Minutes of the NASL Board Meeting
Sunday, June 25th, 2001

           The NASL Board meeting was held at 4pm - 7pm at Cyndi Lindblom's house on June 24th.  Board members present were Marty Eaton, Kari Elliott, Christy Clark, Cyndi Lindblom, Craig Hardwick and Ken Gamble.

           The discussion centered around questions about the newest AYSA changes.  Below are questions and our understanding of the changes.
  1. Can NASL teams register directly with NASL?

    Yes, for this year only, independent teams and teams which do not belong to clubs of at least 100 members will be allowed to register directly with NASL.
  2. If less than five teams register in an age group in Division I or II will there be a lesser cost since teams will not get ten games?

    Yes, fees will be adjusted according to the number of games scheduled.
  3. What will the NASL cost be to teams which want to register as Division I or II teams with AYSA?

    In the past we have charged $75.00 for classic teams. For the fall 2001 season the NASL board agreed to allow Division I and II teams to pay a $75.00 fee to NASL. What does that $75.00 entitle them to? The fee allows those teams to use fields for Division I and II games and allows the NASL Scheduler, Craig Hardwick, to act as their AYSA Field Coordinator, as required on the Field Assignment form required by the state. Division I and II teams should list Craig Hardwick as their field coordinator. They may also schedule up to five friendlies using NASL fields and the NASL field scheduler. This fee does not include any referee fees that the teams will pay. Also any teams which also play in a Super Y league will be required to pay an addition $75.00 if they want to have fields scheduled. It was considered by the board that Super Y teams are in effect separate teams from the NASL teams since they can have different rosters of players.
  4. Can a club have two Division I teams in the same age/sex division?

    YES - This is a change from what I listed last week.  We had previously thought that AYSA would not allow that. But according to Terri Hathcock and Jeanette Proctor at AYSA there is no provision prohibiting a club from having two teams in the same age/sex division.
  5. What will the NASL's purpose be under the new rules?

    At this time NASL's purpose will remain as it was in the past. However, some changes are under consideration and will be addressed at the next NASL board meetings including a name change to North Alabama Soccer Association to more appropriately fit the new role of NASL. Also an effort to bring Huntsville's Recreational (Division IV) leagues under the auspices of NASL will be considered. It was agreed that the board would see how the latest AYSA changes affected NASL before any major revisions to NASL's role are considered.
  6. What is the name of the registration software that clubs are supposed to use to register with the state? What does it cost?

    The software is called "League Organizer". It is a product of Logical Solutions. AYSA has agreed to pay half of the cost of the software to any league that purchases it. Please contact AYSA to see what requirements must be met to obtain the 50% payment.
  7. Who gets the officials (referees) for Division I and II games? Where are they from? What about Division III games?

    Division I and II games that are scheduled by the state will have its referees assigned by an agreement between AYSA and the local referee association which in the case of NASL teams is NASOA. Division III games involving NASL teams (which are scheduled by the NASL Scheduler, Craig Hardwick) will be assigned by an NASOA assignor as per a contract between NASL and NASOA.
  8. Does AYSA actually schedule the Division I and II games?

    Yes. Do they specify dates, times and fields? They will coordinate dates, fields and times with the NASL Scheduler, Craig Hardwick. How much latitude is there to change game times, dates, fields? Little or none. As Craig must also schedule other games and divisions changes are difficult if not impossible. Fields are at a premium so once a Division I or Division II game is set it will not be changed except in rare circumstances and then only by the NASL Scheduler.
  9. Is State Cup still for U14 and up only? If so, what do U11, U12 and U13 teams get by registering and paying Division II fees? Can they go to State Cup? If not, why should they go Division II instead of Division III?

