via a support ticket response. 3. IFJ will assign the referees. All weeknight games are scheduled on a first come first serve basis. How to submit a support ticket from your Got Soccer team account See instructions on How to submit support tickets to Indiana Fire Juniors or ISL found online under IndianaFireJuniors.com ->Resources ->Teams and Parents ->Teams MRL - Midwest Regional League Sanctioned through USY/ISA Website - http://www.midwestregionalleague.com Entry Fee The entry fee to participate in the MRL is $550 per team and is payable to Indiana Soccer. ISA will submit all MRL entry fees directly to MRL on behalf of all participating Indiana teams. The entry fee is non-refundable if a team is accepted into the MRL and later drops out due to any reason. The entry fee does not include referee fees. Team entry fees will be paid by IFJ and submitted to Indiana Soccer by the published deadline on the ISA website. IFJ will bill MRL teams accordingly for reimbursement. The Director of Coaching will register all MRL teams via their online registration program using their GOT Soccer Team account. PLEASE NOTE: Each year the club will register all teams for leagues and events. The Club will pay for ALL Registrations for both Seasons Spring and Fall for league play in MRL and all State Cup Events (State, Presidents and Challenge Cup). No team should ever write a team check payable to Indiana Soccer Association. When your registration is complete, a club director will send ISL and/or MRL a check on behalf of your team and you will receive an emailed invoice from the club which you will pay via a team check payable to Indiana Fire Juniors and mailed to PO Box 346, Westfield, IN 46074
Note: MRL does not allow "trapped" players to participate. "Trapped" players are those players whose birthdates require they play U15, but they are still in the 8th grade and they do not participate with any high school team. The "trapped" player allowance is an Indiana Soccer specific exception to the US Youth Soccer roster rules. MRL is not required to accept these players. Additionally, U19 "trapped" players are not allowed to participate on U18 teams in the spring. REGISTRATION DEADLINES Please check the ISA website for registration openings and closings per season. COACHES LICENSING REQUIREMENT At least one coach on a team s MRL roster must hold at the minimum a US Soccer National "C" Coaching License (or equivalent*) as the minimum coaching qualification. *Equivalencies are based on US Soccer standards. At the time that a team submits an application to participate in the MRL, It should be expected that teams will be required to list all coaches (DOC, Head Coach, and Assistant Coaches) and their current coaching license status. Proof of Coaching License status will be required. Within the MRL, holders of a NSCAA Advanced National Coaching diploma is considered equivalent to a US Soccer C License, and holders of a NSCAA National Coaching diploma is considered equivalent to the a US Soccer D License. COMPETITION FORMAT All competitions in every age group and subdivision shall be round robin in nature. There will be no end of season playoffs to determine Regional Wild Cards or teams that earn promotion into the Premier I or Premier II tiers. Based on the number of teams placed into subdivisions, teams may play up to a total of 11 MRL games during the course of the Spring Season. Please be aware of the number of games that teams will be required to play. MRL teams are required to fulfill their commitment by playing out their entire MRL schedule of games. The MRL Commission shall determine if a penalty is imposed for failure to fulfill a team s schedule. --In the Boys and Girls 15u, 16u, 17u and 18u age groups, the Premier I Division and Premier II Division teams are determined based on previous season performance (i.e. promotion/relegation). A list of teams who have earned Premier I Division and Premier II Division slots for the 2018 Spring Season is posted at http://www.midwestregionalleague.com. The MRL, in conjunction with respective state associations, will review team applications Referees for the MRL The three-man system shall be used for all games. Each team is responsible for one-half of the total referee fees per game and payment is to be made in cash prior to each game. All age groups and divisions Please check the MRL website for the correct referee pay amounts. Please note these fees may change seasonally or yearly. Always check the website for the correct amount. Scheduling League Games for the MRL
