Fall Finals Schedule - MYSA fields Lancaster November 24

Irregular Transfers

There are two irregular transfer types. Both must be done manually by a league administrator. The deadline for ALL transfers is week 8. All requests must include the player‘s name, MASSID, current division and team, if any, and new division and team.

If a player is on a roster (or was on a roster), but has not played (4.B.3.i) or has not played since week 1 (4.B.3.ii), and wishes to move to a new team, the player and the new manager should send an email to the new team‘s division director and the Reports Coordinator (refreports@othsl.org) by Wednesday 6 PM. We need the extra time to review all of the game day rosters to confirm that the player has not checked into any games.

If the player wants to move to an older team (Rule 4.B.3.iii), the player and the new manager should send an email to the new team‘s division director, the webmaster (webmaster@othsl.org), the registrar (registrar@othsl.org), and the Reports Coordinator (refreports@othsl.org) by Thursday 6PM.

Requests received after the deadline will be processed the following week. It is enough for the manager or player to reply to the initial email that they approve the move.

2024 AGM September 23 via Zoom at 7:00 PM

All teams must have someone attend this meeting. You will be sent instructions on how to check in and receive the Zoom link on the day of the meeting.

The DRAFT minutes of the 2023 meeting are here

Pres Jim Buza‘s presentation is here

The budget will be posted here before the meeting

Please click here to sign in between 6 and 7 PM on Monday. Once you have signed in, you will be given the link to the zoom call

Venue changes

Just a reminder to all teams that it us up to the managers to agree to postpone a game and then to communicate this to their division director. This should be done at least 4 days in advance so that the referee can be reassigned.

If you have a change of venue with or without a change to the start time (but on the same day), then you should communicate this to your division director at least 4 days in advance. You should also communicate with your opponent and the referee. If the change happens less than 4 days in advance then you are required to communicate with everyone and get a positive confirmation back from everyone. Use the phone if you don‘t get a reply to your email.

it is always a good idea to check the referee assignments on othsl.org and to check with your opponent and referee in the days just before a game if any change was made, even if it was more than 4 days prior. While it won‘t change anything most of the time, sometimes it prevents a problem and it‘s always appreciated

USASA Adult Soccer Fest

Join us for the USASA Adult Soccer Fest tournament (formerly Veterans Cup) this summer in Greensboro, NC! The tournament dates are July 10-14, with different start dates based on age groups. The event promises the ultimate soccer experience for men and women aged 30 to over 75. Don‘t miss out on the unparalleled fun, camaraderie, and competitive adult games of the summer. Plus, enjoy the view from our big beer tent overlooking all the games at the facility. Last year, we sold 15 kegs of local beer!

Othsl has a history of success in various age groups at this tournament. Be aware that the over 40, 50, and 55 divisions start on Thursday, July 11, and the over 30 division starts on Friday, July12. Additionally, please note that MASS Soccer pays $550 of the entry fee, which will be reimbursed to the team after the tournament. You can find more information about the tournament at this site: www.adultsoccerfest.com

It‘s time for Othsl to showcase why we play the best soccer in Massachusetts and reclaim some titles.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at veteranscup@gmail.com.

Cheers,

Cezar Wasecki

USASA Soccer Fest Tournament Director

Head Trauma Study

Researchers from the Boston University CTE Center developed HITSS to find out the long-term brain health risks from repetitive head impacts in soccer and tackle football

HITSS is a fully online annual survey, including: questions about sports participation, repetitive head impact exposure and concussion history, and medical history; computerized brain games; and questionnaires on mood and behavior. It takes only a few minutes to enroll and can be completed over several days, on your own schedule, if desired.

Click here to learn more

Change to Forfeit Rule 13 B - One Forfeit allowed without loss of points in standings

1. Forfeits will be recorded as a two-nil (2-0) loss, and the team that forfeits will also be penalized two (2) points in the standings. If the forfeit was the result of failure to appear, the team that forfeits shall pay the full referee fee.

2. A team may forfeit one game a season without the 2 point deduction in standings points if they provide notice of their intention to forfeit at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled game. No team may forfeit more than 1 game a season under this rule. This forfeit still counts as a forfeit under all other rules, e.g. 13D - tiebreakers, 13f - multiple forfeits and this does not count as a game served for a suspension.

This is Rule 13 B, you can see a link to the Rules document on the left hand side of the home page.

Regards,

Steve Siniscalchi ,Secretary

Insurance Certificates

Always check your spam folder a day or two after requesting an insurance cert. The always seem to end up in there

Updating Managers

If you are an existing manager of a team on othsl.org and you would like to add another manager, first go onto reg.mass-soccer.org and add them there. Then go to othsl.org and you should see a link to add them as a manager.

Only the existing managers of a team can add and delete managers. But if you get stuck, just email webmaster@othsl.org and someone will help you out.

new field in Amesbury

if anyone still needs a field, contact Trevor

Referee fees for the playoffs

$100 for the referee and $60 ea for the assistants, split 2 ways, so $110 per team. The league will reimburse you

Adding Fields

We can add fields easily. Just send an email to webmaster@othsl.org and include

• the field name
• the field address that gets you the closest to the parking lot or the field itself. Don‘t forget the city
• the owners name and address (with zipcode) This is a must if you will need a certificate of liability insurance.
• the field surface (grass or turf)
• If you know the administrator‘s/coordinator‘s name, email or phone number, send that too

Payments to OTHSL for New Teams, Protests, Bonds, etc.

Going forward, payments to OTHSL for New Team Deposits, Protest Fees, Bonds, or any other payments not linked to the season registration process should be made via PayPal using one of the following methods:

• If logged into PayPal, send money to @OTHSL
• If not logged into PayPal, use this link: https://paypal.me/othsl

Always be sure to include Your Name, Team Name, Team Division and Region, and what the payment is being made for (i.e., Protest of such and such a decision on x-date; New Team Deposit, $500 Bond for cards, etc.)

