Manhattan Soccer Club

Rules & Regulations

The Manhattan Soccer Club Rules & Regulations below are also available as a PDF download by clicking here.

Statement of Philosophy

The mission of the Manhattan Soccer Club is to develop competitive youth teams by giving every player the opportunity to excel at soccer and to build positive character and promote principles of fair play by providing an enjoyable, fair and high quality soccer program.
The Manhattan Soccer Club (hereafter "the Club") has adopted, by vote of the Board of Directors (hereafter "the Board"), the following rules and regulations to benefit the youth soccer players who compete on teams that are members of the Club. The rules contained herein shall govern the members of the Club in all instances in which they are applicable.

ARTICLE I - Registration, Transfer, and Release of Players

All teams that are members of the Club (hereafter referred to as "Club Team," "Club Teams," or "Team") shall play under the "Laws of the Game" as promulgated by the U.S.S.F. as modified by the league in which the teams play. The Club shall be affiliated with E.N.Y.Y.S.A., U.S.S.F. and or US Club Soccer and various leagues and shall at all times recognize their authority, rulings and laws.
All Club Teams must have each player on the Team roster or a legally responsible party sign and forward to the registrar of the Club, a registration document approved for the purpose by the Board, which must be properly and completely filled out and shall contain the following statement or language with a similar intent:
"The player and his/her parents assume all risks and responsibility for loss, damage, or injury to himself or herself while engaged as a player for a member Team of the Club or while using the property and facilities of the Club, whether such loss, damages, or injury be occasioned by the Club, its agents, employees, or otherwise. The Club refuses any and all claims for damages and costs arising out of such loss, damage, or injury."
Any falsification of a Club player registration form will result in disciplinary action by the Board against the player and/or the responsible party including possible expulsion from the Team and Club.
For all players, the Club's registration year will conform to the seasonal year as determined by the E.N.Y.Y.S.A. or other organization in which its teams play. After the initial registration of a Team or player with the Club, Club Teams and players are registered with the Club until the end of the seasonal year unless a specific exception consistent with the rules of E.N.Y.Y.S.A. is approved by the Board. A player registered to a Club Team is committed solely to that Team (and cannot be rostered for another Club Team or for another U.S.Y.S.A. team) during that seasonal year unless the player requests and obtains a release or transfer.
A Team may not register a player who is registered on another USYSA team without obtaining a release from that team and complying with other ENYYSA transfer rules.
Nothing contained in Article I Section 4 shall be deemed to prevent a player from playing on a school soccer team, AYSO recreational team, or a select, all-star, ODP, state or national team or on a US Club Soccer or Super Y league team. Permission to play in a tournament as a guest player on another Club Team or U.S.Y.S.A. team requires the permission of the Club Team coach.
Players on Club Teams may play for recreational, US Club or Super Y teams that are not members of the Club, if, in so doing, they are not in violation of the Rules and Regulations of the E.N.Y.Y.S.A.
Once a player is assigned to the roster of a recreational team, the player is expected to fulfill his or her obligations to the recreational team for the playing season for which he or she is registered. A committee will determine those obligations and any disciplinary action which may be imposed.
All player and coach passes are the property of the Club or the League (as the case may be) and must be returned upon request.
Each Club Team must comply with the registration requirements established by the Club, including registration deadlines. Failure to adhere to Club registration deadlines may result in the imposition of late registration fees.
All players on Club Teams may be required to pay a Club registration fee or other fees in an amount and manner to be determined by the Board of Directors from time to time.

ARTICLE II - Conduct and Misconduct

Each Club Team is responsible to the Board for controlling the conduct of its players, parents, coaches, and spectators and, as such, is required to take precautions necessary to insure that referees and/or assistant referees, spectators, and players are not threatened or assaulted (verbally or otherwise), either prior to, during, or at the end of games. Failure of a Club Team to exercise control and provide safety to referees, assistant referees, players, and spectators shall be grounds for disciplinary action by the Club.
Players, parents, coaches and spectators are only allowed to take part in or attend games on the condition that they observe the Rules and Regulations of the Club and the "Laws of the Game." Every Club Team is required to observe and enforce the Rules and Regulations of the Club, the Bylaws of the Club, and the "Laws of the Game."
Each Club Team must report cases of misconduct to the Board, which the Board may investigate and punish as it deems proper.
Each Club Team must report to the Board, when reporting the game score, all yellow and red cards given to Club players or coaches.

