Loudoun Soccer Coaches should use the following process when rescheduling U13-U19 games:
The Home Team Coach contacts the SFL Manager (sflmanager@loudounsoccer.com) to see what fields and dates/times are open to use as a game field for the makeup game.
Using the above info, the Home Team Coach works out an alternate date and time with the Visiting Team Coach and sends the reschedule request to the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager at least five days in advance of the proposed game date. Please include the game number, age group, Loudoun team numbers and coach names in the message you send. Requests should be sent at least five days in advance of the new game date in order to provide enough time to assign referees.
Once the dates and times and fields are set, the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager will notify the SFL and the Referee Assignor. When you see your game changed on the SFL web site you will know that rescheduling has been done. If you don’t see your game posted on the web site within two days of the game date, contact the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager again to check on the status.
If what is posted on the SFL web site is not what you thought was arranged, contact the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager again to have corrections made.
Loudoun Soccer coaches should not contact the SFL directly about rescheduling games. All game rescheduling requests will be handled by the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager who will then communicate with the SFL and the Referee Assignor when new game dates and times have been confirmed.
Field Availability Considerations
If the home team or visiting team has a practice field all to themselves after 6:00 PM on a weeknight, that would be the most likely field to use for a make-up game. Field availability is best on Sunday afternoons, but please be sensitive to player families who have problems participating in Sunday games due to religious reasons. You can also look for Saturday game days where your team and the other team both have early morning games, and then you can schedule your make-up game in an open late afternoon slot. That scenario might work out better in terms of player availability and it avoids weekday travel to distant game sites.
SFL Policy Regarding Games Not Played
If the SFL is notified of a game cancellation in advance (due to schedule conflicts with one or both teams) or after the fact if due to weather or other unforeseen event, then the game goes on the Unscheduled Games list. If the SFL is not notified of a new date and time for the game by the Thursday after the original schedule date, the SFL will attempt to reschedule the game if it is between teams from different clubs. If the game is between two teams from the same club, then the game remains on the Unscheduled Games list until the club representative notifies the SFL of a new date and time. When the SFL reschedules games, it will be done using whatever Sunday game slots are still available for either club (if the home team club does not have an open slot then the game is moved to a field for the visiting team club). If no open slots are available, then both teams will be assessed a forfeit and no game points will be awarded.
If a weekend game goes unplayed or a score goes unreported, and no notification is made to the SFL by the following Thursday, both teams will be assessed a forfeit and no game points will be awarded. The game is then taken off the list of Scheduled Games not Played, and the SFL does not make any attempt to reschedule the game.
When forfeits are awarded by default under the circumstances outlined above, the teams are still allowed to reschedule games if they can and the forfeits are erased if the games are played and a game report is submitted. It is important to note that forfeits do not have any bearing on how teams are grouped for the tournament. However, the number of games actually played by each team does have an effect on tournament participation, so teams should make every effort to reschedule games when necessary so that they can be assured of playing in the SFL tournament.