AYSO serving Los Altos since 1968!
Region 43 serving Los Altos since 1973!
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AYSO serving Los Altos since 1968! Region 43 serving Los Altos since 1973! |
Everyone Plays ® * Balanced Teams * Open Registration * Positive Coaching * Good Sportsmanship
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Coaches, Parents, and Referees often ask why we need the lineup game cards and how they should be filled out and used. This FAQ serves as a central training resource to explain the procedures for handling the cards and the information collected by them. Note that it also serves to explain the playing time rules of AYSO and this region as the game card is the central mechanism to record and monitor the compliance.
Q: Why the Game Lineup Card?
Q: Who is responsible for bringing the card to each game?
Q: What does the coach fill out before the game?
Q: What does the referee fill out during the game?
Q: What happens to the card after the game?
Q: How can a coach check what was entered after the game?
Q: OK, so what do all those 'X's and 'G's mean?
Q: Who checks the entered game cards and for what?
Q: What are playing time rules in AYSO?
Q: How can a coach check compliance with the playing time rules overall?
Q: Who checks the playing time rules overall and the stats?
The game lineup card is AYSO's way of recording and tracking key game statistics such as goals scored by each team and player, absences, injuries and playing time. It is used in all games from U8 on up. U6 in our region is conducted jamboree style and no statistics during scrimmage are recorded.
Goals scored by a team are only used in U12 and above where season standings are used for seeding the end of season tournaments and possibly Area (County) play. Goals scored by each player are used at all levels for team balancing the following season. Players dramatically change between seasons and during a season as growth spurts (both mentally and physically) happen. The goals are just one of many factors that assist in helping determine how to balance team skills the following season.
Playing time is accurately recorded in the lineup card by the referee so the AYSO National rules and guidelines can be verified. More about this in later parts of the FAQ.
Q: Who is responsible for bringing the card to each game?
The coach. The coach needs to bring one card to each game; or two if it is a U8 game being split onto two parallel fields as done in Fall.
It really helps the referees if you cut the card down to size instead of handing them an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Also, it can really help if you print the game card on card stock. Card stock is available at most office supply stores and is 65lb weght paper (as opposed to the standard 20lb weght). Card stock will go through all printers.
Referees have access to the game cards for teams of games they are pre-assigned to. They can print the card ahead of time and some often will -- to make sure they are cut to size, on index card stock, or possibly to make sure it is a valid roster as indicated by the Web Youth Soccer system. Even so, a coach should not rely on this as referee assignments can change at the last minute. A coach should always be prepared to provide a card.
Q: What does the coach fill out before the game?
The roster of players including their name and jersey numbers is the only thing the coach should fill out in the central portion of the lineup card. Information about the team at the top and game date, time, and field information at the bottom should also be filled in. If you are 100% sure a player will be absent (out of town, injured with a broken arm, etc.), then you can write ABS or ABSENT next to the name but try not to encroach into the goal or quarters played columns. Otherwise, just tell the referee at check in time that you do not expect the player to show and for what reason.
Our Web Youth Soccer system makes filling out the game card very easy. Your roster is already entered and fixed by the division coordinator. You can enter the team and jersey information in the main "team info" section under your coach menu. You can then either print out a blank card and photocopy it for the whole season, or print out the specific card for each game that includes the game time, date, and field at the bottom. This is done via the "Game Cards" menu item. By printing the specific days card from Web Youth Soccer, you are left with nothing to fill out.
If referees are generally bringing the card each week, simply print a few copies of a generic game card and keep it in your coach bag in case you need it one week.
Make sure to enter in your jersey numbers for players before printing the card. It is really helpful for the referee to have the lineup card in jersey numerical order instead of some haphazard order (including alphabetical by name, for example). Referees can refuse a card that is not in numerical jersey order.
Q: What does the referee fill out during the game?
See the tutorial for referees on how the card is filled out during the game. This is from the referee class for new referees.
Key point is that the goals and quarters played columns are left completely blank by the coach. Only the referee will fill out those blocks. Some coaches try to be helpful by putting in their planned substitutions, planned keepers, and known absences. Guess what; a game never happens to plan. Players get injured. Players show up or show up late who were not supposed to come at all. And many other occurences that may happen. Let the referee record things as they happen; likely using pencil as well. They are trained and have to read the card and notes they make later. Give them the best opportunity to do this.
Soccer does not have quarters. In fact, AYSO does not have quarters. Substitutions are only performed, except for injury substitution, approximately midway through each half and at halftime. But it is easier to explain playing time by using the term quarter or period. So we request your indulgence as we use the term loosely here.
Q: What happens to the card after the game?
The game card is the referees record of the game. They keep the card for the season and beyond; until instructed otherwise. But to aid in coach, division coordinator, and board monitoring of the season, the referee must create an electronic copy of the game card in the Web Youth Soccer system within approximately 48 hours after a game.
Q: How can a coach check what was entered after the game?
Once the referee enters the game card for a particular game, then the coach can see that game card by looking at the "past" game in the "Game Card" menu. Instead of being presented with a blank game card in a PDF form as happened before the game, the system now recreates a clean, printable copy of the card as recorded and entered by the referee after the game.
If the coach feels there is a discrepancy in what the referee entered, they can let the division coordinator know. The DC will pass the description of the discrepancy to the referee administration and eventually the game referee. If the referee agrees they recorded the game in error, they will update their entered record of the game. Only the referee can make the determination that they recorded or entered the game in error and update the record.
