Little Rock Futbol Club

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Classic Tryout & Playing Up Policy

TRYOUTS
All new and returning classic players will attend tryouts as required by LRFC guidelines. Players must complete a LRFC tryout registration form.

Classic levels for boys and girls are U-11, U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-18. The U-11 through U-14 teams will tryout in late May and early June. The remaining teams will tryout in July. If necessary or warranted, individual tryouts may be scheduled.

Team roster sizes shall be determined in accordance with ASSA policy after consultation with the Director of Coaching.

Tryouts will be fair and equitable and should include assessments of individual skills and performance in game situations. Neutral evaluators and age group coaches will run tryouts and assist with selection of the teams, but the age group coach will have the sole discretion of completing the roster with the players from the tryout participants regardless of the evaluation results. If a chosen player declines the position, the coach may offer the next alternate a position on the team. Players not chosen must be informed within one (1) week after the last published tryout date by the head coach of each age level.

Following ASSA guidelines, boys may not play on girls teams although girls may tryout for a position on a boys team with the consent of the Director of Coaching. Before a girl can tryout for a boy’s team, a letter must be submitted to the Director of Coaching at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the first tryout for the age appropriate boys team. Even if permission is granted, a player must attend tryouts for both genders. Attending a tryout does not guarantee a position on a boy’s team.

PLAYING UP
LRFC discourages players from playing up an age group. The accepted philosophy on playing up is to challenge an advanced player by placing him or her with and against stronger players. While LRFC fully supports this concept, we believe that a player is challenged more by playing in his or her age group against more advanced, instead of older, competition. This is possible as his or her team advances to regional and national play in both league and tournament play where he/she is more of an asset to his/her team in accomplishing this goal. Nevertheless, in certain limited instances, as discussed below, a player may be permitted to play up an age group.

Note: Nothing herein shall prohibit a player from practicing with an advanced age group so long as such player has the permission of the advanced age coach and such player does not miss practice with the age appropriate team to attend the advanced age practice session.

All Classic Players
For a classic player to be eligible to play in an advanced age division, the player must meet one of the following three criteria:
1. Playing up an age group will result in the player remaining with his or her school grade group; or

2. The player must be ranked as one (1) of the top two (2) players in his or her appropriate age group and as one (1) of the top eight (8) players in the advanced age group in accordance with the standard set forth below by the age appropriate coach, the advanced age coach, and the Director of Coaching prior to tryouts or during tryouts for the appropriate age group and the advanced age group; or

3. The player was registered as a primary player with an advanced age “Blue” team above the U-12 level on March 1, 2008.

When considering whether a player should play up pursuant to paragraph 2 above, it must be determined that the player is significantly above average in ALL areas of the game of soccer (tactical, technical, and physical) and playing up is beneficial or necessary to the continued development of the player’s abilities. Moreover, the player must satisfy the conditions of paragraph 2 with the age appropriate group (as determined by the Director of Coaching) prior to attending the tryout session of the advance age group.

Two exceptions exist to the rules stated above. First, in the unlikely event that LRFC does not form a U-17 or U-18 team (as age necessary for the player), with the permission of the Director of Coaching, U-19 teams may be comprised of three age groups (U-17, U-18 and U-19). In the event LRFC forms a U-17 or a U-18 team, the player must play for his/her age appropriate team or only one year up, but if such player is not offered a position on the age appropriate team, or one year up, such player may be rostered on a U-19 “catch-all” team. Second, if a player is not offered a position with a team in his or her age appropriate group, the player may play with an advanced age group if the player is offered such a position due to a lack on numbers in the advanced age group. If a player is offered a position on any team at the club (blue, white or red) in his or her age appropriate group, the player may not play with an advanced age group utilizing this second exception. Both of these exceptions are “year to year” and there is no assurance that permission to play up under these exceptions will be renewed in subsequent years unless these same unlikely events continue to occur.

Note that "convenience in driving," "opportunity to play with friends or siblings," and similar criteria, are not basis on which playing up permission will be granted.

Under 10 or Below Player Playing Up in Age

A U-10 or below player may not play up unless one of three criteria are met:
1.   The younger player would not have a team with a sufficient number of players in the age appropriate group;
2.   The player must be ranked as one (1) of the top two (2) players in his or her appropriate age group and as one of the top four (4) players in the advanced age group by the Director of Coaching prior to tryouts or during tryouts for the appropriate age group and the advanced age group.
3.   The player is being placed on a team with his or her classmates.

PROCEDURE
A player interested in trying out for an advanced age division team must submit this request in writing as provided herein.

The following conditions will be considered in making the decision to allow a player to play up into another age group based on the player’s skills:
The player must first be assessed at his or her age appropriate level. Failure to do so will result in the play up request being automatically denied.

The player must attend no less than two (2) tryout sessions at the age appropriate level.
Assessment of the player in the tryouts of the age appropriate group must show the player to be at an elite skill level (as required above) compared to the rest of the group. Assessment of the player in the tryouts of the advanced age group must also show the player to be at an elite skill level as required above.
The player displays the skill, physical, and emotional development to play at an advanced age group.
The player must have support from his or her parents/guardian regarding playing up.
When a player has requested to play up in the previous year and an on field evaluation by the Director of Coaching is available, this evaluation may be considered, to mitigate the differences between tryouts versus on-field play.

If a classic player is identified as suitable to play up with an advanced age group two conditions must be met.

The player may only try out for the top team in the next age level. (If there is only one team in the next level, the player may try out for that team. If there are two or more teams in the next level, the player may only try out for the top team. If the player is not offered a position on the top team, the player must return to the age appropriate level.)
The player must successfully be selected through the tryout process for the top team.

A player given permission to play up pursuant to paragraphs 1 or 3 above is not required to attend the tryout session for the age appropriate team unless such player desires to be considered for placement on the age appropriate team.
A coach may not, under any circumstances, offer a place on a team to any player from a younger age group before approval for that player to "play up" has been received from the Director of Coaching. Violation of this provision is cause for possible removal of the offending coach. The coach of a team trying out a younger player must immediately notify the Director of Coaching. Disagreements with any decisions regarding requests to deviate from the policy of playing in your own age group shall be resolved by appeal to the Board of Directors. It should be noted, however, that the Board of Directors places a great deal of confidence and responsibility in the Director of Coaching and the decision of the Director of Coaching will only be overturned in the most exceptional and unusual circumstances.

DURATION
Permission to play up based on ability is granted for one seasonal year. Players may reapply in subsequent seasonal years; however, there is no assurance that permission to play up will be renewed. Permission to play up based on the ‘grade appropriate’ exception is granted so long as the exception applies during the then current seasonal year.

HOW TO REQUEST
Fill out the LRFC Playing Up Request Form, and hand it in at tryout registration (recreational players should submit it with their registration).

For questions regarding playing up, contact Nick Sherwood, Director of Coaching, at lrfcnick@gmail.com or 501-680-0963. For general information, contact the LRFC office at lrfcann@sbcglobal.net or 501-663-2112.

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