ARTICLE III - Team Formation, Organization, and Coaching

The President and Director(s) of Soccer will, on the Board’s behalf, form, through its tryout process, teams in the various age groups, beginning with U9 teams, to the extent there are qualified players willing to play and within the limits for the number of teams from our club allowed by the leagues in which we play. The club will recruit Team managers and other Team personnel from the parents of the players chosen for the various Teams.

Any team which competed for another club and is seeking to become a Club Team shall be required to obtain clearance from that club.

All coaches must be approved by the Club. Each year the Board will review the status and reserves the right to disapprove of all present coaches, managers and principal Team organizers as listed in Paragraph 9 of this Article.

Coaches and trainers associated with a Club Team must meet such licensing, background check and other requirements as are established from time to time by the Board, E.N.Y.Y.S.A., U.S.S.F., or the league in which the Club Team participates.

It is the responsibility of each coach, Team manager, parent, and player to honor the mission statement and follow the Rules and Regulations and guidelines of the Club.

Unless specifically approved by a 2/3 majority of the board, each Team will have a paid professional non-parent coach. For new U9 teams, the coach will be selected by the Club. In other cases, the coach will be selected by and can only be removed by the Club with the advice and consent of the parents of the players on the team. The coach must be paid out of Team funds by the Club Treasurer. All coaches must be approved by the Club and, notwithstanding their selection by the Team’s parents, can be removed by the Club for any reason.
Coach Committee approval is required for coaches who wish to coach three teams during the same season. No coach with two teams may assume a coaching position with a third team if all three teams would be U14 or under. In the case that the Coaches Committee approves a coach’s request to assume a third team, it may require that the coach provide a professional substitute acceptable to all three teams who, at the coaches expense, would substitute for the coach in his or her absence. The substitute coach will be required to sign a trainer’s agreement with each of the three teams. Coaches who, as of September 9, 2009, have three teams will be grandfathered with respect to this rule, but only with regard to their then current three teams.

If there are two (or more) Club Teams in an age group, determination of the ranking of the Teams will be made by reference to each Team's standing within a competitive league (such as the Westchester Youth Soccer League), to its performance at tournaments giving appropriate weight to the competitiveness and quality of such leagues and tournaments and the results attained by each Team, or to some other method determined by the Board.

Each Club Team must have at least two individuals who are licensed/carded coaches.

As required by the Club Bylaws, each Club Team must have a designated representative who will act as its official liaison with the Club. Whenever possible, all communications with the Club should be channeled through the Team representative. This will be the Team manager unless another individual is specifically appointed by the Team to fulfill this role.

Each Club Team must designate a manager, assistant coach, treasurer, field and equipment manager, and sporting director. One person may fill more than one position. The manager is ultimately responsible for all administrative aspects of the Team operation.
Teams must comply with such obligations as the Board may determine from time to time for the proper running of the Club.

Except as set forth herein, each Team is generally responsible for its internal governance.  

ARTICLE IV - Team Selection

Players are encouraged to play on a Team in their age group if one exists. Playing up in the lower age groups should be rare and is strongly discouraged. For players below 9th grade, permission to play in an older age group ("playing up") may only be granted with the consent of the Board and the coaches involved. For players in 9th grade or higher, permission is not needed from either the coaches involved or the Board. This shall not prohibit an entire Club Team from playing in a higher age group in league or tournament play.

Only girls may play on girls Teams. Girls may also try out for and play on "coed" Teams. It is up to the individual girl and her parents to determine whether she tries out for a girls or coed Team.

Players are drawn from the five boroughs of New York City except as may otherwise be approved by the Board. Club high school Teams may draw players from outside New York City up to limits and under conditions approved by the Board.

Players are selected for Club Teams at open tryouts held when a new Team is formed and at the annual tryout required for each existing Club Team. The tryout must be held at a generally convenient time in May or June before the end of public school or in early September immediately prior to the registration deadline for the league in which the Team will participate. The annual tryout must be fair to all who participate. The time and place for the annual tryout must be approved by the Club, announced publicly in advance, and adequate written notice given to a wide group of players in that age group in the community.

