Honoring the Game... the R.O.O.T.S. of the matter.

Sportsmanship may seem like an out-of-date concept today when a few professional and amateur athletes, coaches and their fans act in ways we would not want our children to imitate. The Redding Youth Soccer League has always encouraged sportsmanship, but we have not always consistently gotten this message out to you. We intend to do more than talk about good sportsmanship. We want to go about doing this by teaching everyone in our league to "Honor the Game".

Remember that sportsmanship extends beyond the players and coaches too. Team parents are going to be encouraged to get this message out to the parents also and we should ALL be the "culture keepers" on the sidelines. Be a good role model. Honor the Game when you are on the sideline. Encourage other parents to Honor the Game. Cheer both teams. Always end games with a cheer for the opponent and the officials.Honoring the game gets to the... R.O.O.T.S. of the matter. This acronym stands for:

Rules: We don't bend the rules to win. Our coaches know the rules and teach their players to play within the spirit and letter of the rules.

Opponents: We respect our opponents. Without them we cannot play. They force us to be at our best to win. We applaud good play by either team.

Officials: Our officials, for the most part, are Redding Youth Soccer league players and are part of the RYSL team. Treat them as you would treat your own son or daughter.

Teammates: We never do anything to embarrass our team. We build them up because the better they play the better the team plays.

Self: We try to live up to our own standard regardless of what others do.

RYSL Division 3 Policy (Revised MARCH 2, 2009)

The Redding Youth Soccer League, hereinafter referred to as "RYSL" has established a Division III Program, hereinafter referred to as "Program", for the development of its players.

Article I: Purpose

The Program offers an environment for dedicated and skilled players to develop and play. The Program is classified as a California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) Division III youth developmental soccer program. (Recreational Teams are Division IV; Competitive Teams are Division I.)

Article II: Authorities and Responsibilities

The Program rules contained herein shall govern members of the RYSL in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, General Procedures and Specific Rules of the CYSA; and the constitution and bylaws of the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

Article III: Program and RYSL Goals

The goal of the Program is to provide an opportunity for players and teams who have the ability and the desire to participate in a developmental level of soccer play above the Division IV level of play.

The goal of the RYSL is to build and support a strong DIII program that is capable of fielding two or more teams per age group of qualified players beginning at the U11 level of play. It is the profound and sincere hope of the RYSL that the Program is comprised of age pure teams and that these teams are afforded the opportunity to develop and grow together into the future.

Article IV: Coaches

1. All Coaches requesting participation in the Program will be required to submit an application to the Division III Coordinator. The application shall consist of the individual's qualifications, license held, and years of experience.
2. All coaches must complete the CYSA licensing level training in accordance with the rules of District IX unless otherwise approved by the RYSL Coaching Coordinator.
3. The RYSL Board of Directors must approve all coaches.
4. Special attention is provided to CYSA Specific Rule 4:06:04 which provides that any team which, through its responsible officials, officers, or representatives, attempts to induce a registered player of any team under the jurisdiction of the CYSA to leave his/her team before the end of the current seasonal year shall be deemed to have committed an offense for poaching and shall be dealt with by the Board of Directors of the RYSL.
5. When selecting players for a team it is the coach's responsibility to ensure that no player is denied participation due to financial reasons.
6. It is the responsibility of each coach to ensure that his/her team adheres to this policy and the program guidelines, rules and regulations of the CYSA, USYSA USSF, and FIFA (Federation Internationals de Football Association).
7. It is strongly recommended that each player be allowed to play approximately fifty (50%) percent of each game provided, in the opinion of the coach, there are no player problems with:
   1. Unexcused absences from practices or games.
   2. Unexcused tardiness or leaving early.
   3. Poor sportsmanship or conduct.
   4. Poor attitude on and off the field impacting the development of the team and RYSL program.

Article V: Team Responsibility

1. Sportsmanship is the number one priority of the RYSL. Each team (including players, coaches and parents) represents the RYSL and shall do so in an exemplary manner.
2. Each team is responsible for its own tournament fees and any fines assessed against the team.
3. Each team is responsible for its own uniforms. Uniforms must be in any combination of RYSL's representative colors, which are red, black, and white. The RYSL logo must be displayed on all jerseys.
4. Team fund-raising is at the discretion of each individual team.
5. All team finances will be managed and accounted for through the RYSL Treasurer.

Article VI: Registration, Transfers and Releases

The following policies govern the use of transfers and releases of players from rostered teams, wherein they don't conflict with CYSA or USYSA rules and policies. In cases of rule conflicts, CYSA/USYSA rules shall supersede RYSL policies.

Once player pass cards are issued, a player transfer or release will be permitted only with approval of the RYSL Division III Coordinator as delegated by the RYSL Board approval. Special attention is provided to CYSA Specific Rules Section 4:06:01 concerning the transfer of players including:

1. A team shall be limited to a total of three (3) transferred players per seasonal year. A transfer means the movement of a currently, or previously rostered-USYSA player onto another roster, or player who returns to the same roster within the current seasonal year. The movement of a currently rostered player off a roster shall not be a transfer. Neither this section nor any other provision of the Constitution and Bylaws, Procedures, Rules and Policy Interpretation Memoranda shall be interpreted or otherwise construed to make the movement of a currently rostered player off a team a transfer.
2. A player may be released from a team by the coach only if the player is unable to play for one of the following reasons:
   1. The player has violated USYSA, CYSA or league rules.
   2. The player has moved beyond reasonable travel distance.
   3. The player is injured in such a manner that the player will not be able to participate for the remainder of the seasonal year.
   4. Dissolution of teams. A dissolved team can be defined as a team which has been registered and has been playing but ceases to exist before less than one-half (1/2) of their league season has been played.
3. A player may voluntarily request to be released from a team.
4. A player upon reaching his/her eighteenth birthday will not be required a parent/guardian approval for transfer or release.

Article VII: Player Selection Process

In order to establish an equitable and positive experience for players who choose to make the commitment and have the ability to participate in the Program, the following processes and protocol will be enforced.

1. To provide equal opportunity, tryout dates should be posted on the league website at least two weeks prior to the first tryout date. In addition, the RYSL Division III Coordinator will notify by mail or email all eligible RYSL players of tryouts.
2. Only players who have a current RYSL liability release form on file with the league registrar may tryout during the selection process.
3. Players must attend at least one tryout.
4. The Coach shall determine the final player selection. The Coach is strongly encouraged by the RYSL to use multiple evaluators during the try-out selection process. The evaluators shall be sufficiently qualified to assist the Coach with input regarding the ability of players to perform at the Division III level of play.
5. Once player selections are made the proposed roster of selected players will be submitted to the Division III Coordinators for review and approval.
   1. This final roster submission will be in the form of a copy of a typed team roster with copies of each player's RYSL Registration attached.
   2. The final roster must be submitted within (7) days of the last try-out.
   3. The roster will not be announced to players or parents until it has been reviewed and approved by the Division III Coordinator.
   4. If violations to these guidelines are found then approval of the Board must be obtained prior to submission of the roster to the RYSL Registrar.
6. As defined in Article II of this Division III policy it is the goal of the RYSL to promote and encourage age pure teams to the extent possible. Therefore, players will be required to play in their appropriate age classification when age pure teams exist. Up to two exceptions to this requirement may be approved by the Division III Coordinator. These exceptions are not automatic and shall be considered only if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the program, all teams involved and the individual players. All potential exceptions must be discussed with the Division III coordinator before try-outs or as soon as practicable.

DISTRICT IX COACH LICENSING POLICY

The District IX Coach LIcensing Policy can be found here.