FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. I am a new club president/registrar. How do I go about registering my club?

You will need to register your club & players with Mass Youth soccer in order to play in MAPLE.This registration procedure provides the insurance for your team. Their website,www.mayouthsoccer.org will give you all the information you need. Ultimately you need to send them the fee submission sheet, your roster and your registration fees.

All adults associated with a team are required to submit CORI forms. This is done through Mass Youth Soccer. This is required also for out-of-state clubs, even though you have done it in your home state.

Clubs are also required to submit a copy of their Constitution and By-Laws and the MAPLE Club Information Sheet to the MAPLE office before they can register teams.

2. How can I obtain more blank Player Pass Cards and Membership Forms?

If you need a small number of cards you can get them from your area registrar. To find that person look for your club under "Registrars". For large clubs, the Mass Youth Soccer office will send you these materials free of charge.There is an on-line form for requesting passcards.

3. We live near the border of the state, and a team outside of Massachusetts is more convenient for me and my child. What do I need to do to roster my child on that team?

Your child needs to be registered with his or her state of residence. If your child is not registered, you will need to fill out a Mass Youth Soccer Membership Form. A Release to Play Out of State is the form to request permission for out-of-state play.These forms will assure that your child is registered with and thus insured through Mass Youth Soccer, and that you have permission from Mass Youth Soccer to play in another state (that out-of-state team will want proof of permission). Note that the Release to Play Out of State form is used for season-long play with an out of state team as well as a one-time guest-player in a tournament.

4. We live in another state but my child would like to play for a Massachusetts team. What do I do?

You will need to contact the state organization where you live and affiliate with them.They will then issue a Release to Play Out of State to play in Massachusetts. This must be done before your child can be rostered to the team.

5. My child is interested in playing club soccer. How do I find a team and then roster him/her on that team?

Your first step is to go to our Clubs section and enter your zip code. A list of the clubs within the mile radius you have selected will appear. You will have to open each one to see if they offer a team in your age group.You can also check their websites which are linked to the clubs.

6. How do I find out what my child's proper "age group" is?

There is a current age-group listing on our Learn About MAPLE section.Please note that town and club soccer age groups run from August 1st of every year. The ODP program alone classifies age groups by calendar years.

7. The owner of the fields where my team practices tells me he needs proof that my team is insured. How do I get that proof?

You will need to fill out a Certificate of Insurance Request Form, found in the Forms section of the Mass Youth Soccer website. Please note that we will only be able to issue a Certificate of Insurance if your club/team is currently registered with Mass Youth Soccer.

8. How do I report scores?

Scores should be called or emailed to your Age Group Coordinator each Sunday night by 9:00 PM. Everyone should call, not just the winners. That way, we should have the standings and scores posted to the web by Monday morning. A list of the Age Group Coordinators is in the Learn About MAPLE section of the website.

We do not keep results for the U10 sections.

9. I would like to postpone a game, or change a time, because a) I am missing a lot of players, b) the coach cannot be there, c) some other reason. Can I do that if the other team agrees?

Games may not be changed or moved, even by mutual consent of the coaches. Games may be moved by the league office in the event that the originally scheduled field is unplayable or unavailable.

There are 2 exceptions to this rule. All U12 Blue section teams and Division 1 teams are allowed one postponement per season to attend a tournament. These postponements must be requested in advance.

We will also allow a postponement if a significant number of the players have an academic commitment, such as a trip to Washington DC. These must be cleared in advance with the MAPLE office.

Teams involved in State Cups also may have one postponement of a spring league game.

10. The goal differential for my team is not correct.

There could be 2 reasons for this. The league has a 6-0 cap on goal differential, so if your teams wins by more than that differential only 6 goals will be counted. The other is that a forfeit is involved and forfeit tie break rules are in effect.

11. Can my child play with a cast?

That's up to the referee at the field. He is the only person who can determine if the cast might be potentially harmful to either the player himself or other players on the field.

12. What do the colors mean that determine sections? >

It depends on the age group. In U10 - Fall U11 usually have 2 top sections, Blue & Green. Teams are placed in these sections at the request of the coaches. After that teams are grouped geographically. Spring U11 teams are regrouped based on fall results with several sections for each level.

U12 and U13 sections are grouped in terms of strength and are arranged alphabetically, with Blue being the strongest, then Green and so on.