Registration Rules

I. Definition of Teams:

A soccer team roster is in effect for one soccer year only. A soccer year is defined as August 1 - July 31. At the conclusion of each soccer year, all rosters become null & void & new rosters must be assembled in accordance with the following SDSSA rules. 

Club League means an interclub league in which--

    A. the use of tryouts, invitations, recruiting, or any similar process to roster players selectively to any team on the basis of talent or ability, is permitted; 
    B. one or more league rules restrict the manner in which players may be rostered to participating teams;
    C. teams may be organized as "age pure", that is U11, U12, U13, U14, etc., rather than two-year age brackets typically used in recreational (U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, U19);
    D. teams compete in designated Club tournaments within South Dakota and may travel to tournaments outside of the state;
    E. a player may be rostered on one Club team and on one recreational team;
    F. a player may not be rostered on more than one Club team, but may be allowed to "guest" with another Club team, provided the proper State procedures for guesting are followed and the specific tournament rules allow for guesting of players.

    A. the use of tryouts, invitations, recruiting, or any similar process to roster players to any team on the basis of talent or ability is prohibited;
    B. the club administering the league accepts as participants in the league any eligible youths (subject to reasonable terms on registration);
    C. a system of rostering players is used to establish a fair or balanced distribution of playing talent among all teams participating; 
    D. players are assigned to teams in accordance with the above, with no more than 7 players continuing from a previous program year (August 1 - July 31) roster; (This provision would not apply to teams from associations that do not have enough players to comply with the requirement. The Competition Committee will determine whether the exception will be applied.)
    E. league rules require that each player must play at least one-half of each game except for reasons of injury, illness, or discipline;
    F. teams compete in "B" recreational league, and may also participate in Club tournaments within the South Dakota;
    G. teams are eligible to compete in the "B" division of the State Recreational Tournament; 
    H. teams may travel to tournaments out of state two times per season and maintain their recreational designation;
    I. a player may be rostered on one Club team and on one recreational team;
    J. a player may not be rostered on more than one recreational team (either A or B), but may be allowed to "guest" with another recreational or Club team, provided the proper procedures for guesting players are followed and the specific tournament rules allow guesting of players;
    K. an exception to the tryout rule in "A" above is made only for high school "B" programs.

    A. the use of tryouts, invitations, recruiting, or any similar process to roster players to any team on the basis of talent or ability may be used;
    B. the club administering the league accepts as participants in the league any eligible youths (subject to reasonable terms on registration);
    C. league rules require that each player must play at least one-half of each game except for reasons of injury, illness, or discipline;
    D. teams compete in the 'A' recreational league, and may also participate in Club tournaments within South Dakota;
    E. teams are eligible to compete in the "A" division of the State Recreational Tournament;
    F. teams may travel out of state two times per season to play in tournaments and maintain their recreational designation;
    G. a player may be rostered on one Club team and on one recreational team;
    H. a player may not be rostered on more than one recreational team (either A or B), but may be allowed to "guest" with another recreational or Club team, provided the proper procedures for guesting players are followed and the specific tournament rules allow guesting of players.

1.  All players must be registered and rostered to a team to be covered by SDSSA insurance and eligible to participate in SDSSA-sanctioned events.

Maximum roster sizes for State Recreational Tournament competition are as follows:
    a. U12 -14 players
    b. U14 - 18 players
    c. U16 - 25 players *
    d. U19 - 25 players *
    Minimum roster size for any team is 7 players, except for U10 teams which has a minimum roster size of 6 players.

Guest Players: A team's rostered players are those players on a team's regular spring roster, as filed with the SDSSA by May 1. A team may add qualified guest players to its Kohl's American Cup roster as specified herein.

To determine the number of guest players a team can add:
a) Determine the number of your team's rostered players can attend the tournament. Locate this number in Column A of the chart set out below.
b) Find the number on the same line in Column B. This is the maximum number of guest players a team can add.
c) The number in Column C is the maximum number of players a team can have on its tournament roster given the number of rostered players who can attend.

