RULES & REGULATIONS

Academy Premier League Policy Guide

 

Purpose: This policy guide is designed to provide clarity and consistency for academies operating within our soccer league. It aims to outline best practices, rules, and guidelines for running academies effectively and safely.

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Definitions:

● Academy: a program affiliated with a soccer league that provides specialized training and coaching to young players.

● Player: a participant in an academy program.

● Coach: a person responsible for leading and overseeing academy training sessions and games.

● Parent/Guardian: the legal guardian of a player enrolled in an academy program.

 

Program Overview: Academies are designed to provide an additional level of training and coaching to young players within our league. They should focus on player development, including technical, tactical, physical, and psychological aspects of the game.

 

APL Culture: We strive to create a positive and supportive environment where kids are allowed to try, fail and learn all the while being supported by coaches and leaders that understand that developing the kids soccer skills as well as their life skills is our main job. Development Philosophy: “Development comes first, Winning is executing what we learned” The overall purpose of APL is to develop players and teach them the skills to be successful on and off the pitch. We strive to get the kids to take the next step on their soccer development pathway by allowing them to master the skills they train on a weekly basis and apply it in games without the pressure of having a winning record. Putting the focus on what did you learn instead of did you win, shifts the kids mindset to the process of getting better and learning from mistakes instead of fearing them.

 

Eligibility: Players must be registered with the league to participate in academy programs. They should have demonstrated an above-average level of skill and commitment in regular league games, as determined by the player's coach and academy director. Academy Structure: Academy programs should be designed to meet the developmental needs of the players enrolled in them. They should include age-appropriate training sessions, games, and tournaments.

 

Insurance: All academies must have up-to-date and adequate insurance coverage. Academies are obligated to inform parents about the insurance in place. Our academy also commits to having insurance for all games played and the locations of those games.

 

Coaching Staff: Academy coaches must have undergone coaches education program and undergo a criminal background check. They should have experience coaching young players and be knowledgeable about the latest training techniques and methods.

 

Player Safety: The safety of players is of paramount importance. All coaches and volunteers must follow established safety protocols, including concussion awareness training, first aid certification, and safe sport training. APL has a zero tolerance policy toward violent behavior in games.

 

Parent/Guardian Communication: Open and clear communication between academy staff and parents/guardians is critical for the success of the program. Regular updates on training sessions, game schedules, and player progress should be provided to parents/guardians. Parents/guardians should also have the opportunity to provide feedback to academy staff. We politely ask that information given by APL surrounding location, time, opponent and any changes to the schedule is forwarded or communicated to the parents. We also politely request that the rules and regulations are communicated with the parent so they understand the expectations and guidelines set out by the league.

 

Payments: All league fees must be paid no later than one week before the first game. Late payments will result in a fine of 5% of the amount owed. Each academy is required to pay a league bond of $500 upon signing up. This bond will be applied to any penalties incurred by the academy. If the bond falls below $200, the academy will be asked to top it up to $500.

 

Scheduling: A league planning/scheduling committee will be formed to oversee the scheduling and running of the league. There will be a deadline, set two weeks before the start of the season, for teams to sign up. Academies will not be able to enter teams unless approved by the league planning committee (at the committee's discretion). All scheduling communication, questions or requests have to go through the communication@academypremierleague.com email which the scheduling committee will reply from as well.

 

Fines/penalties: Commitment or cancellation of weekend games must be made no later than Wednesday, 8 pm. A fine of $200 will be imposed for cancellations made after this deadline. All academies are expected to be on time for games, with teams ready on the field in formation at the designated kick-off time. Most match day fines will be issued by the Discipline committee. Correspondence will be electronically sent to the offending academy, explaining the violation and associated fine. Fines will be deducted in the bond.

 

Right to Appeal: Fines issued by the Disciplinary committee may be appealed. The appeal shall be submitted to the Executive Director within 48 hours from the issuance of the original decision. A review board consisting of board members, advisory board members and independents will be formed to review each appeal. Upon receiving an appeal, the review board will investigate the appeal and shall issue a finding at the earliest possible time. In the event an appeal is denied, the appellant academy will be invoiced a $100 appeal fee. The review shall make their decision by majority vote and shall issue their decision in writing. Invitational games: Invitational games must be addressed by academies and APL at least three weeks before the scheduled date. Games scheduled in our league have priority and cannot be changed or canceled later than Wednesday, 8 pm, due to holidays, sports activities, or other events. Academies have an obligation to try their best to find an invitational opponent. If no opponent is found on Wednesday 8pm of the game week the match is cancelled and the academy will have a bye week.

 

Fines for the Use of Ineligible Players: The league will introduce digital player cards for the academies and league to use. These digital player cards will be run on a player/parent app platform and request all players signing up to the league to upload a headshot and birthday to the platform. Rosters will be visible to the league and the academy with the roster but not the other academies. When considering consequences for the use of ineligible players, the Pacwest will consider whether the offense occurred knowingly or because of an administrative error. Offense Fine First Offense Warning / Match awarded 3-0 Second Offense $200 Match awarded 3-0 2nd Warning double bond Third Offense Referral to Disciplinary Committee - Possible expulsion from the league.

