New Ontario Soccer Association under aged rule.

[Niagara Hammer]

Has anybody heard about this new OSA rule with regards to under aged players. In my small club we had to fold a U9 Boys travel team as it was a mix of U9 and U 8 players. The U11 girls travel team had to kick a girl who has been on the team for 3 years. she was so distraught they she has quite soccer.

This sounds like big clubs messing with the smaller clubs. We often only have 15 kids try out, they all make it. we play in a division that best suits their skill. We don't always have a team at each age level because of it.

I want to know the reasoning behind it, because from the small club perspective it SUCKS!!!!

[ThiKu]

Yer best bet will be to research recent Ontario Soccer Association meetings and/or meetings from your district representation meeting. If there is no "ruling" then there isn't anything anyone can do about underage players playing up.

[Trillium]

This sounds like big clubs messing with the smaller clubs. We often only have 15 kids try out, they all make it. we play in a division that best suits their skill. We don't always have a team at each age level because of it.

You have your answer.... what you need to do is ask your club president to get to his District Associatoin and submit a Request to Deviate from the rule in your District. Big clubs dont like little clubs and the big clubs often control big Districts who wield votes,

small Districts often have folks who dont understand the impact such decisions.

[ThiKu]

^again, go find where this rule is documented. If it isn't there isn't anything anyone can do about putting underage players on your teams.

[lattes]

It IS documented.

Rule is approx: a team can have up to three 'call ups' to be able to be a permanent call up the player has to be deemed 'exceptional' (this is vague for a reason) that player can't partake in cup games.

OR: you can have 3 call up players that play a maximum of 6 times per team, so you can rotate through 9 call up players in a season, each playing 3 times, again no cup games.

Call your district director and likely you can work it out.

[lattes]

Oh, and I don't get the 'big clubs don't like small clubs' I have gotten TONS of help from the bigger clubs in the city, from tips to resources. Shout out to North Toronto and SC Toronto.

Couple of clubs have douchebags running them, but I think they suck because they suck, not because bigger clubs inherently hate small clubs.

[L.T.]

That call up rule refers to players registered to other teams. Typically there are no limits to underage players being registered in a higher age group (especially if it is only a 1 year difference).

That said, I have heard discussions about keeping players at their proper age level at the younger divisions, but I'm pretty sure the OSA has not mandated such. My guess is that it may be a case of someone misinterpreting LTDP documentation...

[jpg75]

Hey L.T. are the loose underage rules a recent happening? I ask because the issue with Jono De Guzman (as explained by Dino) was that he had been suspended for playing a few age groups up in an indoor league (after his father had asked for permission and been denied). It'd be nice to know they've since changed that draconian policy.

[L.T.]

nevermind - I just logged into to my OSA account and confirmed that it is a rule - specifically between U8 & U9. And is looks like it's fairly recent.

Keep in mind individual Districts & Clubs commonly institute their own policies in this area. Playing up is always a sensitive issue within clubs - especially ones where teams are run as individual fiefdoms...

[L.T.]

Digging a bit more, it seems that a Request to Deviate (RTD 2012-006) submitted by the ECOSA District to put this rule off until 2013 has been approved. I don't know if this applies only to them or to all Ontario.

[jpg75]

Thanks for the info. LT

[Bill Spiers]

From what I can see, this was a new rule proposed by Peel Halton and York Region, approved at the December 2011 Board Meeting and effective in January 2012.

For more details read the RFD (which covers a number of other issues as well).

RFD 2011-013

The specific new rule is near the end of the RFD - Registration Policy 5.14.

[Bill Spiers]

Digging a bit more, it seems that a Request to Deviate (RTD 2012-006) submitted by the ECOSA District to put this rule off until 2013 has been approved. I don't know if this applies only to them or to all Ontario.

Unless there have been recent changes to the rules for RTDs, a Request to Deviate only applies to the organisation submitting the RTD.

[Niagara Hammer]

thanks for the info. I still thinks it sucks that kids are being messed with on how this was implemented. I will look up the RTD stuff. but I think it may be too late for this year.

but still if it is not a miss interpretation of player development program what the hell is the reasoning?

[lattes]

That call up rule refers to players registered to other teams. Typically there are no limits to underage players being registered in a higher age group (especially if it is only a 1 year difference).

That said, I have heard discussions about keeping players at their proper age level at the younger divisions, but I'm pretty sure the OSA has not mandated such. My guess is that it may be a case of someone misinterpreting LTDP documentation...

A team can have a max of 3 'call up' players from a younger age group, they can not participate in cup games. That is OSA not TSA.

IMO if you are a small club and can't help it I get it, but I don't think kids should play up regularly. My son U8 got called up this week, he played in a 2001/2002 Futsal team (no 2004 Futsal teams in the league and the team needed subs) and that helped his confidence but IMO it is better to let a kid dominate a bit on the field playing their age in games and have them 'practice up' with kids older than them to hone their skills.

Again, I get that if you don't have enough kids for a single U9 team you should call up, but IMO it should be out of necessity not just because a kid can.