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Joining a team...
> How do I join a team?
To find a team, please check the list of
teams seeking players. This is often your best place to start. If you don't see an opening in a division or team you're interested in, please
contact us - we might be able to help you find a team. Be sure to include the position(s) you play best, skill level, number of years played, and where (i.e. youth league, club, college).
Also, if you want to learn more about the skill levels of the different divisions in the league,
click here.
> Where are games played and practices held?
Games are held from South San Francisco to Marin to Hayward to Berkeley. About half of the games ("home" games) will be at a field convenient to where a team is based; the other half of the games will be dependent on where the other teams in the division are based. Exceptions are made if there are difficulties finding fields in particular regions.
The
Team Want Ads (under Player Info) also show where the team is based (SF = San Francisco, EB = East Bay, NB = North Bay), which is a general guide for where most of a team’s games and practices (if applicable) are.
> Do all the teams practice and have coaches?
No, not all teams practice, and not all teams have coaches. Most teams will specify in their want ads (
teams seeking players) what their practice / coach situation is; if not, then ask.
> When do teams play?
GGWSL has a Fall and a Spring season each year, with 10 games each season. The Fall season begins the first weekend after Labor Day in September, and typically runs through mid-December. The Spring season begins the first full weekend in March and typically runs through mid-June. No games are scheduled for Easter weekend, Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, or Thanksgiving weekend. In addition, the O-35 divisions do not have games on Mother's Day.
Games for the Open divisions are usually scheduled for Saturdays, with start times from 8:30am – 3:00pm. Occasionally, depending on field availability, games may be scheduled for a 5:00pm start on Saturdays, and makeup games may be scheduled on Sundays toward the end of the season.
Games of the O-35 divisions are usually scheduled for Sundays, with start times from 8:30am – 3:00pm. Rarely, makeup games may be scheduled for other days or times.
Halves are 45 minutes long for all divisions.
> Can I play on two different teams in the GGWSL?
You may play on one team in the Open division (Saturday games) and one team in the O-35 division (Sunday games), provided you will be at least 35 years old before the end of the season. If you do not meet the O-35 criteria, you may only play on one team.
> How much does it cost?
Each team determines how much each player will contribute, and it can vary based on a number of factors, including whether the team pays a coach, if it rents fields for practices, and whether it has a sponsorship. That being said, typical per-player costs are between $150-$200 per season. For your first season, you may have to pay additional fees for the team uniform. You will be responsible for providing your own cleats and shinguards (shinguards are mandatory; cleats are highly recommended).
> I have some piercings I can't remove... will this be a problem?
Per GGWSL rules, all jewelry must be removed or completely covered by tape. For safety reasons, we strongly recommend that players adhere to the official FIFA ruling on jewelry:
Law 4-Players Equipment/Safety: A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player.(Including any kind of jewelry).
> I'm transsexual / cross-gendered. May I play in the league?
If you self-identify as a woman, you may play in the GGWSL.
> I've never played soccer before, but I really want to learn. What are my options?
Starting or adding a team...
> What do I need to know to add a team?
> How many players can be on a team?
You may have 22 on the roster, but only 18 are allowed to play during any one game.
> I already have a full team; how do we sign up?
Contact the GGWSL VP of New Players and League Development at the earliest opportunity. See
Bylaws, Section I, Subsections B and C to learn about general team and player eligibility requirements.
> I don't have a full team, but we really want to play together... What are our options?
Contact the GGWSL VP of New Players and League Development with the number of players, general skill level, and your willingness to manage a team and/or recruit additional players. Options may include joining a team that finds itself short on players or adding additional players that have expressed interest in playing in the league to create a full team.
> Our team's pretty good – do we have to start in the bottom division?
See
Bylaws, Section IV, Subsection G to learn how to challenge into a higher division.
In addition, as described in the
Season Procedures, if a team admitted into the last division clearly demonstrates they should be in a higher division, the GGWSL Executive Committee may allow that team to challenge into a higher division for the following season.
> How much does it cost?
GGWSL League fees vary from season-to-season, but have recently been between $1500-$1600 per team, with an additional $300 per team for premier-division teams (premier-division teams play with three referees; all other division play with a single referee).
Other fees to consider are CSAN fees ($26/player/year), and team costs for practice fields, uniforms, equipment, coaches, etc.
Team management duties...
> What do I need to know to manage a team?
Two very, very helpful documents are the
Season Procedures (3 pages of key information) and the
Bylaws.
In addition, make sure you are listed as a Team Contact on your GGWSL.org team page, can login to your GGWSL.org team page, and that you are on the league mailing list. Become familiar with the team page, and what you can do when logged in – you can use this to manage your roster, print your line-up cards, report game results, print player registration forms, and more. Colors you can use on your pages can be found
here.
> What do I need to do before the season starts?
See "
Season Procedures". For more detailed information about registering players, see "
Team Info – Registering Players". Note that your fall roster "carries over" until spring, so if you are adding new players for the spring, you may need to drop the non-returning players with CSAN to keep your total at 22 or fewer.
There are a few initiatives underway to ease the registration process for team managers; pay attention to the league emails to learn the latest.
> Do I need to do anything differently for the O-35 team I manage?
If you have players on your O-35 team who are also registered with a Open (Saturday) GGWSSL team, it's considered a dual registration and is $8.00 (instead of the usual $26), since the cost of insurance is being covered by the registration with the Saturday team. For more information, look under the "O-35 Teams" heading under "
Team Info – Registering Players".
