Lawrence Adult Soccer League

• The volunteers page has been updated.  Please take a look at it and let me know if you are interested in helping.  Volunteers play for free and are the only people who run this league.  W/out Volunteers we would have no league so if you can help please do!  A description of all open positions is at the end of this post.

• Scrimmages have been going all summer at the Outlet Park (see Fields -> Outdoor for directions) on Saturday mornings at 9.30 am.  Everyone is invited and the games are *very* low key.  Premier, Club, and Rec members all play and it’s a very low pressure environment where you can really learn a lot.  (Because in scrimmages you can play anywhere you want and experiment w/your own game to improve your skills.)

• I collected a lot of extra equipment last season:  water jugs, a camping chair, two balls, shoes, etc etc.  If you are missing anything please email me.

• Last season, on LH Upper, one of our members lost a small silver cross.  If you picked it up please let me know.  It’s got huge sentimental value for it’s owner!

• Lastly, the Rules are being updated.  All Rules currently posted are subject to change.  New Rules will be posted before the start of Fall 09, 8/23.

Thx!

Volunteer positions open:

Captain Coordinator:  We need an individual (ideally already a Captain but that’s not required) to maintain a list of names and emails for Captains of all leagues.

Field Marshals:  Marshals are problem solvers and rule observers.  They need to be present 20 minutes before a game and ensure games start on time.  You must Marshal at least 6 games.

Facilities Maintenance Coordinator:  This position will schedule the Field Mainteance Volunteers and, most importantly, serve as the Lost and Found for LASL.  If you have some room in your carport please volunteer for this position.

Facilities Maintenance Volunteers:  This is a fancy phrase for “clean up duties”.  This position is easy and simple for a free season.  Several times a season we’ll ask you go to your appointed site (your choice–pick something close to home!) and pickup anything left by players.  This ensures we stay in the good graces of USD 497 because it’s critical we leave facilities exactly how we found them.

Event Planner:  We want to have a pre-season party before every season where we can hand out trophies and give players an opportunity to voice their complaints so we can try to solve their problems.  If you are good at details this is an easy way to play for free every season.

Marketing:  We want to expand LASL, but we need people to advertise for us.  We want to advertise in the UDK, LJW, and around town in community centers.  We also need advertising material created–we have a single flyer we currently use and could use more materials.

We have been approached about entering teams into the Sunflower State Games being held in Topeka (Sunflower State Complex, 4829 NW 17th St.) the 18th and 19th July.  There are Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Over 30 leagues and registration is $390 per team.  Deadline for registration is July 10th.

http://www.sunflowergames.com/index.php/soccer

If anyone is interested in putting a team together, please let either Johnny (jparadise@gmail.com) or Andy (abentley@ku.edu) know and we will make your name known so that folks can liaise with you.

Last weekend FC ACDC defeated Drinking Bastards in a tight 1-0 match in the Premier Tourney. The Bastards averaged over 3 goals a match this season and had only suffered one loss this season–also to FC ACDC though. FC ACDC used steady play through the season to push them into second place at the end of the regular season. That same steadiness paid off in the Tourney with the games lone goal coming in the final minutes of regulation. Congratulations to both FC ACDC for winning it all and the Bastards who dominated the regular season.

In the Club league, the Psyclones knocked off the previously undefeated Spooners to push their way into first place at the end of the regular season. Congratulations to both the Psyclones with the highest GF and the Spooners for the lowest GA.

And thanks to everyone else! We played a record 79 (not 80) games this season and finished up with 0 forfeits due to holidays and events. Players continued to use LH and RE appropriately and with care for trash and the environs. This very good behavior will greatly aid us in our negotiations to use FSHS and YSI next season.

Please keep an eye on the website for volunteer opportunities. There are several needs we have most immediately. One however should start right away: an event planner. We want to hold a pre-season BBQ around August 16th where we can hand out trophies and get everyone some well deserved food and beverages. If anyone wants to plan this event (we have a budgeted amount and can reserve OP for the event) please email me, jparadise@gmail.com.  Volunteers play for free.