 

Fines Related to Conduct: The Academy Premier League’s discipline policy allows for fines to be issued for offenses by team officials and spectators. The following are guidelines for such fines. Fines in this category are intended for first offenses and may increase for subsequent violations. A coach or spectator does not have to be ejected for these fines to be imposed. Such fines may be imposed because of referee reports, director or staff observations, and complaints received from other individuals. Offense Fine Academy coach – Persistent Criticism of an Official/Referee $50 Academy coach – Verbal Abuse of an Official/Referee $100-200 Academy coach - Refusal to control parents or players upon request $50 Parents/Players – Persistent criticism, outbursts, or dissent $50 Parents/Players – Verbal abuse of an Official/Referee $100-200

 

Purpose of Fines: The purpose of issuing fines is not for the league to make money, but for the academies to commit to upholding the commitment they have made to the league and to the other academies. The academies are expecting APL to provide a structured well run league, at the same time APL are expecting that the academies respect each other and the league, and conduct themselves in a manner that is aligned with the leagues values and ideals.

 

Communication:

● All general communication outside game day needs to be through communication@academypremierleague.ca. Scheduling questions should be directed to communication@academypremierleague.com

● Please keep communications factual and non emotional and remember that respect is an important piece in how we communicate between each other.

 

Conduct:

● All communication to and from APL and academies and between academies have to be respectful and factual.

● A whatsapp group for game day related issues will be used, however this will only be active on game days and no messages will be answered during the week through this group. Only factual information may be shared in this group.

● Email will go out to all academies explaining that the rules and regulations they have asked for are why these are being put in place.

● 2 weekly reminder emails for schedule will go out Monday and Wednesday to remind academies of the deadline for the weekend. All academy participants, including coaches, players, and parents/guardians, must abide by the league's code of conduct. Any violations of the code of conduct may result in disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from the academy program.

 

Code of Conduct:

1. Parents are not allowed on the playing field and are asked to not coach their kids, this is due to the confusion it creates with the kids not knowing who to listen to. We encourage parents to support their kids and cheer for them.

2. Players, coaches and parents are to be respectful towards one another and we encourage fair play at all times.

3. The league has a zero tolerance policy for yelling at the referee, ongoing abuse of referees by players, coaches or parents of an academy will lead to penalties deducted from the bond.

4. Teaching the kids how to act on the field and off the field is a priority for APL.

5. Violent or threatening behaviour from players, coaches or parents will not be tolerated and will lead to immediate dismissal from the league for the individual.

6. We ask that players, coaches and parents are mindful of the language they use as these are kids and APL prioritizes teaching proper language and behaviour as a sign of respect to all in the league.

 

League Rules:

Game Play Rules (U8-U12)

Description U8/U9 U10/11 U12/13

Playing Format; U8/9: 6v6 (including GK) U10/11: 7v7 (including GK) U12/13: 9v9 (including GK)

Substitutions Unlimited 

Duration; U8/9:  2 x 25 minutes U10/11: 2 x 25 minutes U12/13: 2 x 30 minutes

Throw ins: Yes 

Retreat Line:  U8/9:Yes  U10/11: Yes U12/13: No

Offside: U8/9: No U10/11: No U12/13: Yes

Game Ball Size 4 

Field Size: U8/9: 1/4 Modified  U10/11 Half (45/65 max)  U12/13 Modified:  (50/75 max)

 

Game Play Rules (U13+)

Description: U14/15 to U18

Playing Format 11 v 11 (including GK) 

Team Size Maximum 18 

Substitutions Unlimited 

Game Duration: U14/15: 2 x 40 minutes U16/18: 2 x 45 minutes

Throw ins: Yes

Retreat Line: No

Offside Yes – Per Fifa Laws of the Game

Game Ball: Size 5

Field Size: Full

Field markings: Per Laws of the Game 

 

League Rules:

● League standings will be available for the season for all age brackets except the U8/9 and U10/11.

● League rules mandates that slide tackles are not allowed for U8/9 due to injury risk.

● Age brackets will be reviewed for the coming fall season but will until further notice remain the same.

● Players older than age bracket will only be allowed with the approval of the opposing academy and will be capped at 1 year older than age group (eg. 2012 may play with 2013/14 upon approval). A maximum of two older players are allowed to be used on the field. The academies must obtain permission from the opposing academy before the Wednesday 8pm cut off.

● Player rosters and digital player cards will be uploaded at the beginning of each season to the scheduling app so that referees and APL can verify that players are in the age-appropriate teams.

 

Conclusion: Academies provide an important opportunity for young players to develop their skills and grow as athletes. By following these guidelines, academies within our league can operate safely, effectively, and in the best interests of the players enrolled in them. We encourage the academies to respect these rules and each other. We do not have a league or a place for the players to develop if this respect is not obtained and promoted on an ongoing basis.

 

The Academy Premier League Team