A: Each child needs a pair of soccer cleats, shin guards, and a ball.

A:

• Age / Ball Size
• Instructional/Size 3
• Passers / 3
• Wings / 4
• Strikers / 4
• Kickers / 5
• Minors / 5
• Seniors / 5

A: Cancellations will occur when there is thunder and/or lightening. If any lightning is seen or thunder heard, the fields must immediately be cleared. Play may continue in the rain unless there is excessive water that is going to cause damage to the fields or a safety risk. The referee will make this call.

A: LSO administration will determine the field status each day around 4:00 and will post it on the website to let the coaches and parents know if the fields are open or closed for the day. On Saturdays, the field status is posted in the morning as soon as an assessment of the weather and field conditions can be made. Parents and coaches should go to Field Status page to determine the field status.

A: Time of the periods shall be as follows:

• Instructional (U5 & U6) 8-minute quarters or 16-minute halves
• Passers (8-U) 10-minute quarters or 20-minute halves
• Wings (10-U) 12-minute quarters or 24-minute halves
• Strikers (12-U) 15-minute quarters or 30-minute halves
• Kickers (14-U) 15-minute quarters or 30-minute halves
• Minors (16-U) 20-minute quarters or 40-minute halves
• Seniors (19-U) 20-minute quarters or 40-minute halves

Intervals between the 1st and 2nd, and 3rd and 4th quarters will be one (1) minute. The half time interval will be five (5) minutes.

A: Passers division and higher, players are assigned to teams in a manner that provides no intentional advantage to any one team over another. LSO uses a 'blind draw' method which is when a coach picks from sign-up cards that have been placed face down. These cards are divided into categories such as age and experience to ensure that the end result is teams being balanced in age and ability level. This is one of the most basic rules in SAY and must be enforced by each district.

A: The way teams are formed is by coaches choosing players from sign-up cards that are face down. The only players assigned prior to the blind draw are the children that belong to the Head Coach and Assistant Coach (assuming these coaches are parents). Any other player assignments would go against the core principle of SAY recreational soccer, and could result in LSO not being allowed to participate in the league. Requesting specific players or coaches gives the appearance that an advantage is held by one team over another.

A: The player draw is held approximately one month before practices begin. Coaches will contact their players about 3 weeks before practices begin. If sign-ups occur after the player draw, players can expect they would not hear of their team assignment for about a week.

A: Coaches are given the opportunity to request their practice times based on their availability. They are volunteering their time and it is important that it is convenient to their schedule so that they can provide a consistent guidance to their team.

A: Each coach requests two practice times for a week. Each division coordinator assigns the time and field location for the practice. Practices are Monday – Friday and are either 5:30 – 6:30 or 6:30 – 7:30.

A: We rely on our volunteers to provide the best experience possible for our young players. We require all coaches to pass a background check, be concussion certified and SafeSport trained (at LSO's expense). No prior coaching or soccer experience is required. We welcome adults that have a willingness to learn the sport, work with our youth and bring a positive and encouraging attitude.

A: Most games are played on Saturday between 9:00 – 2:00 and one or two games over the season are played during the week. The fall season starts the weekend before Labor Day and runs through the 3rd week of October, with no games over Labor Day for a minimum of 10 games. The spring season will have 8 games that start the first weekend in April and run through the Saturday before Memorial Day.

A: For most teams in our divisions, there are opportunities to volunteer as the head coach, assistant coach, snack coordinator, or even the individual who organizes any end of season events. Each of those require different levels of commitment and time, but all of them help make it a positive experience for the players and their families.

A: Requesting specific players or coaches gives the appearance that an advantage is held by one team over another. It also goes against core principles of SAY recreational soccer, and could result in LSO not being allowed to participate in the league. We do allow requests in our Instructional U5 and Instructional U6 divisions.

A: Age groups are based on the SAY Gold Matrix for age groups. The cut-off for each division is based on birth year rather than school year. The UXX for each division is based on the child's age on December 31st 20XX. Where XX is the year prior to the season. Example for the 2019 season the cut off is based of the players age on December 31, 2018.

A: If you register your child on or before the Guaranteed Placement Deadline, they will be added to a team in their respective league and will not be wait listed. Registrations after the placement deadline will be subject to availability and wait lists.

A: The fields our teams practice on are also the fields where they play their games. While we perform regular maintenance on them each week, it's very hard to repair damage during a season. Wet conditions can cause significant damage and it also presents a difficult environment for practice or games.

A: If your child is not registered by the Guaranteed Placement Deadline, they may be placed on a wait list. LSO regularly adds players from the wait list when other children drop unexpectedly or when a new team is formed. You will be contacted when your child is placed on a team.

A: It's always best to address any concerns with the head and assistant coaches first. Division coordinators, the commissioner, or head of refereeing (when applicable) are also available for questions or concerns. Incident Report Forms can also be found in the Lakota Sports Soccer website

A: All the rules can be found on the Lakota Sports Soccer website in the Rules section.

A: In several of our divisions, the referees can be very young. Please remember to show them encouragement and support. We have a limited number of referees so yelling during the game does not create a positive environment and can result in you being asked to leave. Hold feedback until after the game and contact the division coordinator, head coach, commissioner or referee coordinator.

A: It is! There are opportunities to referee for all ages and experience levels. Contact our head of refereeing who's contact information can be found on the Lakota Sports Soccer website in the Referee section.

A: No. Law IV- Player's Equipment states that jewelry is an example of unsafe equipment and is not to be worn during play. This includes earrings, watches, necklaces, rings and any other jewelry item. There are some exceptions for medical related bracelets.

A: No. Law IV- Player's Equipment states that any type of cast or splint (even if it is covered with soft padding) is considered unsafe equipment and is not to be worn during play. Knee braces that contain metal may not be worn during play.

A: Typically, we are able to process a refund or partial refund if your player withdraws before the start of the game season. Detailed rules, along with the refund application, can be found on the Lakota Sports website on the Refunds page.

A: Starting in our Passers division and above there is a tool during team formation called a core that is formed. The following rules make a core:

1. Team plays in the primary season Fall to Fall or secondary season Spring to Spring
2. Players must stay within same division, when players go from Passer to Wings the player falls out of the core
3. Players need to sign up prior to the draw
4. When players sign up, their parents need to use the original account, because the lookup is based on player ID, which will change if the parents create a new user name.