In addition, you may need to remind your players that no slide tackling is allowed within 5 yards of an opponent.
> I have a players who isn't 35 yet – can she play on my O-35 team?
In general, no. However, if she turns 35 before the end of the season, then yes, she may play. Or, if she's played on your O-35 team previously, yes – there are a few women who joined the O-35 prior to age limits being strictly enforced and who have been "grandmothered" in.
> How many players can be on the team?
You may have 22 on the roster, but only 18 are allowed to play during any one game.
> I have a player that is going to be out for the rest of the season, and I want to add a replacement player... what are my options?
There are a few options:
- If you do not yet have 22 players registered with CSAN, you may simply register the new player.
- You may put up to two players on “injured reserve”. This requires a doctor’s note for each player, and the injured reserve players may not be reactivate for a minimum of one (1) month.
- You may complete a "Player Release" form (can be found here) to drop a player from your roster ($4), and then register the new player as usual. Use this with caution, since re-adding the dropped player later requires the same fees as registering a new player.
> What do we need to bring to each game?
See "Game Checklist" in "
Season Procedures". In addition to the mandatory items listed there, it's also recommended that you bring:
- Soccer balls
- Ref coordinator phone numbers; if your referee isn’t there 10 minutes before game time, call the ref coordinator
- Field permits
- A copy of the Bylaws
- A copy of the Season Procedures
> What do we need to keep track of during each game?
Keep track of the following, so that you can report on the game easily:
- Score of the game
- Goal scorers and assisters from your team for each goal
- Number of minutes into the game each of your goals was scored (optional)
- Referee name
- Names of any players on your team who received yellow or red cards
> We forgot the player passes for a game – can we still play?
No, you must forfeit. Forfeiting carries a both a standings and a monetary penalty, so it's important to remember your player passes.
> The ref let a player on our team play who didn't have her player card, and the other team said it was OK. We won, and now they say it was a forfeit. Who's right?
A player without a "pass in hand" is not legal to play, even if she is registered with CSAN. You may not play with illegal players; if you do, you have forfeited the game. This is the case no matter what the other team or referee says before the game.
> What do we do if a player is injured?
Make sure the referee notes the player information and the nature of the injury in his or her game report. This is required to file a claim on the insurance policy provided by CSAN. For further details, please see
Season Procedures and
Claim Instructions.
> I got injured, how do I file an insurance claim with CSAN?
1)Referee report: Be sure to have the referee include it on his game report. Report should include player name, number and brief statement of injury.
2) Call CSAN for claim forms. They can be reached at 415-467-1881.See www.csan.net for additional contact info. Luz or Norma will email you the claim form.Fill out the form completely and return to CSAN. CSAN will sign the form and submit it to the insurance company.You will recieve claim information in the mail within 30-60 days.If you do not hear from the insurance company within that time frame call the CSAN office to request a status.
3) Be sure to review the Accident Insurance Coverage and Limitations under league documents.
> How do we report our game results?
Go to your GGWSL.org team page, log in (under the "Team Rep" heading), click on the "league" link in the stats column for the game that you're reporting on, and then fill in the information on the subsequent page. At a minimum, you need to report the score, yellow cards, and red cards. In addition, you can rate the ref, indicate when the ref arrived, rate the other team’s conduct, register who scored & who assisted, and the times of the goals.
If the game is a forfeit, the forfeiting team score should be entered as "Forfeit", and the other team should be entered as "2".
> The ref didn't show; what now?
Send an email to the GGWSL Schedule Coordinator. S/he will register the game as a "rns" (ref no show) on the schedule, and will schedule a make-up game for both teams, provided a field is available. See
Bylaws, Section IV, Subsections F for more information about scheduling make-up games beyond the end of the season.
> We have a fan / coach / player / bystander who's a registered ref – can they be a "substitute ref" so we can still play and have our game count?
As long as the referee has an active (non-expired) license with USSF, and both teams agree to the substitute referee, then GGWSL will recognize the game. After the game, be sure to send an email to the insert link) GGWSL Schedule Coordinator, so that the referee can be acknowledged and paid.
> What's the deal with "challenge matches"? We thought our season was over!
A new team entering the GGWSL may choose to challenge into a higher division by playing the fifth-placed team of that division. This will be known by the middle of the season (April 17 / Oct 15 are the challenge match deadlines), so there should be plenty warning. See
Bylaws, Section IV, Subsection G for more information.
> Some of the penalties and rules seem kinda harsh... what's up with that?
The GGWSL is a 100% volunteer-run league affiliated with CSAN, and we take soccer seriously. A number of our divisions are competitive, and ensuring order and consistency is imperative to maintaining this level of soccer professionalism. Toward this end, the GGWSL strictly enforces the
Bylaws. Changes to the Bylaws are voted upon at the beginning of the year by each team representative, and any team can propose changes. If you see areas for improvement, propose the change to your team manager.
Some last questions...
- What is our Tax ID#? 20-2480759
GGWSL has been around for over 40 years! Our League commenced in the 1970's with 4 teams! Wow, look at us now - over 40 teams and more than 1,000 players!!!
2004 SF Gate Article about GGWSL - www.sfgate.com/sports/article/31-YEARS-52-TEAMS-Golden-Gate-Women-s-Soccer-2723544.php
Copyright Ian Clarke
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