General CMYSA FAQ’s
ATTENTION: Before you send an email inquiry to anyone (Registrar, Age Group Commissioner, Board Member, Coach, etc.), please review any email communication sent to you by the league in its entirety and read the General CMYSA FAQ’s below. 99% of all answers are found in either the email communications sent to you from the league or in the FAQ’s.
Question: What age group will my child play in?
Answer: Please utilize the Age Group Chart under the Inhouse tab or the Travel tab on the menu bar of our website to determine which age group your child(ren) will play in this season.
Question: Can my child play in an older or younger age group to be with their friends?
Answer: Players absolutely cannot under any circumstance play down an age group.
This is prohibited in both Travel and Inhouse and there are absolutely no exceptions.
Playing up an age group in Inhouse can be requested by a parent to a player's current coach. The current coach must recommend the player play up based solely on their skills and ability to play in an older age group. The parent must make a written request to the coach, the coach must make a written request to their Age Group Commissioner that the player would like to play up, and the coach must also make a written request to the older Age Group Commissioner that the player is requesting to play in. The CMYSA Board must then approve the request by a vote, and if approved, the parent must sign a letter of consent to play up that must be notarized. Playing up an age group does not happen frequently.
For Travel, playing up an age group is prohibited. The goal of the Travel program is to competitively field the most talented team(s) within each age group and to continue to grow players within their age group, which are the players they will be playing with at the Middle School and High School team level. The only exception to playing up an age group in Travel is if CMYSA is unable to roster a full team at a specific age group, but can add the younger player(s) onto an older team in order to have a fully rostered team. This is done only with prior approval of the CMYSA Board and the Travel Commissioners.
Question: My username and/or password will not work.
Answer: As of the Fall 2015 season, we have a new registration system (Blue Sombrero). Old usernames, email addresses, and passwords will not work in the new system. If your child(ren) played before Fall 2015 you must create a new account in the Blue Sombrero system. Once you have created a new account, if you cannot remember your username or password, please use the links on the login screen to assist you in retrieving your information. Do not email CMYSA requesting a forgotten username or password. Please do not under any circumstance create a second account as this will complicate your profile in the system and make it more difficult for you to register in the future.
Question: My child decided not to play, how do I get a refund?
Answer:
Inhouse Registration:
Requests for Inhouse registration refunds can be made until the close of registration for the specific season. Once registration closes, regardless of the reason, there will be no refunds. Following the close of registration, lists are distributed to commissions and rosters are formed. If players pull out, it is extremely disruptive to rosters and can affect not only their team, but also possibly others in their age group. Not getting the coach, practice day, location or on a team with friends are not valid reasons for requesting a refund. If your child is injured before the season begins, but after the close of registration, we will issue a credit toward another season.
Travel Registration:
There are absolutely no refunds for Travel registrations. Once you register your player, you are committing them to play for the season. Travel team formation is difficult and dependent upon the number of players registering in a given age group and tryout scores. When a player registers and then drops out later, it not only affects their team roster, it can affect every team roster beneath theirs. Before registering your child for a Travel program, please insure he or she is definitely playing. Only an unexpected medical condition that arises prior to the start of the season that physically prevents your child from playing will be considered as an exception to the no refund policy. If CMYSA is unable to roster a team for your player’s age group and your player does not have a team to play on that season, we will issue a credit toward another season.
Question: Can I request a specific coach or practice day?
Inhouse:
For Inhouse players in the U5 age group ONLY, you may include a request for a specific coach or team, however, even at that age group we cannot guarantee your request will be honored. Our first priority is insuring that there will be fair and competitive play between teams in an age group. Teams in age groups over U6 are rostered using a draft process utilizing player rankings in the Fall, and in the Spring, every attempt is made to keep the team rosters the same, with the exception of some players dropping off and new players being added. Coach/team requests are not permitted at U6, U7, U8, U9/10, and older.
Travel:
Travel players are placed on teams based solely on their ratings by independent evaluators at travel tryouts in May. No coach/team/practice day(s)/practice location(s) requests are permitted or honored.
Question: What equipment does my child need to play?
Answer:
Inhouse:
The registration fee covers the cost of a jersey for Inhouse players.
Inhouse players are required to purchase black shorts, shin guards, soccer socks (worn over the shin guards) and soccer cleats (non-metal). Coaches also require each player to have a water bottle and their own soccer ball for their age group to be used at practice.
Travel:
Travel players are required to purchase travel uniforms, a water bottle, and a soccer ball for their age group to be used at practice. Following the announcement of travel team rosters, the league will issue information about ordering the travel uniform. Do not order travel uniforms until a jersey number has been assigned to your child(ren) and you have received an email from the league.
Question: I have not heard from my coach yet, what do I do?
Answer: Different Age Group Commissioners distribute rosters and information to their coaches on different timelines, dependent on the size of their age group. A General Coaches Meeting is scheduled in mid-March (Spring season) and mid- to late August (Fall season); the meeting date is advertised on our website. Most coaches contact their parents and players within a few days following the meeting. If you have not heard from your coach within 2 weeks from the beginning of the season, please consult the Board Member Contact Page of our website and email your specific Age Group Commissioner. Include your player's name, age group, and that you have not heard from your coach. They will contact you with information or have your coach contact you as soon as possible. Please wait until after the General Coaches Meeting has occurred to submit any inquiries to Age Group Commissioners about coaches, practice times, days, locations, etc. as they will not have any information available prior to the meeting.
Question: Who are the referees?
Answer: Referees are either players age 12+ or adults who have completed varying levels of referee training and licensing. The age groups and referee positions they are able to hold varies depending on the level of training they have completed and the certifications or licenses they may or may not have. The Association pays them per game for their services.
Many of the referees you encounter, especially at the lower age groups, are adolescents. Parents are not permitted to yell at referees or make vocal complaints during games. If you have a problem with a referee, please notify your coach after your game so they can report it appropriately. Under no circumstances are parents permitted to be disrespectful to referees and will be warned once if it occurs and then removed from the complex if it continues. If a parent is removed for inappropriate behavior to referees, coaches, or players, the Board will review their case and they may be banned from attending games at either complex for the season or beyond. Know the Parent Code of Conduct and the Zero Tolerance Policy – you agreed to abide by them during registration.
Question: What if I have a suggestion, concern or complaint?
Answer: The Board is always open to suggestions and always wants to hear parent’s concerns. If you do not feel comfortable addressing something with your coach, the next person to approach is your Age Group Commissioner; their contact information can be located on the Board Member Contact Page of our website. You may also find any Board Member present at the complexes on Saturdays, or email anyone on the Board Member Contact Page of our website. Also, the first 30 minutes of monthly Board meetings are open to everyone to voice concerns or suggestions. We cannot fix what we do not know about. That being said, please remember that all Board Members, Commissioners, and coaches are all volunteers. We are not paid professionals or employees. We volunteer our time so that all of our children have a place to play soccer. We do our best and commit tremendous amounts of time to CMYSA. Please be respectful.