Game scheduling is self-scheduled and conducted by DOC s, team coaches and/or team managers in a league meeting at a predetermined location or via email correspondence between teams in the same divisions as deemed appropriate by the MRL. A Division Scheduling Coordinator (DSC) will be appointed from within your division to coordinate scheduling within your division. Only Club Directors of Coaching, the Head Coach of a participating team within the division, or a Full-time Club Administrator are expected to be selected as the DSC for your division. Generally, this person will be someone who has scheduled MRL games in the past and understands the nuances in scheduling on a regional basis. The DSC s role is to facilitate and guide the process and all duties cease when the schedule is finalized. Be sure to note any conflicts with your coach or players (ACT, SAT, prom, tournaments, showcases, etc.) prior to the beginning of scheduling. If your division is permitted to set your schedule via email, please be considerate to the other teams and respond to all correspondences in a timely manner. Must Be Available To Play Weekends MRL sets weekends where teams must be available to play. These dates can be found on the MRL website as they vary per season. Teams are excused from these weekends due to State Cup. However, it is the responsibility of teams, affected by their inability to play on Must Be Available to Play Weekends, to be flexible in being able to schedule MRL games on other weekends during the season. Host locations You may opt to play MRL games at Grand Park, at another location agreed upon by teams in your division, MRL Host Sites and Showcases/Tournaments. If you opt to play an MRL game at Showcases or Tournaments, please note you MUST play by MRL rules. To schedule single HOME GAMES (aka One-off games) Your fees include 1/2 of your scheduled league games to be played at Grand Park. For example, if you scheduled to play 8 league games, your team is entitled to 4 home games at Grand Park. Any games above this total will be paid by the team s budget. 1. Submit a support ticket via your GOT Soccer team account, under events IFJ 2017-2018 training home games only. We will use the Training Event for all internal club game or training requests. Please do not use email. 2. Wait for confirmation of a set field space date and time via a support ticket response. 3. Then, submit a support ticket to the IND MRL tab from within your GOT Soccer Team Account to request the game. Provide them with the information given to you in the IFJ support ticket. 4. ISA will assign the referees You may submit another IND MRL support ticket requesting the names of referees assigned to your games to include on your game day paperwork.
To schedule multiple games at Grand Park (aka group hosting): To schedule multiple games at Grand Park (aka group hosting): If a team or "group of teams" would like to host a weekend at Grand Park on a NON-MRL hosted weekend, below is the procedure. Be sure you are familiar with the MRL hosting guidelines and procedures before moving forward. (Teams who would like to play at Grand Park but will not be playing an IFJ team will need to contact Indiana Sports Properties to do so.) **Please note that any team NOT playing an IFJ team during a NON-MRL host weekend at Grand Park will need to contact Indiana Sports Properties directly to receive information on facility fees and field availability. As a manager, you are not permitted to discuss any fees regarding the Grand Park facilities. Please advise all interested teams that although IFJ uses Grand Park as our home base, we do not own Grand Park. Our field usage is contracted and leased. Therefore, any team outside of IFJ who would like to play at Grand Park must contact the facility management company, Indiana Sports Properties, for further information. They will need to contact Angel Hall, Director of Facilities Management at 574-527-1760 or email her at angel@indianasportsproperties.com for information. 1. Determine if the group will be mid-size (1-3 fields needed) or large (4+ fields needed) 2. The games the Indiana Fire Junior team plays will count towards their 4 home games per season. 3. IFJ teams will need to open a support ticket for the games they are playing to request field availability/assignments. 4. Teams who are not playing against an IFJ team will need to contact Indiana Sports Properties for information regarding facility expenses and field availability.** To request field space via a Got Soccer ticket 1. Submit a support ticket via your GOT Soccer team account, under events IFJ 2017-2018 training home games only. We will use the Training Event for all internal club game or training requests. Please do not use email. 2. Wait for confirmation of a set field space date and time via a support ticket response. 3. Then, submit a support ticket to IND MRL from within your GOT Soccer Team Account to request the game. 4. MRL will assign the referees You may submit another IND MRL support ticket requesting the names of referees assigned to your games to include on your game day paperwork. MRL Host Weekends MRL Hosting MRL hosts games at a multiple field location. There are no field costs to the teams for playing matches at MRL hosted weekend sites. However, there is a minimal fee determined by the MRL to play at host locations and usually covers the cost of parking for the entire team. MRL will set dates per season and can be found on the MRL website. Teams utilizing MRL Host Weekends must use the recommended MRL travel company when reserving hotel rooms. This information can be found on the MRL website or at http://www.t3travel.com.
