LUBBOCK SOCCER ASSOCIATION

BY-LAWS

and

GENERAL RULES

September, 1987

REVISED: August, 2006

LUBBOCK SOCCER ASSOCIATION

BY-LAWS and GENERAL RULES  

Chapter 2: By-Laws of the Lubbock Soccer Association

Lubbock Soccer Association

General Rules

2. Chapter 2: Player Registration and Team Formation

2.8. FORMATION OF RECREATIONAL TEAMS

        2.8.1. The impartial Commissioner’s Committee for any League shall consist of the
                 Youth Commissioner, the Group Commissioner, and the League
                 Commissioner. If the League has been divided into Conferences, the
                 Conference Commissioner(s) may be included in the Committee. The Youth
                 Commissioner may appoint other individuals to the Committee in addition to
                 those listed above provided that those individuals appointed may not have any
                 interest in any player or team in the League. If one of the Commissioners
                 listed above has any interest in any player or team in the League, that
                 Commissioner shall not serve on the League Commissioner’s Committee and
                 will be replaced by an individual appointed by the Youth Commissioner.

        2.8.2. A player’s HOME NEIGHBORHOOD is defined as:

                 a) the home school attendance area defined for the local public elementary
                    school in which the player’s residence is located.
                 b) the United State Postal Service 5-digit Zip Code in which the player’s
                    residence is located.
                 c) the home school attendance area defined for the local public junior high
                    school in which the player’s residence is located.
                 d) the home school attendance area defined for the local public high school in
                     which the player’s residence is located.
                 e) the Lubbock County Commissioner’s Precinct in which the player’s
                     residence is located.

                 School attendance areas are defined by the local Independent School
                 District(s) and agreed to by the LSA Board of Directors. Each League may
                 use only one definition of the HOME NEIGHBORHOOD for each playing
                 season.

        2.8.3. A League NEIGHBORHOOD POOL will be formed of all registered players
                 with the same HOME NEIGHBORHOOD. Neighborhood pools will be formed
                 for each home neighborhood in Lubbock County which has enough players
                 registered to form such a pool. Players living in a home neighborhood which
                 does not have enough players to form a neighborhood pool will be placed in
                 the neighborhood pool closest to the player’s residence.

        2.8.4. Players will be assigned to a specific team by the league commissioner(s) The
                 Impartial Commissioner’s Committee shall review and question player
                 assignments to teams. If a player was found to be placed on a team in
                 error or in any manner contrary to the team formation guidelines, the
                 commissioner will be instructed to remove the player and re-assign to
                 another team.

         2.8.5. In the Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Under-19 Leagues only, if the
                 League Commissioner determines that there are not enough players available
                 in the player pool(s) to place enough players on the roster of each team to
                 have viable teams, the League Commissioner may allow the coaches of
                 record to actively seek players of the proper age to be added to the player
                 pool(s). Players registering under this process who were listed on the roster
                 of a returning recreational team the previous season may choose to return to
                 that team or to be placed in the player pool for assignment to another team in
                 that League. All other players registered by this process will be added to the
                 neighborhood pool(s) and placed on a team roster like all other players in that
                 League. Players presently listed on the roster of an existing Lubbock Soccer
                 Association team may not be added to the player pool through this process.

        2.8.6. Parental and/or player requests that a player be removed from a team will be
                 accepted at registration each season. Such requests will be honored. The
                 player will be assigned to a new recreational team according to the
                 neighborhood pool policy.

        2.8.7. Parental and/or player request that a player be allowed to PLAY UP in a
                 League for players older than the player may be made on the LSA registration
                 form each season. The Youth Commissioner, the Group Commissioner, and
                 the Commissioner of the League in which the player is requesting to play will
                 consider the request and decide if allowing the player to PLAY UP is in the
                 player’s best interest. If such a request is allowed, the player will be placed in
                 the neighborhood pool for that League and assigned to a team according to
                 the neighborhood pool policy. When considering a request for a player to
                 PLAY UP with an older sibling (brother or sister) of the same sex, the
                 Commissioners will consult with the older sibling’s team coach. If such a
                 player is allowed to play up, that player will be assigned to the same team as
                 the older sibling.

        2.8.8. A team formed or continued in accordance with these team formation rules in
                 a League may request to PLAY UP in the next older League. The coach of
                 record shall submit a request for the team to PLAY UP to the Commissioner
                 of the League in which the team desires to play. That request must include
                 some form of documentation that a majority of the players’ families support
                 such a request. The two League Commissioners, the Group Commissioner,
                 and the Youth Commissioner will decide if it is in the best interest of the
                 team, the legal League of that team, the proposed League, and the
                 Association for the team to PLAY UP. If a decision is made to allow the team
                 to PLAY UP, individual players (or their parents) may request that they be
                 removed from that team and assigned to another team in accordance with the
                 neighborhood pool policy. Additional players may only be assigned to that
                 team from the neighborhood pool of the older League.

        2.8.9. All newly registered players, all players who leave an existing team, all
                 players returning to recreational league play from competitive teams, and all
                 players who have sat out one or more seasons and cannot return to their
                 previous team will be placed in their neighborhood pool for assignment to a
                 new team.

      2.8.10. Players who reside outside Lubbock County will be placed in the
                 neighborhood pool closest to where they live.

      2.8.11. If an existing team has the minimum number of returning players but there are
                 not enough new players to add to the recreational team for it to continue as a
                 team, the players will be placed on another team in their neighborhood area
                 or adjacent to it. All the players from the discontinued team will not
                 necessarily be assigned to the same new team, but will be assigned just as
                 any other players in that neighborhood pool are assigned.

      2.8.12. If any player is assigned to a team in any manner contrary to this section, the
                 League/Conference Commissioner will remove that player from that team and
                 assign that player to a team in accordance with this section.

      2.8.13. Any misrepresentation by an individual player, parents, coaches, relatives, or
                 league commissioner as to a player’s birthday, address, home school
                 attendance area or other information that might be interpreted as trying to
                 circumvent this policy will subject that player to being removed from that
                 team, and may subject those individuals to action by the Disciplinary
                 Committee.

      2.8.14. In order to keep as many players as possible, players/parents on recreational
                 teams shall not be required to spend any money over the reasonable cost of
                 uniforms and game refreshments.