Keep an eye on the website for more details in the next few weeks. And as mentioned below, the scrimmages are all summer long, 9.30am Saturdays at the Outlet Park.

Thx!

Now that the league has concluded, summer scrimmages are set to start again at the Outlet Park.  The time and day has changed this season.  We will be scrimmaging at OP on Saturday morning’s at 9.30am.  Please come out and play in a pickup game.  All comers welcome!

More info will be posted once the official score cards are in.  Unofficially, FCACDC beat the Drinking Bastards in the Championship game of the Premier tourney and the Psyclones captured the top spot in the Club division after a 1-0 defeat of the Spooners.  Official results will be posted once the cards are in.

Please keep an eye on the website this week.  Lots of summer info will be posted soon.  We need volunteers for many things–party planning, rules updating, a Captains coordinator, field maintenance, etc.  If you are interested in helping at all please email me, jparadise@gmail.com.  Otherwise please look for volunteer info and let me know how you can help.  All volunteers play for free.

One last thing to note:  the last two Springs most teams were only able to play 7 games because of poor scheduling and bad weather.  This season, we played a record 80 games.  We want to thank everyone, from the players to the Board, for being flexible and fighting through a season that included record amounts of rainfall and numerous holidays and events (Easter, Spring Break, Govr’s Cup, Mother’s Day, KU Commencement, Mem Day, etc).

The Kansas Cup will be played at the TRYSA Soccer Complex in Emporia, during the weekend of June 13-14, 2009, with a rain date of June 20-21, 2009.  The tournament will incorporate pool play on Saturday with pool winners advancing to the semifinals and finals on Sunday (this might change according to the # of teams that enter).  Pool games will start at 8:00 AM Saturday with the last game starting at 6:00PM Saturday.  Semifinals will be played at 9:00 AM Sunday and the Finals at 3:00 PM Sunday.Pool games will be shortened games (30 minutes halves). Semifinals and finals will be regulation. Three points will be awarded for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. Tiebreakers will be (in order) head to head record, goal differential, goals scored, and coin toss. The State Cup Commissioner will chair a draw committee to assign pools and ensure that league seeds are placed in different pool groups.

Competition will be Open Division (Maximum 16 teams), and Over-30 Division (Maximum 8 teams) if enough teams enter. For the Open Division, the top two teams of each KSA league will be eligible to participate in the Cup. In the event that neither of the top two teams can participate, the league may replace with 3rd or 4th place team, provided that the teams have paid the $100.00 Bond and $ 250.00 Entry fee by the deadline of May 7, 2009. After that date any KSA team can apply to play in the Cup.

For the Over-30 Division, Leagues that do not have Over-30 teams will be allowed to form Over-30 teams to compete at the KS Cup. Provided that the teams have paid the $100.00 Bond and $ 250.00 Entry fee by the deadline of May 7, 2009. After that date any KSA Over-30 team can apply to play in the Cup.

The two finalist teams from the 2007 Cup are automatically eligible.  This year the Leagues are responsible to collect the Entry Fee and Appearance Bond from the eligible teams, The Leagues will submit the Entry Fee and Appearance Bonds to the KSA.  Entry Fee is $250.00 per team.  Appearance Bond is $100.00 to guarantee the team’s participation for the entire tournament, including the Tournament of champions.  The $100.00 will be refunded to the teams at the completion of the tournament, if all their obligations have been met.  If a team forfeits or abandons any scheduled match the refundable bond $100.00 will not be returned.

The team names, Entry Fees and Appearance Bonds must be received at the Kansas Cup Commission residence ASAP.  Mail or deliver to:

Armando Diaz
3104 Shearer Rd.
Kansas City, KS 66106
913-384-0937 (home) 913-449-6732(cell)
diazadgomez@aol.com

See the 2009 Tournament Rules for roster and player requirements and specific playing information at http://www.kansassoccer.com/.  Any questions, contact Armando Diaz (at the numbers above) or Vic Boydo, KSA President at 316-640-3314 vboydo@cox.net.