Cards and Rosters for MRL For USYS teams (ISL & MRL), the Club will submit your team s player registrations to ISA on or about August 1 st of each year. The state office will process the cards and rosters and email them in PDF format to the club. The club will then upload the official roster and cards into TeamSnap to you for printing, lamination and hole punching. Please place the cards in your team binder on a ring for safe keeping and ease of use during the year. You may reprint rosters as needed from your team Got Soccer account under the Documents tab but only one (1) player card can be printed. Managers will then submit their team roster and any guest players through the MRL online system SportsForms. Managers will all receive team IDs and logins. The USYS Admin Director will also have access to all MRL teams SportsForms accounts. *ISA WILL SUBMIT YOUR STATE APPROVED ROSTER TO THE MRL FOR APPROVAL. Guest Players Any team wishing to utilize guest players must input the guest player information through the MRL online system SportsForms. You will receive email notification once the addition has been approved. Game Day Procedures for MRL 1. Bring your player cards (U15 and up will play with limited substitution rules and referee s will collect player cards throughout the game) 2. Make sure you have copies of your official State/MRL approved roster. 3. You must identify the Club Pass (formerly Guest) Players on the Line-Up Card with an X in the appropriate column on the Line-Up Card. 4. A completed Line-Up Card and Member Passes are to be given to the Match Referee prior to the start of a match. Line-Up Cards should be downloaded from SportsForms 5. Pay referee s (check the MRL website for correct amounts) 6. Collect player cards at the end of the game. Be sure to count them and all were returned to you. 7. Collect all MRL game day paperwork. Make sure all information and signatures are completed. 8. Host teams are to report game scores via email to mrlscores@usyouthsoccer.org. Be sure to include the game date, team names and division. 9. Email, fax or mail all paperwork to the MRL at the address located on the bottom of your game day paperwork. Tournaments Your coach will notify you of what tournaments your team will be attending prior to the start of each season. As manager you are responsible for the following items related to tournaments: 1. Registering your team and paying the fees (see more information below under Registration and Payment)
2. Securing any necessary travel permits (see below), waiver forms, roster forms 3. Checking in the team prior to the tournament with all the necessary documents and player s cards. You may have the option to check in on site, via email or mailing all documents to a designated address. 4. Arranging hotels and communicating that information to parents 5. Arranging for coach s expenses 6. Providing parents with travel directions, field maps and any other needed information 7. Managers should use their Treasurers and/or assistant managers to help with these tasks Registration and Payment Visit the tournament website and determine the deadline for registrations and the method and time frame for payment. If this is an early season tournament, the club may submit payment for you and bill the team accordingly for reimbursement. If it s later in the season after the Treasurer is issued a team debit card, you can pay electronically if the tournament accepts credit cards or submit payment by check. Indiana Fire Juniors will register all teams for any IFJ tournament/showcase event. Additionally, there may be other events in which IFJ will register teams if there is a significant cost savings by registering and paying for teams in bulk. Permission to travel forms (USYS teams only) *You do not need permission to travel for MRL/TPL league games outside the state of Indiana. Determine the sanctioning of the tournament and what documents you need to provide. For USYS sanctioned tournaments, you will need your USYS player s cards and for out of state tournaments, you will need a permission to travel form. A request for a permission to travel form can be completed from within your Got Soccer Team Account by clicking the link to request a permission to travel form as outlined below. Go to the Got Soccer website www.gotsoccer.com Log in to your team account under Teams & Team Officials Go to the Events tab Go to the Permission To Travel Tab Go to etravel-search Events Enter as much information as you have (date, state, *event name) Go to the event listed and click on submit Follow the prompts given If the event you are looking for is not listed go back to the Permission To Travel page and go to etravel-other event Enter the information needed and click continue Look for your event and click Select This Event Click on Request Follow the prompts given Check back periodically to see if your request has been approved When approved, go to the approved event and print off
