Q:  How do I request a change to the schedule?

A:  Only team coaches and managers may request a schedule change.  Please see the instructions on our "Announcements" page.

Q:  When I print pages from this website, the margins are not set correctly and the far-right side of the page does not print.  Can you fix this?

A:  Without a major redesign of the website, this cannot be fixed.  However; if you highlight the section of the page you want to print, and then copy and paste it into a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word) or into a spreadsheet program (e.g., Microsoft Excel), you can print from that program without encountering this problem.

Q:  What happened to reporting match results?

A:  Some people liked the idea of reporting match results so they could calculate a team's standings in the league and so they could develop an impression of their upcoming opponents' abilities based upon how they were doing thus far in the season.  Others did not wish to report results citing that "recreational" matches should be played without this reinforcement of the notion that winning is everything.  We are willing to reconsider this matter and again instruct the coaches to report match results.  However; past experience suggests that few people bothered to submit match results on the website, which makes the whole issue rather moot.  Unless everyone is willing to support this endeavor, we will continue to not report match results.

Q:  Why were we scheduled to play so few matches this season?

A:  Several reasons apply here.  First, the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA) dictates the date ranges during which LSYSA can hold regular season matches.  In combination with our desire to conduct matches only on Saturdays, that limits the number of dates on which we can schedule said matches.  Second, we allow each team to select certain dates for which they would prefer not to play regular matches so they can participate in tournaments.  Thus, potential match-ups between certain teams on certain dates cannot exist.  Third, we attempt to avoid scheduling "double-headers" whenever possible since our experience suggests that most parents prefer to not have their children subjected to the physical exertion involved and also prefer not to have their Saturdays completely consumed by the sport.  Our goal is to provide each team with at least seven (7) scheduled matches each season.  In the event of cancellations due to inclement weather and/or dangerous field conditions, we do our best to reschedule the matches.

Q:  The referee that was presiding over our match was horrible.  How do we register a complaint?

A:  Decisions made by the referee are not disputable in our league.  First, please remember that this is not an exact science, and that many calls a referee will make during the course of a match will involve a certain amount of judgment on his/her part.  Second, please remember that the referees and the spectators often have differing perspectives of the play, thus they may perceive things differently.  Third, please remember that some referees are new to the vocation and, thus, are inexperienced.  The fact of the matter is that our "recreational" league is a natural starting point for referees, thus a certain number of them will be green.  We must do our best to support these folks (i.e., not berate them) so that they are willing to continue and to improve, as they will, to become the good, experienced referees we all desire.  However; if this matter regards a concern with your child's ability to play in a reasonably safe environment as a result of perceived negligence on the part of the referee, we would like to hear from you.

Q:  What's all this regarding penalties for rescheduling or forfeiting matches?

A:  On too many occasions in the past, match schedules were "unofficially" rearranged, teams chose not to attend certain scheduled matches, last minute changes to the schedule were requested and allowed, etc.  This created many difficulties.  Referees would appear for matches that weren't being played.  Teams would appear for matches to find no opponents.  Teams would appear for matches to find no referees.  Parents would need to alter their weekend plans without reasonably sufficient notice.  Children would miss the opportunity to play.  In an attempt to remedy the situation, LSYSA instituted an action to assess monetary fines in order 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", decided to forfeit matches at their own discretion.  LSYSA recognizes that there are some instances that warrant the need for a schedule change or for a match cancellation.  Thus, the interpretation of the terms "frivolous" and "unreasonable" may vary, and each case is review by the voting members of LSYSA to determine whether or not fines are applicable.  Our goals, however lofty, are to produce a schedule at the beginning of the season that does not change thereafter, to have every match played according to that schedule and to have certified referees available at every match to ensure player safety and fair play.

Q:  Why do I need to travel so far from the Charleston area to play these matches?

A:  We welcome teams to participate in our league, and teams come from places as far away as Myrtle Beach (North), Beaufort (South) and Hampton-Varnville (West) to do so.  Some of these teams, especially those in more rural areas, might not otherwise have a league in which to play were it not for LSYSA.  In order to be as equitable as possible, we attempt to schedule an equal number of "home" and "away" matches for these teams, as we do for all teams registered with our league.  This means that certain Charleston-area teams will need to travel to those teams' "home" fields.  When establishing the schedule, we do our best to ensure that any particular Charleston-area team needs to travel only once during any season to one of these "distant" areas.

Q:  My child's team was registered as a U-13 team, but you have them playing against some U-14 teams.  What gives?

A:  Unfortunately, we are not a sufficiently large enough league to attract a multitude of teams at every possible age level (and gender) in order to develop a schedule where teams only play other teams of equal status.  Thus, depending upon the numbers, there are occasions where younger teams need to play against older teams.  Typically, when this happens, we will combine U-9 with U-10, U-11 with U-12, U-13 with U-14, etc.  We try our best to avoid scheduling teams together that differ in age by more than one (1) year (e.g., U-13 with U-15).

Q:  Why do we need "certified" referees?  Can't we play with a coach or parent acting as the official?

A:  Only USSF-certified referees are recognized by LSYSA, and league rules have been established such that at least one (1) USSF-certified referee must present at every match (if only one is available, that person must serve as referee and not as assistant referee).  If a USSF-certified referee is not present, the match is not officially sanctioned by LSYSA (i.e., it, in essence, is a "scrimmage").  While LSYSA cannot prohibit two (2) teams from playing a "scrimmage", it is strongly discouraged during regular season play.  Our primary concern here is one of player safety.  A major tenet of the USSF-certified referee community is to establish match controls such that players can avoid injury as best possible.  This includes pre-match field, goal and player equipment inspections as well as restraining violent play during the course of the match.  We deeply believe that a person who is not "certified" as a referee cannot adequately perform these functions and can, thus, endanger the well-being of the players.  While we want the children in our league to play, have fun and not experience the disappointments involved with missing a match, we believe there are greater risks associated to doing so without a USSF-certified referee in attendance.  Our advice here is to retain personal responsibility for your child and make a request to the coach to remove your child from the match should you believe he/she is playing in an unsafe environment.