Problems with the Schedule?

All changes to the official schedule, once initially published, must be approved by the President of LSYSA !!

If a team desires a change to the schedule, the team coach/manager must contact the representative of his/her club who, in turn, will contact the President of LSYSA for approval.

PLEASE NOTE!!!!!  LSYSA retains the right to impose fines according to the terms established in the "LSYSA Rules of Operation and Administration" (Article #23).  These fines are intended to deter teams from requesting "frivolous" modifications to the official schedule and to establish an adequate punishment for those teams which, for purposes deemed "unreasonable", decide to forfeit matches at their own discretion (sometimes by merely just not showing up, with no prior notification to anyone).  For each case, the interpretation of the terms "frivolous" and "unreasonable" may vary, thus each is review by the voting members of LSYSA to determine whether or not fines are applicable.

LSYSA recommends the following procedures be followed regarding field closures:

1)  The responsibility of deciding whether or not to close a field due to weather-related conditions should reside with the President of each club, or his/her duly-appointed representative.

2)  That decision should be based primary upon field conditions as they relate to the potential for player injury.

3)  It is highly recommended that the decision to close a field be made no later that three (3) hours prior to the start of the first scheduled match on that field (e.g., by 6:00AM for a 9:00AM match) to allow time for proper communications to occur.

4)  Upon reaching the decision to close a field, it is recommended that the responsible person immediately contact all the coaches of the HOME teams playing that date, and then immediately contact the League Scheduler.  All contact information can be found on our "Contacts" page.

5)  It is recommended that the coaches of the HOME teams, in turn, immediately contact the coaches of the VISITING teams they were scheduled to play against (again, see our "Contacts" page).  Subsequently, the parents of all the players on both teams can be informed.

6)  The League Scheduler will be responsible for contacting the referee assignor.

Note that, as always, the referee may choose to cancel or terminate a match based upon field conditions as they exist immediately prior to, or during the course of, a match, even if the field was not closed by the President of the club.

Referees Needed !!

The Charleston area continues to experience a shortage of certified referees.  The problem stems from three (3) main issues:

1) Utilization:  Many referees are also coaches, players or parents of players.  As such, they cannot always be available to officiate scheduled matches.

2) Competition:  LSYSA competes for referees with other leagues (i.e., PMSL, SCSCL and USCS) and with tournaments that also schedule matches on Saturdays.  As referees are considered to be independent contractors not affiliated to any particular league or tournament, they are free to choose their course.  That can impact the ability to secure referees for certain matches.

3) Attrition:  The referee attrition rate is quite high, with some estimates citing that 50% of referees drop out each year.  Some relocate.  Some try it for a season and decide it isn't their cup of tea.  Some quit as a result of not being able to deal with verbal criticisms from coaches, players and spectators.  (This last one being particularly difficult for younger referees that might have the potential to become the good, experienced referees we all desire !!!)

You can help!

If you are so inclined, consider becoming a USSF-certified referee.  Several times each year, courses are conducted in the Charleston area.  Your soccer club may also petition to have a referee instructor come to your club to teach a group at your convenience.

The next scheduled referee clinic for the "Grade 8" referee level will be January 25-27, 2008.  The course is approximately 19 hours long (a few hours on Friday evening and most of the day on Saturday and Sunday) and costs $60.00.  After passing a 100 question, multiple-choice test at the end of the course, you will be immediately certified as a "Grade 8" referee.  A "Grade 8" referee is eligible to officiate in any match (i.e., recreational, classic or challenge) up to and including the U-18 age level, either as referee ("center") or assistant referee ("linesman").  In order to register, you must be at least 14 years old as of the date of the clinic.

Courses are also offered for the "Grade 9" referee level.  The next scheduled referee clinic for this level will be held on February 16, 2008.  This course is approximately 8 hours long and costs $50.00.  After passing a 25 question, multiple-choice test at the end of the course, you will be immediately certified as a "Grade 9" referee.  A "Grade 9" referee is eligible to serve as referee ("center") only in recreational matches (i.e., not classic or challenge matches) up to and including the U-14 age level and as assistant referee ("linesman") in any match up to and including the U-14 age level.  A "Grade 9" referee may later upgrade to the "Grade 8" level by completing what is known as a "bridge course".  In order to register for the "Grade 9" course, you must be at least 11 years old as of the date of the clinic.

After becoming certified (or before, if you are confident you will pass the test), you will need to purchase an official uniform.  Referee starter packages (including a shirt, shorts, socks, whistle, red/yellow cards, flags, etc.) are available locally at Lloyd's Sports or from several online dealers for approximately $60.00.  You will also need a pair of black cleats or turf shoes.

Current referee pay levels per match are as follows....

Recreational Matches:

U8-U10     Referee = $16.00

U11-U12   Referee = $20.00

U13-U14   Referee = $24.00, Assistant Referee = $16.00 each

U15-U16   Referee = $28.00, Assistant Referee = $18.00 each

U17-U18   Referee = $32.00, Assistant Referee = $20.00 each

Classic and Challenge Matches:

U13-U14   Referee = $28.00, Assistant Referee = $20.00 each

U15-U16   Referee = $34.00, Assistant Referee = $26.00 each

U17-U18   Referee = $40.00, Assistant Referee = $30.00 each

For information on whom to contact regarding these referee courses, please see the following link:

http://www.scref.org

We hope to see you on the pitch !!