Booking Hotels for Tournaments/League Games This is a simple guide to booking hotels and team travel for teams who are traveling out of town for Stay and Play tournaments. Most tournaments will provide a list of approved/required hotels in which the teams attending must stay in order to remain eligible for play. 1. After receiving the tournaments your team will play in, do your best to book your hotel ASAP! Generally hotel rooms book quickly. Hotel information can be found on the tournament websites. 2. Contact Managers of teams with whom you share a coach and arrange Hotel accommodations TRY TO BOOK AT SAME HOTEL IF POSSIBLE 3. Go to the tourney website find Hotel information and find out if it is a stay and play tourney. Stay and play means you must use approved hotels via the tourney. If you do not use approved hotels for a stay and play tournament you face the possibility to not being accepted. 4. Follow prompts from the website on how to reserve your block of rooms, be sure to include a room for the coach! 5. Try to negotiate a free room for coach and free breakfast for the team. Some hotels will offer a free room or a free breakfast. If they do not you will need to contact the hotel directly to try and negotiate this with the sales manager. 6. Be sure to sign and return housing/hotel contract after reading your contract carefully. If a Credit Card is needed, contact your Team Treasurer and ask for the team account information. The easiest way to avoid leaving a team credit card is by ensuring that your contract state INDIVIDUALS are responsible for booking and payment. 7. Send an email to parents with reservation instructions. Ask for a confirmation after they have reserved their rooms. This makes managing the reservations easier. Set a deadline for booking 1 week prior to the actual due date you will ALWAYS have a family who will forget! 8. Communicate any hotel contract details to parents some Stay & Play hotels will require a 2 night minimum. These hotels will charge for the additional night if families do not utilize both nights due to the game schedule. 9. Resend an email to parents a week prior to remind families of the approaching deadline. 10. If you are sharing a Coach, be sure to have Treasurers of both teams know that all costs will be split equally. If you are booking for League play, all steps apply except for #1, #3, #4, and #6. Booking for League play gives you more flexibility and options. 11. If need be, contact Managers and/or administrators from your competition to get recommendations for lodging for league play they have Club websites like ours with all of the contact info you might need. This is a great idea if you are unfamiliar with the area you are traveling to. 12. Most importantly, you can always reach out to another manager in the club for help and never be afraid to ask questions! If you have events or out of town friendlies that ARE NOT Pay & Stay events, you can use our booking service to get best rates, save the hassle of booking, and perhaps negotiate a free room for your
coach or a % back to your team as a fundraiser. The contact is Elizabeth Weimer with Site Search "Elizabeth Weimer" elizabethweimer@gmail.com or 502-292-3198. Coaches Expenses Mileage Mileage shall be paid for an Indiana Fire Juniors game or tournament only when travel exceeds 100 miles round trip. Mileage reimbursement rate shall be.40 per mile. For mileage submissions, the coach may submit either a mileage log with beginning and end mileage to out of town match/tournament or use Googlemaps to determine mileage. The mileage starting point will be Grand Park. It is recommended that coaches attending the same tournament/event, share transportation whenever possible. In this case, the teams with coaches traveling together can split the mileage reimbursement. Only the coach who drives to the event will be able to collect the reimbursement. Coaches may not ride to and from games with families as a general risk management rule. Overnight accommodations Hotel stays will be reimbursed based on the following criteria. Overnight accommodations will only authorized for matches more than 100 miles from Grand Park. Reimbursement shall not exceed the room rate/type booked by players attending the event (ie per night cost and length of stay should match that of the team.) Coaches will not be reimbursed for room service, room