DO NOT USE THIS FOR TEAM REGISTRATION Team registration is done here

Adjusting how Promotion/Relegation/Playoffs are Determined in 8-team Regions

Like prior seasons, teams in a region of 8-teams should expect to play 3-teams in their region twice per season in a home and home series, and 4-teams one-time each season for a total of 10 games (two flights of 4-teams in each region).  Starting this season, promotion, relegation, and playoff participation will be determined based on total points across the region, not within separate flights, such that:

• The top 2 teams based on total points among the 8-teams in each region will be promoted.
• The bottom 2 teams based on points among the 8-teams in each region will be relegated.
• The top 2 teams in each region based on total points among the 8-teams will participate in the playoffs.  The top team in each region being the default hosting team playing the second-best team in the opposing region and vice vera.
• Tie breakers, as needed, for any of the above, per rule 13. D Results and Standings | Tie-Breakers.

Regions with less than 8-teams may have different promotion relegation schedules – ask your Division Director if need more information.

Registration Will Now Be Due Twice A Year, JANUARY 15 AND JULY 10

PAYMENT FOR 2023 WILL BE $230 EACH SEASON

Here is the exact new wording of the registration conditions that will be added to the Official Rules of Play

All teams must submit registration fees (Fees) prior to each season. Registration and Fees are due by January 15th for the Spring Season and by July 10th for the Fall Season. Fees shall include those determined by the Board for execution of the season and any and all fines and bonds due by respective teams. Fees shall be net any referee fees paid on behalf of the League. Bonds payable shall be returned to teams outside of registration. To be complete, registration must include home field location, start times, and all field sharing constraints unless the Registrar, or another officer, allows in-writing. Teams that drop out after registering will forfeit all Fees.

NOTE - there is no grace period for late payments, if you don‘t register by these dates your team will be dropped

ID Cards

Some players have been getting away with registering as a manager only. This loop hole has been closed. If you find that you have suddenly disappeared from the game day roster, you need to log into MASS soccer and renew your account and make sure that you select the 2 year player option. Do NOT create a new account as that will only make things worse.

Managers, you can check if any of your players are in this situation by going to the roster editor and checking everyone‘s status. If a player is only registered as a manager, they will be in red with the message "User is not registered as a player".

Become a Referee

We‘re asking all managers and players to consider becoming a referee and to help us spread the word. Please see this for more information.

AED Rebate Program

We are pleased to announce a new program from OTHSL and MASS-Soccer to support the purchase of Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AED) by the teams in our league. Both OTHSL and MASS-Soccer will provide a $250 rebate (Total $500) when a team purchases an AED to be available at league games. Teams already owning an AED may receive a rebate for replacement batteries and pads.

See this link on the MA Soccer page for details and the documents needed for the rebates.

Together with volume pricing and rebates from both OTHSL and Mass-Soccer, the out of pocket cost for an AED for your team can be less than $500. We believe that this will make these life saving devices affordable for many teams and more importantly, available if needed in case of an emergency.

Please contact Doug (douganneser@gmail.com) for more info.

FIFA Changes Laws of the Game

Please see this page for details

rosters

Managers, when you invite a new player, they do not need the email to accept. The email is just a convenience. The player just needs to log into https://reg.mass-soccer.org and it will prompt them to accept (or decline) the invite. And if players have forgotten thier username, they can use their MASS ID number (starting with the MA) instead.

Players that are on a roster and that want to move to a team in an older age bracket will need to request that the move is done manually as the web site is not up to date yet. This also applies to players that show on a roster but have not played since week 1 and are therefore still new. In both cases, applications should be sent to the division director of your NEW team. Applications received by Wednesday 6 PM will be processed by that Sunday

AED Saves a Life

An AED unit that was subsidized by OTHSL and MASS was used to save a player's life earlier this season. At last report, he will make a full recovery. Every team should be bringing an AED to every game, scrimmage and practice. After the MASS and OTHSL subsidies, these units cost the average team about $20 per player. Click the banner above to learn more or visit MASS websiite and remember that OTHSL will match the MASS subsidy.

How to see referee info on this site

As a manager, you should have a link to your team on the right under quick links. If not, scroll down to the bottom of the page and check your userid and access level. If your access level is guest, you are not logged in. If you access level is not "manager..." then there is something wrong and you should contact the webmaster and let him know your userid and your team.

If you do have your team listed under quick links, click it, and then click the "show referee assignments" link and you should be all set

Click here for a detailed guide for how you, as a manager, can see referee info right on this site

internet calendars

If you use our internet calendar feed, you can now add &offset=xx where xx is the number of minutes you'd like to be early so you can warm up. Now my phone tells me exactly when to leave to get to my games and still have time to warm up!

If you aren't using the feeds yet, go to your team page, and click "internet calendar" on the right

Passcards and Rosters

Only current MASS ID player passcards may be used. Expired cards are not acceptable. However, temporary passes are acceptable, or you can show your ID on Your phone. Do not ask the referee to use his phone.

Players without a valid MASS ID number will not appear on printed rosters.

Click Here for the MASS Registration Site If you have any questions please direct them to Andrea at andrea@mass-soccer.org

Managers check your rosters. If you have players showing up in red, they will not print on your game day roster and they cannot play. period. Contact your players and get them to renew their registrations and/or submit a new headshot. Then they should print a temporary passcard and you should reprint your roster

For support on rosters, please contact Jeremy

For help with renewing your registration or fixing your headshot, contact Debbie, the MASS registrar

Google group