Q: OK, so what do all those 'X's and 'G's mean?
You can see the referee tutorial for some specific info. It is summarized here.
The Referee will record an "A" for any quarter a player is absent at the start of the quarter. Furthermore, the referee will record an "I" for any quarter the player is present but unable to play due to physical (or mental) injury. This could be a sprain, cut, equipment problem including jewelry that cannot be removed, or possibly an attitude problem (especially in U10 or below where misconduct is not applied due to the developmental age and negative stigma).
A referee will record an "X" for the start of any quarter a player is present, able and willing to play (not absent, not injured) but is not playing as there are enough players on the field. That is, a substitute. A referee will use a "G" or "GK" to indicate a player on the field who is the keeper at the beginning of a quarter. And finally and most importantly, a referee will leave a box blank for any quarter a player is starting on the field as a player.
Note that injury substitutions or changes of the keeper at a non-substitution opportunity are not recorded on the card. A player who starts the quarter in a specific role is recorded the whole quarter in that role. Any player substituted due to an injury or equipment problem gets the benefit of playing that time. The substitute coming in gets the benefit of this "extra" playing time unrecorded.
Special notes are needed for U8 "Split teams" and any time a player is swapped to the other team to balance the roster sizes after a forfeit.
The referee on a U8 split field will only record information (as normal) for the quarters that the players are on their field or in the roster for playing on their field. The other quarters the player may be on another field are left completely blank. The lead referee will then merge the two cards for each team at the end of the split games and enter this merged card into the Web Youth Soccer system. This is possible because the areas of information should not be overlapping -- a player cannot be in two games (two fields) in the same half.
For swapped players, the referee will usually enter the players name on the other team roster and identify them as coming from the other team. This can make it easier to record game info for the referee. If the player is only on the other team for a quarter or two, the other quarters can be marked with a dash or possibly "A" to indicate the player was not available to play on that team. Otherwise, the card is filled out the same way. Info for that player possibly from both teams player cards must then be merged before entering it into Web Youth Soccer.
A players playing time and goals are entered only on their home team game card in the Web Youth Soccer system. It should be noted that any game where players have been swapped is, by definition, a forfeit first. So the final score of the game will not reflect the goals scored by each player. Web Youth Soccer allows the goals per player to be entered separately from the final score; for this reason. Note that playing time rules apply to the player and not just to the team they are playing on. Therefore, a swapped player may be forced to be a substitute or forced to be a player in a particular quarter they are swapped. When players are swapped, the online game card will not reflect the number of players on the field for the given team as their is no way to indicate the player was playing for the other team. The referee may make a game note (visible only to referee staff) to record the swapped players at any given time.
Q: Who checks the entered game cards and for what?
The coach should check the game card for accuracy. They should then check the "Statistics" for their team to see how they are doing with balancing the overall playing time of each player.
The division coordinator is expected to check the statistics of each team periodically during the season and consult with a coach if a deviation from the rules is noticed.
The referee administrator and assignor will check that the referees enter the game cards. The referee administrator also checks the misconduct report and referee notes entered to see if any actionable items and follow-up are required. Misconduct by a player or coach may require mentoring or game suspensions; or possibly mentoring for the referee if so needed after investigating the comments.
Some board members will spot check any of the cards, team statistics, and misconduct reports periodically to verify that the division coordinator, coaches and others are performing properly.
Q: What are playing time rules in AYSO?
The AYSO tenent of "Everyone Plays" is a strict requirement and must be verified. AYSO National Rules and Regulations require that every player present and able to play must play at least 1/2 the game they are present for. A player not present at the start of a quarter is not considered present for any of that quarter.
Furthermore, AYSO Small Side Guidelines (which is a strict rule in our region) dictates that no player sit out a second quarter until all have sat out at least one quarter. This is often refered to as the "3/4" playing time rule as rosters are set to try and make sure no player has to sit out a second quarter. This rule applies to all age groups.
But this is not enough. We need to make sure everyone gets as equal playing time as possible across the whole season as well. Due to roster sizes and absences, a coach may only have to have a few players sit out a quarter in a game. So it is still considered against the tenent of AYSO to never pull a particular player out in any game over the season while others are required to sit out one "quarter" every game. Therefore, the analysis of all the game cards allows one to check that all players are getting equal playing time as much as possible.
We have pulled teams from tournament play for not following the AYSO playing time rules; especially after they had been notified repeatedly by the referees and division coordinators. The below game card represents one such team's end of season stats where the best players were kept in virtually all the time and the not as good players kept out much more often (both during individual games and over the season).
Q: How can a coach check compliance with the playing time rules overall?
It is very easy with Web Youth Soccer, assuming the referee has recorded the game cards in the system. Simply go to the "Coach" "Statistics" menu item and you will see the analysis of each player of the team. The "Quarters Played" should be as equal a percentage across all the players as possible. This is the percentage of time played for quarters that they were there, willing and able to play. That is, the percentage of "X"'s to Blanks across all game cards. This percentage is not affected by absences. See below for a good balance of playing time across the whole season.
Q: Who checks the playing time rules overall and the stats?
The Division Coordinator, through their Web Youth Soccer menu access, has access to the same statistics page of each team that the coach does. They have primary responsibility to check for their divisions teams. The coach and referee administrator, as well as divisions commissioner, may spot check to see that the coaches and division coordinator are monitoring and complying with the rules. Most board members have access to the playing time statistics in the division coordinators menu but are not expected to be viewing or acting on information they may see there directly.