The following additional rules apply:
a) A rostered player cannot be removed from a team's roster to make room for a guest player.
b) A guest player must have been registered with the SDSSA by May 1 and must be rostered on a recreational team for the spring season. Each rostered player must have played in at least four league games during the season with his team in order to be eligible for Kohl's American Cup Tournament
c) A team must have at least three more rostered players than guest players on its tournament team and teams must have at least 7 players to compete. (The effect of this rule becomes apparent on the chart when eight or fewer rostered players can attend). 
d) If a team falls within the provisions set out on the chart, it can add the specified guest players without getting special permission to do so.
e) If more rostered players can attend the tournament than first thought, the number of guest players that can be added must be adjusted accordingly, as provided by the chart.
f) While some U16 and U19 teams are allowed to have up to 25 rostered players on its regular roster, these teams would not be able to add a guest player unless the number of rostered players who could attend the tournament falls below 18 players.                                                                                                    

[Note:The chart below for U12 teams reflects the assumption that a team can add no more than 4 guest players and can have a tournament roster of no more than 14 players, provided that the number of guest players on a tournament roster cannot equal or exceed the number of regular players originally rostered on the team]
 

• Violations of this rule by an Association, coach or team will render any games played or scheduled for this team a forfeit.
  
• Beginning with the spring 2002 season, if a U16 or U19 team is comprised of seven or more players from a final varsity fall roster, and that team played in the "A" division of high school soccer, that team will be placed in the "A" division of the SDSSA state recreational tournament in June.

2.  Maximum roster sizes for teams traveling to competitive tournaments are as follows:
    a. U10 or younger -10 players (must play 6v6)
    b. U11 - U12 -14 players (must play 8v8)
    c. 13 or older - 18 players
    Minimum roster size for any team is 7 players, except for U10, which has a minimum roster size of 6. Teams that play outside of South Dakota must abide by the rules of the Host State. SDSSA and US Youth Soccer recommend that U10 players are developmental only and that travel be limited and close to home. Each association may form their own rules related to players moving up in age group.
 

3.  Coaches may not remove players from a team roster. Players may be removed from a team only if they have violated rules of the SDSSA, US Youth Soccer, USFF, USSF, have moved beyond a reasonable travel distance to continue to participate, or have been injured and will be unable to participate for the remainder of the season, or if they choose to leave the team. Club players may be added at any time provided the roster has not reached its maximum size. Recreational program players must follow registration deadlines (see # 6). No more than 5 transfer players may be added to any state cup team and roster size as described above must be maintained. Players must play in their respective age group or in an older age group and must abide by individual association rules for playing up. Players may not play in a younger age group. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the forfeiture of any games played with an over age player. The birth date cutoff for every age group is August first. These age restrictions do not apply to Top Soccer players.
 

4.  Rosters must be completed by April 10 and September 10 of the respective seasons. Player registration and insurance fees are due to the Operations Director by April 1 and September 1 of the respective seasons. Any roster changes or additions made after the filing deadline must be filed with the registrar within seven (7) days of the change. Failure to provide this information will result in a certified letter to the offending league informing them that they have been placed in bad standing with the SDSSA. A letter will also be sent to each of the other SDSSA leagues informing them of the status of the offending league, and instructing them that they are not to play any games with said league until such time as they have been notified that the league is once again in good standing. If a league is put in bad standing at any time, their insurance coverage is invalid, all previously signed travel papers are rescinded, and no new travel papers will be signed. 
 
5.  No roster changes may be made to recreational teams after May 1 in the spring and September 15 in the fall.  A penalty of $50 will be assessed against leagues for each player they fail to register with in the above stated timelines. 
 
6.  All club rosters and player cards will be generated by computer. Hand written player cards will be invalid. All club players will be issued a player card. 
 
7.  Players registered to both Club and Recreational teams will have their club as their primary team. Club coaches wishing to pick up recreational players as guest players must get permission from that player's recreational coach. Players are to fulfill their responsibilities to the team for which they are primarily rostered unless released by that coach. Guest forms must be filled out for any player not currently rostered to a team who intends to play for that team. A separate form is required for each tournament. The guest forms must be sent to the Operations Director before the tournament. The guest player forms can be downloaded off the soccer website. There should not be any writing on the official rosters, except for the League and Director of Operations' signatures. Both the state certified roster and the guest player form should be submitted at the team check-in at tournaments. 
 