During the year, Teams may add players with the approval of the head coach individually or after holding open tryouts so long as the Team honors its commitments to the current members of the Team. All players (and particularly new players who did not participate in a tryout) must be informed of the ranking of the Teams in an age group and be given the opportunity to contact the higher ranking Teams.
Players are selected at the annual tryout by a committee including the coach of the Team and an impartial evaluator(s) provided by the Club as outlined in the club tryout guidelines adopted by the Board.

In offering places onto a Team, the coach (or organizer) should make as explicit as possible, to the family and the child, the commitment required, the coach's expectations of the child and family, the Team's general program and plan of operation (including playing time philosophy), and how the coach and the Team will make decisions.

At the annual tryout, players are selected for a Team for the next seasonal year. No player has a guarantee of playing on that Team the following year. Players earn their place on the Team each year by demonstrating ability, commitment and potential for improvement. Play in the previous year and a demonstration of commitment to the Team may be recognized in selecting between players of equal ability. In the case of the manager/organizer of the Team or principle club volunteers, the contribution of the family to the functioning of the Team and Club, may also be considered in selecting players.

Once selected for a Team, a player may not be dropped from the Team before the end of the seasonal year except for good and sufficient cause consistent with the rules of E.N.Y.Y.S.A. and only with the permission of the Club.

No Club Team may have more players on its roster than the maximum number permitted by U.S.Y.S.A., E.N.Y.Y.S.A., or the competitive league the Team is participating in. A Team's roster is established for one seasonal year.

It is the philosophy of the club to encourage significant playing time for all players. The following are the minimum amounts of playing time for each age group, and are applicable to league games and tournaments:

For U9, U10 and U11 teams, each player must play a minimum of 40% of each game.

For U12 premier teams, each player must play a minimum of 33% of total available game minutes over a three-game period. The Club strongly recommends that each player play some portion of each game.

For U13 and U14 premier teams, each player must play a minimum of 25% of total available game minutes over a three-game period.

For all U12, U13 and U14 teams that are not premier teams (as defined below), each player must play a minimum of 33% of total available game minutes over a three-game period. Furthermore, each player must play some portion of each game.

There are no minimum playing time requirements for U15 and older premier teams. For all other U15 and older teams that are not premier teams, each player must play a minimum of 25% of total available game minutes over a three-game period. Furthermore, each player must play some portion of each game.

For purposes of this section, a Premier Team is defined as any team that played its most recent spring season in an ENYYSA or Region 1 sanctioned premier league or is accepted by such a league for the coming spring, This status is revisited every year at the time premier league acceptances are granted. Thus, if a team has been in a premier league for the prior spring but is not accepted into a premier league for the upcoming spring, the team ceases to be a premier team at the time its non-acceptance to such a league is determined.

The Club appreciates that there are factors that could cause a coach to request playing time for a player below the minimum Club rules. These include injury, illness, and issues related to discipline or commitment. The coach is required to inform the divisional coordinator about such situations before the beginning of the game.

Playing time must be monitored by a parent assistant coach who will also maintain playing time records.

A player has a responsibility to participate in all Team events including practices, games, tournaments, and other Team activities. Attendance of less than 50% at either practices or games during the fall or spring seasons can be cause to involuntarily remove a player from a Team's roster. A coach must petition the Board (or its designee) if he/she wishes to remove a player in this circumstance.
Players not on a Manhattan Soccer Club Team's roster may be invited to tryouts or to participate in no more than three practice sessions for purposes of evaluation for a place on the Team subject to the rules of the league in which the Team participates. Under no circumstances may such players play in scrimmages including players from other clubs or other players not registered with the Club. This will not prohibit Teams from having properly registered guest players for tournaments or other competitions. Violation of this rule jeopardizes the Club's insurance and substantial penalties, including but not limited to possible suspension or removal of the coach and/or Team management, will be imposed on the Team and on the coaching staff responsible.  

ARTICLE V - Team Finances

The Club assumes no responsibility or liability for the debts or other liabilities of any Club Team.

Every Club Team shall be responsible for payment of the fees or other costs that may be required of that Team to compete in any league or tournament.

No trainer or coach will work for any Team without a fully completed and executed trainer’s agreement.

No trainer or coach will be paid for any time during which a trainer’s agreement is not in effect.

All Team expenses, including all payments to trainers or coaches, are to be paid by the Club treasurer out of funds provided to the Club by the Team.