charges, phone calls and movie rentals. Coaches shall be given the option to have the hotel room paid either by the team manager or team treasurer directly at the time of check out or given a check for the cost of the rooms no later than the Thursday prior to the travel weekend. When multiple teams travel to the same tournament coaches will be asked to share rooms. If a coach prefers not to share a room, that coach is entitled to only 50% room reimbursement. In a situation where head coach and assistant coach are of different sexes and both travel, each would be entitled to 50% room reimbursement. If a coach can leave home at 8am and reasonably expect to arrive in time for the first match of the day, an overnight stay on the night preceding the match may not be submitted for reimbursement. 90 minutes prior to game time would be considered a reasonable amount of time unless more than 50% of the team is staying in a hotel at the night before the first match. Meals Meals will be paid at the per meal rate of: $12 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $20 for dinner. Indiana Fire Juniors will not reimburse any coach for alcohol or tobacco. Meal per diem should be paid to the coach on the Thursday prior to your event. Use your best judgment when issuing meal per diems. For example, if the first game of the day begins at 4 PM, a coach will not need breakfast paid for as this is a meal he/she can have at home. The same would be true if your last game begins at 11 AM. You would not need to cover dinner as your coach would be home for that meal. Gifts Per contract, a coach may only accept a holiday or end of year gift not exceeding value of $200.00.
Injuries and Insurance Please report any injuries to the Indiana Fire Juniors Business Director. Below is a summary of the insurance carried for our players, staff and volunteers. Please note that these policies are all secondary insurance policies which require initial payout by the injured party to meet the deductible amount. Once the claim forms have been completed and submitted to the appropriate governing body, the insurance providers will work directly with the injured party to collect receipts and issue payment. USYS (ISL and MRL) Who is covered? Insured Persons - Indiana Soccer Association and all affiliate associations, leagues, and clubs who are properly registered and all officers, directors, coaches, employees, official team members, referees, teams, leagues, and volunteers while acting on behalf of Indiana Soccer Association or a member club. Covered Activities: All registered team members, coaches, managers, referees, officials, and volunteers of the teams, leagues or of the association. Covered Activities Insured persons are covered for injuries (or death) resulting directly and independently of all other causes from accidents occurring while participating in the following covered activities: Scheduled games, team practice sessions or sponsored activities provided they are under the direct supervision of a team official; or sanctioned local or national tournaments as a member of a contestant team. Organized and supervised group travel as authorized by the Policyholder directly to and from a covered event. Excess Coverage Accident Medical Expense insurance is provided on an "excess" basis. Make sure the coach and an IFJ Director sign the forms in the correct locations. Link for filing a claim (USYS teams only) h t t p : / / w w w. s o c c e r i n d i a n a. o r g / s e r v i c e s / i n s u r a n c e Important Insurance reminder If a player is not properly registered with Indiana Fire Juniors and carded with the appropriate governing body then they are not insured. All teams need to be careful to not allow anyone to participate unless they are properly registered. If your team plans to practice at any location other than Grand Park, you must contact the club first to ensure the venue is properly covered on the clubs insurance policy or a rider has been issued adding them to an affiliated organizations policy. U15-U18 Indiana Fire Juniors Team Brochures The Indiana Fire Juniors will provide an initial draft of a standard team brochure for distribution at college showcases, etc. through Creative Wave Studios. The initial design rate per team is approximately $45 and includes color correcting photos, dropping in all of the player photos and setting profile text for each player and updates can be made during the seasonal year. Pricing does not include printing, but it is available at a discounted rate based on quantity ordered. Additional information will be provided to Senior Teams in late September. Indiana Fire Juniors TOPSoccer Program