    State Cup is for U14 and older only - which are those teams that can advance to Regionals. U11, U12 and U13 teams which play Division II will theoretically get a higher level of competition. AYSA will schedule home and away series against other competitive teams in their age brackets. It's true that this can be done by registering as Division III teams and scheduling those same games on their own.  But by having the state association do the scheduling, teams are more likely to get those games between teams of distance (say Birmingham and Huntsville) which in the past were difficult to accomplish because of scheduling problems. U11, U12 and U13 teams can only compete in Governor's Cup - not State Cup. Also teams which compete now in Division II will have a track record against better competition which could allow them an easier transition into Division I at U14. 
  10. If teams play Division II instead of Division I how do they get in the State Cup? Who makes that decision? What if there is no room - say eight or 16 teams register as Division I teams. Adding a Division II team would make a tournament bracket unwieldy; in that case would AYSA say that Division II teams would have to play in Governor's Cup? What if that Division II team is clearly better than one or several Division I teams?

    The answers to these questions are in the hands of the LOC (League Operations Committee). In theory the top Division II North team will play the top Division II South team and the winner will be given the lowest seed in the Snicker's State Cup. The number of teams in a division may affect how that is accomplished - including the number of teams which may qualify out of Division II. The Division II teams will always have lower seeding in the State Cup than any Division I teams.
  11. What is the actual wording of the 100 member registration requirement? What is the criteria for exceptions to that rule?

    Still looking for a copy of the rule. The majority of the AYSA rule changes are on-line at: http://www.teamready.com/asp/
    ContentPage.asp?clubID=161&pageID=13872
  12. Explain the limited substitution rule and exactly which teams and competitions are affected. What is the expected result of the rule?

    The rule simply allows only one entry per half per player. If that player then is subbed out he/she may not return in that same half.  The aim is to bring the higher competitive teams in line with the same rules used in ODP (State Select), Regionals, and College. As a result most teams will probably hold one player on the bench as a substitute each half until close to the end of that half - in case they have to substitute for an injured player.  Without that sub in reserve (i.e., if all subs had been used) the team would have to play short if an injured player had to be removed from the game.  

 

 

Other Notes of Interest from the
NASL Board Meeting:

  • All Intent to Play forms for NASL teams must be in the hands of Cyndi Lindblom before July 1, 2001. No exceptions!
  • There shall be no double rostering of players in Division I and II.
  • A warning was issued to players who are rostered (or included in a pool) on a Super Y youth team. They must be careful to guard their high school athletic eligibility as per the AHSAA 50% participation rule requirements. It was not clear to the NASL board how this was to be interpreted by AHSAA - whether the AHSAA requirement prohibited (more than six players from one high school) being rostered or listed in a Super Y team's pool of players or if it required actual participation in a practice or game. In theory Super Y is a summer league which means that those players do not have to worry about the "six man rule" during the summer - they just need to be sure that their high school coach does not coach the team.  But since some schools now participate in a "year-round" school year and others start very early (August 1st in some cases) players should be certain they are not listed on the roster (or participate in games or practices) while their school is in session unless they are sure that less than seven players from their high school are on the team.  
  • No travel or league play for Division I or Division II teams will be allowed on September 15th and 16th. Those are the dates for the State Select Team tryouts (formerly ODP).  It was uncertain exactly how or where these tryouts would be held. 
  • The Fall NASL scheduling meeting for Division III teams will be August 14th at 6pm at the Rec Center Building next to Rec Field at Brahan Springs. Teams registering as Division II should be present in order to get contact information and to set up preliminary scheduling although firm scheduling for Division II teams will have to wait until after AYSA provides play dates for Division II. Another scheduling meeting will be held once those dates are available.
  • There will be a USSF "E" coaching license clinic on September 21 - 23. The cost will be in the $50 - $65 range. This clinic will also be the first half of the USSF "D" coaching license course. The "D" course will be completed on the following weekend of September 28th - 30th. Contact Cyndi Lindblom for details and registration.
  • If there is interest in the new USYSA Youth Modules Coaching license courses contact Cyndi Lindblom. If enough interest is shown she will plan a clinic.
  • The next NASL Board meeting will be July 29th at Cyndi's house.
  • Here are several other clarifications according to Jeanette Proctor at AYSA:
    • There is NO RATE increase. The state fee per player will remain at $10/player.
    • There is no age requirement for travel out of state.
    • Any Division can participate in out of state/town tournaments as long as they don't interfere with league play.