8.  SDSSA teams are only allowed to play other USSF sanctioned teams. Playing non- sanctioned teams will void insurance coverage. Teams that play non-sanctioned teams may be placed in bad standing with the SDSSA. Playing a non registered player on a team may cause a team to be in bad standing. This will also forfeit a team's right to participate in the State Tournament and travel to out of state tournaments. All games played with an ineligible player must be forfeited. 
 
9.  All players who are not US citizens must fill out international clearance paperwork to participate in any SDSSA activities. The paperwork can be downloaded from the SD State Soccer Website at www.southdakotasoccer.com under Registrars.
 
10.  No player may play on more than one team in the State Recreational and Competitive Tournaments. Local associations may allow players to play on more than one team during league play but players must be rostered on one team only for tournament play. 
 
11.  No coach shall put together teams outside of the league scheduled seasons of spring, summer, fall, & indoor unless they are rostering a club team. The soccer year begins on September 1 and ends on August 31 each year. 
 
12.  Once a player quits a recreational team he/she will not be allowed to rejoin that team or any other after the cut off date is in effect. 
 
13.  Youth players that choose to play with an adult team may do so only if registered through the Adult Amateur Association and with written permission from the State Board. The player's youth coach must also be informed if the player is rostered to a youth team at the time he/she intends to play with an adult team. Refer to the registration information and guidelines for the adult amateur association for more details. 
 
III. Player Cards

1.  All tournaments will require the use of player cards unless they are inter-league only. Player cards will also be required at all high school games during the fall high school season. Player cards may only be signed by authorized persons when proof of age is provided. Proof of age shall consist of a State Certified Birth Certificate, a Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card (DD form 1173) issued by the uniformed services of the United States, birth registration issued by an appropriate government agency, drivers license, Board of Health records, passports, alien registration card issued by the US Government, or certificate issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service attesting to age or certification of an American citizen born abroad issued by an appropriate government agency. Hospital, baptismal, or other religious certificates will not be accepted. (rule 4033 of US Youth Soccer). 
 
2.  Player cards must be accurately and completely filled out, have an attached picture, be verified by one of the documents listed in #III.1, and presented for signature. They may be signed by the State Registrar, the Assistant Registrar, a Member of the Board of Directors, District Commissioner, or alternate District Commissioner. Once completed and signed, all player cards must be laminated. 
 
IV. Red Cards

1.  A red-carded player or coach must leave the playing area for the remainder of the game and sit out the next scheduled game for that team. Only games on the regular schedule, as established by the league prior to the beginning of the season, shall count towards the game penalty. Scrimmage games cannot be scheduled to substitute for the penalty game. All red cards received during the last game of the season will carry over to the first game of the State Tournament or the next season, which ever comes first. Each coach and/ or association is responsible for reporting red cards to the tournament staff at check in. Failure to report red cards causes players to be ineligible and therefore all games played with said player will be forfeited. Red cards go with players on which ever team they were playing for at the time the card was issued. Red cards issued during National Competition such as Challenge Cup or Regionals may only be satisfied at a National Competition.

V. Notification of ODP Tryouts

1.  Dates for ODP will be posted on the SD State Soccer web-site at www.southdakotasoccer.com  
 
VI. Travel Papers
1.  All teams intending to travel to tournaments outside of South Dakota must submit travel notification to the State Registrar no later than 14 days prior to the start of the tournament. Coaches/team managers are encouraged to complete and submit travel notification at the same time they submit tournament applications. Travel notification information may be found at www.southdakotasoccer.com under tournaments > app to travel. There will be a $10 late filing fee, payable to SD Soccer Association, for any travel notification submitted less than 14 days prior to the event.
 

VII. Hosting Games and Tournaments

1.  Teams and/or Associations wishing to host friendly games must submit "Permission to Host Friendly Games" papers to the State Registrar prior to the start of those games. These papers may be signed by either the Registrar or the Assistant Registrar.
 

2.  The first full weekend in June is designated for State Tournament competition. The location will alternate between East River and West River sites.
 