Club Teams may require that the players on the Team roster pay such fees as the Team determines are necessary to support the regular activities of the Team (not to include long distance travel) provided, however, that no Club Team may suspend, remove from its roster, or otherwise punish a player who cannot reasonably afford to make a required payment to the Team.

The Board shall establish criteria for scholarship eligibility, as set forth in the “Scholarship Guidelines” and shall attempt to aid Teams in assuring that no child is denied a place on a Team nor participation in regular Team activities on account of an inability to pay.
Contributions to Teams from outside sources should be a Club asset and be put into the Club treasury to be available to all Teams except as otherwise determined by the Board. Only contributions directly to the Club for Club purposes will be treated as tax deductible by the Club.

If a Team disbands, its funds shall revert to the Club's general fund unless the Board of Directors otherwise directs.

ARTICLE VI - Uniforms, Colors, Gifts

Club Teams must wear the uniform (including jersey, shorts, socks, and warm-up suits) and colors adopted by the Club. A Uniform Committee shall be appointed from time to time to decide on these matters and make recommendations on these matters to the Club Board of Directors. For U9-U11 age groups, teams may only request that a player purchase game and practice uniforms, an MSC sweatshirt, and a soccer bag. For U12 and above, teams may only request that a player purchase game and practice uniforms, an MSC sweatshirt, a warm-up suit and a soccer bag. Any exceptions must be approved by the Division Coordinator.
No Club Team may make arrangements to display advertiser names, logos, trademarks, and the like on uniforms, warm-up jackets, bags, Team equipment, banners, flags, and the like without the approval of the Board.
Club Teams must use only the patches and pins approved by the Club as exchange gifts at tournaments. Team flags and banners must be approved by the Club.

ARTICLE VII - Sponsorships, Contributions, Fundraising

Sponsorships, contributions and fundraising will be governed by provisions of the Club's Bylaws, agreements with other entities as approved by the Board, and such committees as the Board may appoint.

ARTICLE VIII - Fines and Disciplinary Action

Fines, in an amount to be determined by the Board from time to time, may be imposed on Club Teams for any of the following violations:
failure to have an authorized Team representative present at any Club General meeting;
failure to call-in the results and scores of games in a timely fashion;
failure to properly set-up or take-down field equipment, including corner flags, goals, goal nets and cleaning the field of trash and other debris;
failure to properly mark a field as required by the "Laws of the Game";
loss of Club equipment;
failure to set up a field in a safe and game-ready condition;
failure to properly follow the instructions of the club treasurer in submitting Team expenses.
failure to follow League rainout and/or forfeiture procedures
violation of any of the Bylaws of the Club, Rules and Regulations of the Club or the rules of ENYYSA, whether now existing or later adopted, or any other conduct detrimental to the interests of the club as determined by the Board.
Each Club Team will be required to pay to the Club, upon demand, the amount of any fine that has been levied against the Club by a league or association because of the act or omission of that Club Team.

ARTICLE IX - Grievances, Appeals, Protests

The Board shall establish a Grievance Committee to hear grievances, appeals, and protests and to recommend action to the Board.
The procedure for appealing a decision of the Board is first to contact the Grievance Committee on an informal basis. If the matter is not resolved, it may be appealed to the full Board, and subsequently to E.N.Y.Y.S.A. (as per the rules of ENYYSA). Appeals to the Board must be in writing and must include a concise statement of the facts, the basis for the appeal, and the action requested. An appeal must also be accompanied by a check for $50 which shall be refunded if the appeal is successful. The appellant will be permitted to appear before the Board. The Board shall determine the nature and extent of its inquiry on a case by case basis.
The only persons permitted to appeal an action of the Board are the coach or Team manager on behalf of the Team or a named party. Under no circumstances will an attorney or any person other than the coach or Team manager be permitted to represent any party in an appeal.

ARTICLE X - Tournaments

The Club will facilitate Club Teams' participation in tournaments, provided such participation does not conflict with Club-sponsored events.
The Club may require Club Teams to support, participate in and assist in the promotion, organization, and operation of Club special events and Club tournaments.
All Club rules (including playing time) apply in all competitions including tournaments and long distance travel.

ARTICLE XI - Amendments

Amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Club must be made in accordance with Article VI:3 of the Bylaws of the Club.

ARTICLE XII - Matters Not Provided For

All matters not provided for in these Rules and Regulations shall be determined by the Board and decisions so made shall be final and binding.