3.  Leagues that drop teams from the State Recreational Tournament after the pairings have been completed, will be fined as follows:

$100 Penalty: when notice that an Entered Team plans to drop out of the tournament was given up to 15 days before the start of the tournament.

$200 Penalty: when notice that an Entered Team plans to drop out of the tournament was given on or after 14 days before the start of the tournament and up to twenty-four hours before the time was set for the start of the Entered Teams first scheduled tournament game.

$300 Penalty: when no notice was given of the Entered Team's intention to drop out of the tournament or to forfeit one of more tournament games, provided the penalty may be reduced for each tournament game the Entered Team played, as follows: $75 for the first tournament game and additional $75.00 for the second game, and additional $100 for the third tournament game played.

$300 Penalty: when (1) no notice was given of the Entered Team's intention to drop out of the tournament or to forfeit one of more tournament games, and (2) by tournament rule, the Entered Team was eliminated from the tournament for missing one or more scheduled games, and (3) the Entered Team did not play in any tournament game, even if at some point after being eliminated from the tournament, it wanted to.

$100 Penalty: for each tournament game an Entered Team forfeits provided (1) that notice was not given of the Entered Team's intention to forfeit one or more games and (2) the Entered Team did not forfeit any games except those for which notice was given, and (3) the Entered Team played at least one scheduled tournament game.

$50 Penalty: Irrespective of whether notice is given or not, for each tournament game an Entered Team forfeits when, solely as a result of tournament play, it becomes impossible for that team to play. Further, if a game is actually played and later declared forfeited by application of tournament rules, no penalty will be assessed under this rule.

4.  The State Challenge Cup tournament is the last weekend in May for 2008 and will alternate sites between East and West River every 2 years. Any association wishing to host this tournament may submit a request to do so. Any club team in good standing with SDSSA may play. Winning teams are expected to represent SD at the Region 2 Tournament. The cost of attending the Regional Tournament is entirely the responsibility of the team. Fines will be assessed for teams that drop from the tournament according to Regional rules. 
 
5.  Any association wishing to host a tournament other than the State Tournament or Challenge Cup must submit a "Tournament Hosting Agreement" to the State Registrar no later than 90 days prior to the start of the tournament. This agreement must appear on the application form. It may be reduced in size but is required to verify that the tournament is a US Youth Soccer event. The cost for filing this agreement is $50 if team entry fees are $99.99 or less and $100 if team entry fees are $100 or more.
 

VIII. Risk Management

1.  All volunteers in direct contact with players must fill out a Volunteer Disclosure Form online at https://onlinereg.leagueone.com/rm/RmDisclosure.aspx?O=2306&I=24  These forms are due to be submitted by April 10 or September 10 of the respective seasons. The State Risk Management Coordinator (SRMC) will mail a certified letter on the 11th of the respective month to those Associations that have not complied. This letter will inform the Association that if the  online forms are not completed by the 17th of that month, they will be placed in Bad Standing and fined $500 without any further notice. From that point, it will be the responsibility of the local Association to verify and correct their Bad Standing status with the SRMC. Refer to information regarding bad standing status in #II.4. The Volunteer Disclosure Form requires a social security #   to facilitate a background check. Anyone with holding this information will not be allowed to be involved in the SDSSA or work with our players. Supervision of the disclosure forms, deadlines, etc. will be handled by the Risk Management Committee. Once an Association is in bad standing, their teams will not be allowed to play until fines and forms are received by the SRMC.
 

IX. Insurance

1.  Insurance claim forms may be obtained from the state office and handed out to injured players, coaches, or referees as requested. This is a secondary insurance with and additional $250 deductible after the primary insurance has covered their portion. This insurance is intended to help primarily with catastrophic injuries. Once payment has been received from the primary insurance the injured party must submit copies of the payments and complete the claim form. All paperwork must be sent to the Operations Director. The Operations Director will sign off on this paperwork only after verifying that the player has been properly registered through SDSSA. It is critical that all rosters are exact as only those listed players are covered by insurance. Forms may be obtained from each association or the Operations Director. The soccer insurance is good only when playing in sanctioned soccer games or tournaments. Playing in non-sanctioned tournaments voids the insurance and the coach is responsible for telling the parents about the lack of coverage for that specific tournament.